Day 14 Secret Spirits Advent Calendar continues to impress!

Day 14 dawns and I'm almost bittersweet as I creep down the dark stairwell. Is it selfish of me to feel like the end is near? After all I only have 12 days left of this lovely advent calendar. I truly have enjoyed the adventure so far and writing about the whisky behind the little door everyday has been really nice as well. I had a friend say to me yesterday: "Are you not scared you will run out of things to say?" ME?? Run out of things to say? Errrr, I don't think that has ever happened or ever will ;)

The truth of the matter is having this advent calendar is sort of like being on vacation at Disney World. You get up every day excited, discover new things, enjoy the experience, tell everybody how much fun you are having and then you go to bed super happy knowing you get up the next morning and do it all over again but in a different way! 

I flipped on the basement light and pull open the two large doors. They glide effortlessly across the top of the piano to reveal what is left to my advent calendar. I have to admit it's starting to look a little like swiss cheese!? Day 14 pops out easily and out comes the little sample bottle. Ohhh, another one from Ainneamh. This one is a Speyside 18 year old unlike what was behind door 6:

http://whiskylassie.blogspot.ca/2016/12/day-6-another-independent-bottler.html

I didn't even wait to make it back to the bedroom. I twisted the top off and starting nosing the sample bottle as I walked back up the stairs. Of course my lovely fiance was already in the kitchen making coffee and he looks over as I am deep in thought. "Would the Lassie like a Glencairn?" he says as he shakes his head. "Sure!", I answer very enthusiastically. This morning, I decide to sit at our kitchen table and actually make a few notes.  Graham arrives with my Glencairn as I'm grabbing my whisky journal and a pen. "Does it seem bizarre to see me sitting here in my robe at 6:30 nosing whisky?" I ask. He hands me my coffee. "No more bizarre than the other 6,326 ways I've seen you nose it. 

He left me sitting there, almost sensing that maybe I needed a little alone time. Was sort of nice actually. The whisky was quite lively in the glass or maybe it was the fact that my nose felt fresh and ready, either way... it was nice to simply take a few moments to let the ideas flow and trust my nose. Work... train employees, keep the place from burning down, remember to eat, play nice, and then watch the clock tick down to 5:00pm!

Graham announces he's not feeling well and realized he has caught the really nasty cold that is going around. (Great...!) but I go into high gear, make us a szechuan stir fry and we sit, stop and enjoy. It was hot, spicy but just what we both needed. I suddenly remembered my sample and jumped up from the couch. 

Ainneahm Speyside 18 year old, 54.7% ABV. Refill hogshead, cask 14432.

Colour: Another light, sunny whisky. It's almost translucent.

Nose: Another delicate whisky and you really have to work to find the aromas on this one. It's rich in cereal, but like oatcakes. It's not overly sweet but much more on the "yeasty" side, so maybe I would describe it as doughy. 

Palate: Here is where the sweetness comes, it's lemon meringue pie on a graham cracker crumb crust! Simply divine.

Finish: There's a clean, crisp feeling about this one. It doesn't necessary linger but leaves a feeling of having freshly brushed your teeth.

From start to finish this whisky was ever so pleasing. I love the way it was a little shy on the nose and then the palate hit me like one of my favourite desserts!! Another stunning choice for this advent calendar.

As always if you want to see what Jonathan thought, check out his blog at:  www.singlemalting.com

With 11 days left, it's hard to imagine what is left to come, but I'm sticking around to find out.  Ruaidh, my lovely cat seems to want to as well!  


Cheers,

Lassie

Day 6, another independent bottler discovery for the Lassie - Highland 18 year old

Tuesday December 6 dawns, yet another cold morning here in eastern Canada. As I wipe the sleep from my eyes I can hear Graham in the kitchen making coffee. I'm really not in the mood to even get dressed let alone go to work today. I get up, stretching and yawning. My muse... the advent calendar calls me from the basement. It's like my whisky siren at the moment and it's been a great initiative as far as getting me moving and excited for the day ahead.

It snowed through the night so there is a clean white blanket of snow on everything. I consider myself super lucky to experience all four seasons where I live. I find it bizarre to think that people in places like Brazil or Texas don't have cold white winters? These are things that run through a Lassie's head at 6:25am.  Go figure...  ;)

The calendar sits on top of my piano bar, almost at eye level. I poke at door number 6 but it doesn't break open. I use two fingers this time and hit it much harder. This one is a stubborn one!? I reach forward with my two hands and grasp the advent calendar firmly with one hand while I push even harder with my fingers and finally it pops. "You need help down there" the voice rings from the kitchen. "Nope, got it!" I yell back. Reaching in, I pull out the usual 50ml sample but this time as I read the label I'm almost a little confused...

