Lassie's Top 12 countdown for 2016 - Whisky #11 Single Grain Single Cask Goodness

I know it was late 2013 when my friend Dave Alcock (www.thewhiskydramalista.com) contacted me on twitter. I don't remember if it was a twitter tasting he participated in or if his keen eyes had found this bottle somewhere but either way it was something he remembered I had been looking for. "Do you want me to get you a bottle and we will figure out how to get it to you?" Without any doubt or further thought the answer was a resounding YES!

So, he did. Bought it and held on to it for me until I was able to see him in spring of 2014. I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with him on a grand tour of the UK. Was one of the highlights of my trip actually. He and his wife were not only great hosts but I felt like I had known them for years or like they were family. Dave and I shared many amazing drams in his whisky shed, we all went on a #whiskyfabric road trip to Penderyn (which was a story in itself). He let me be a tourist in his hometown and ensured that I saw Stonehenge (Huge bucket list moment for me!)

The bottle in question was the Clan Denny Single Cask Single Grain Invergordon vintage 1966. Cask HH 7254, Ex-bourbon bottled at 47.1% ABV which made it back to Canada and then sat until October 7th when we held a club meeting at a friend's cottage. We ate a traditional Indian meal including an egg curry (amazing), we shared many a whisky and then we finished the evening with a bonfire overlooking the St. John's river. I opened the 1966 that night and as we all sat in silence mulling over the whisky, it brought me back to Dave's house. A morning when I woke up to the most beautiful guitar playing and how I closed my eyes and simply stayed in the moment. 

I eventually snuck out to the living room and didn't say a word, just continued to listen to Dave. Of course I snapped one of my favourite photos at that point :) 

It's always amazing to me that a dram can transport you back in time to an exact moment. I will say this again, no other spirit has the capability to do that for me. I made a promise to myself that night at the bonfire on that chilly October night that "we" would finish that 1966 before the end of the year. I shared it often and gladly. Did I take notes: Nope... ;)

The bottle was laid to rest on Saturday November 26th at the New Brunswick Spirits Festival. Friends present: Saravana, Mark, Stephanie, Benoit, Larry and Graham. In hindsight I really should have gotten everyone to sign it so that I could remember who got to try it with me, I'll remember for my 55th, hehe!

Thank you to Dave over in Bristol UK for getting this lovely bottle for me and appreciating that when I turned 50, I should have something quite special to share. 

Here's to looking out for one another and sharing what we have! Likely the fastest bottle drunk in 2016... it was worth the wait.

Number 11 - Thanks!


Lassie

Day 22 Advent Calendar - Ode to Bob...

Our house has been fairly busy this last week and Graham and I were fighting off some sort of bug. I had been feeling a bit sluggish and really achy. This morning was no different. My knees creaked a bit as I planted my feet on the cold floor and as I searched for my slippers in my semi-conscious state I could feel a twinge in my lower back. "Getting old sucks" I said out loud at the cat, who of course simply blinked and went back to sleep. I wandered quietly down the stairs and poked my finger through door 22. I did a bit of a double take and couldn't quite believe my eyes. I read it and then spelled it out loud just to make sure: C-A-M-B-U-S. What happened next, I can't print... It was a slew of expletive language that even now, my mother would slap me behind the head for... 

This is a unicorn dram for me... Something I never thought I would get to experience in my lifetime. Cambus was a Stirling Scotland grain distillery from the early 1800's that closed forever in 1993. Grain whiskies are often exquisite, especially those that have spent much time in the barrel. I carefully poured just a little in my glass and proceeded to nose/taste it. My train of thought immediately drifted to distilleries of days gone by and how fortunate I have been in these 32 years o whisky imbibing to have experienced so many of their wonderful whiskies. Then an image popped into my head. A moment in time with my friend Bob Rae who we lost in May 2015. Bob... a friend of days gone by. It was difficult not to tear up as I remembered some of the great moments we had