I have never heard of an independent bottler by the name of "Ainneamh"? As I skip back up the stairs and enter the kitchen Graham hands me my morning cup of coffee (I love rituals, don't you!) and I say: "Tell me something... "Have you ever heard of Ain-Nea-mh before", I bastardized that poor name like you wouldn't believe!?! Of course my lovely partner of 13 years stared back at me blankly. I try again: "Ainne-amh" I say trying to add inflection and pronunciation emphasis in there somewhere. "I'm not sure what you are even trying to ask me Johanne" he says as he takes a sip of his coffee. I pull whisky #6 out of my robe pocket and hand it to him. He reads it, smiles and hands it back. "No, and I'm not even going to try and pronounce that" he states as he makes his way back down to the bedroom. I follow but grab a Glencairn as I walk by the bookcase (Yes, I keep whisky glassware almost everywhere, as you never know when an emergency dram may be needed!) When I do make it back to our bed and get myself properly tucked into the blankets I google "Ainneamh" to see how it's pronounced and what it actually means. So according to a few sites it's pronounced Anny-oov and means Rare or scarce. It certainly wasn't an independent bottling company I had ever heard of but after a bit of digging it seems the company is owned by two chaps who don't release many whiskies but when they do they are something pretty special and unique. 

As it's become customary I opened the little sample and poured just a wee bit into my Glencairn. Maybe it's because my palate is so fresh or because I drink coffee first thing but this whisky is simply sublime with aromatic flavours at this point. Quickly get a fresh fruit salad with a dab of fresh whipped cream and a drizzle of honey. How mouthwatering is that!? Dipped my finger in it just as Graham stole the glass and stuck his nose in it. "Hmmm he says, pears.. fresh cut up pears". 

And just like that, it's time for me to get to work. Once again I find myself thinking about my wee dram back home and once again as I walk through the door at 4:30pm, I head straight to the bookcase and pour the dram into another glass. I kicked off my shoes, parked myself into my big armchair and lost myself in the dram as I watched Greg play ball hockey in his driveway. It's amazing how just nosing a whisky in silence can melt away the deadlines, the complaining customers and the grime from the day's work that is now solidly behind me. It's almost like an instant reset button for me some nights. Greg is now joined by 3 or 4 more boys from our street. All tall and gangly, awkward teenagers running around this sticks, yelling and jousting for position. And like every other whisky moment it hits me...  The whisky is my sample is the same age as Greg. It was likely distilled close to the year he was born. This is where I always marvel and think...  The whisky in my glass has been sitting in a cask for as long as my neighbour's boy has been around. That, in my mind always makes me realize that when we drink these lovely drams... we are truly drinking history. (To quote my friend Benoit Bailey). 

I close my eyes and take my time, after it this drams deserves a little time spent with it, don't you think ;)

Ainneamh Highland 18 Year Old, Refill Hogshead, 57.0% ABV

Colour: White gold, quite light indeed

Nose: Again with the fresh tropical salad, with a fresh dollop of whipped cream. But this time, I get a bit of a briny backdrop... Reminds me of Martine Nouet's "Fleur de Sel" seasoning that she keeps in her kitchen. It's a delicate salty smell. 

Palate: Honeyed, almost like biting into an actual honeycomb (childhood memories), it's creamy but not buttery, it has has a bit of a sour lemon candy backdrop (wasn't expecting that!?)

Finish: Slightly bizarre as it turned into a "meaty" dram. The finish surprised me so much that I had to try it a few times to make sure it was consistent for me. It's tangy like a sweet & sour pineapple sauce?! The kind I would put on Hawaiian meatballs. 

So this dram took me in a direction I was not expecting. It started out quite sublime, almost on the delicate side and finished with a BANG!? I really enjoyed this dram very much. While I finished making my notes, I noticed it was getting darker outside and the other boys were leaving to get home. I watched Greg awkwardly pick up his hockey gloves and the net and just as he turned around to grab the puck he saw me standing in our bay window. He smiled and waved. I instinctively raised my dram to him. He laughed and tipped his ball cap very graciously in my direction.

Maybe someday, when he's a little bit older I'll introduce him to whisky but for the time being, I'm content continuing my journey and my own personal discoveries. This one hit the spot and was another great dram. I'm on a roll, that's 6 in a row that were quite impressive and masterfully chosen for this advent calendar. The suspense builds and I'm doing a great job of not peaking. What... will tomorrow bring?

As always I refrain from reading what Jonathan posted but check out his website to get more information about this whisky and/or find out if it's available where you are:

www.singlemalting.com

From the sunset of my front yard, my wish to all of you: May your drams be as satisfying and lovely as mine...

Lassie



LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN - Day 1, what a great way to start my advent calendar

You can imagine the excitement that presents itself when someone sends you an email saying: "Whiskylassie, we would love you to be our guest writer this year for our Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar". So, you try to sound all cool and collected but on the inside you are jumping around like a little kid who realizes they have just won the mother-load of all possible Christmas gifts. Then, the waiting begins...  Wait until it arrives, open the box, rummage through the envelopes, and small gifts (Nice glass!), look at it with your eyes (not your hands) and the hardest part:  NO PEEKING. My lovely 'other-half' actually hide it on me because I was playing with it too much (his words, not mine). I eventually found it while he was on a boys night out. I proudly placed it in my whisky room and every day I watched the calendar, day by day inching closer to December 1. I started justifying why I should open day one ahead of time : "I will only look at the first door and nothing else". Well we know what happens after that. It's like having a cookie jar full of homemade double chocolate chip cookies and saying I will only eat one. I have no self-control, I admit that. I would have indeed peeked at the first one and then said to myself: "Self, you can look at two at random. Close your eyes and pick a few more, and then a few more until none would have been left as a surprise for this Lassie". The suspense just about killed me but then it was December 1st.

As I stood there with my pjs on at 6:45am making coffee I thought to myself, is it inappropriate to open that first door now after all my nose and palate are really fresh?! I ran back to my whisky room and propped open my lovely advent calendar. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I found door number 1 and touched it with my index finger. I began to get butterflies in my stomach and giggled. Knowing day 1 would be the beginning of a 25 day whisky adventure made me feel so exuberant. I poked the little front door. It twisted but didn't break. I used two fingers this time and it spun off unto the floor somewhere below me. Reaching in, I grasped the mini whisky bottle firmly and closed my eyes. It felt cool to the touch. I spun it around in my hands a few times then stopped, unscrewing the top and taking that first inhale straight from the bottle. My olfactory senses went into overdrive. 

You see, I have this lady that sits up there, her name is Mabel and she operates my memory bank of whisky smells like a switchboard operator. This morning, she's on point and she's plugging in those scents faster than my 89 year old neighbour can share the street gossip. Rich velvety ripe peaches, honeyed custard and fresh coconut (thanks Mrs. Dave). I really want to take just a small sip, but after all I'm supposed to be headed to work in about an hour?! So, I refrain and screw the cap back on. I am so tempted to look at this little bottle and see where this whisky comes from but I choose not to, slipping it into my robe pocket. I bound back up the stairs to find Graham standing in the kitchen looking a little sleepy and plenty confused. I grin, he smiles and shakes his head: "Couldn't wait, could you". I laugh all the way down to the bedroom, coffee in hand. 

I think about the little whisky bottle most of the morning. At afternoon break a coworker asks me why I seem so happy and for a split second I consider telling her about my wonderful whisky advent calendar but then I hesitate because she might think I'm just a wee bit crazy if I reveal that I was sniffing scotch before 7:00am... So I simply state that I have something really nice waiting for me at home. I bounded through the door, threw down my coat and went straight to the whisky room only to remember I had put the little bottle in my robe pocket. Back up the stairs, two by two (you'd swear it really was Christmas morning?!) and I literally run down the hallway. I reach in and pull it out of the pocket. It's finally time for the big reveal. Whisky #1 for my Secret Spirits Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar is:  Speyside 18 Year Old.  What a fabulous way to start!!

Listed as 58.1% ABV, and as the bottle says it was matured in a refill bourbon cask. I poured myself a healthy dram, kicked off my shoes and sat down at my desk to finally imbibe this first and inaugural dram!

Nose: Still the ripe sweet peaches, but now that I have a proper nosing glass it's much more of a peach pie with a large dollop of vanilla bean ice cream. 

Palate: It is a bit hot, but then again it is 58.1%. Silky on the tongue, ginger snaps, with a bit of "tinned" taste. A few drops of water brings a creamier texture, again a fruity custard with a hint of citrus. 

Finish: It doesn't linger for long but it's quite pleasant. Slightly peppery, a sweet heat, so to speak. Then a touch of smoke? Am I imagining that...?

The door swings open and Graham is standing there. "I figured I would find you here". I smile and flip the small bottle at him. He looks at the label and opens the sample. He reaches for my glass and I oblige. I watch as he noses and then takes a sip from the glass. He nods and winks. "Worth the wait then?" 

"Yes, yes... every minute". He closes the door behind him and I sit silently as I enjoy the last of my dram. Jonathan, this was a fabulous day 1 dram. I can only imagine what is to come. 

Christmas often holds traditions for many of us, so for the next 25 days I plan on doing the same thing every day. Wake up, run downstairs, poke through the door, nose the whisky then wait until later on in the day to experience it fully. I, will be celebrating every single day with a brand new whisky. I hope you will join me on this latest of Lassie adventures.

For now...  here is my Christmas card this year to all of you. It's called Throw back to the 80's, this is "Archie & Ethel"  


Cheers everyone!

Lassie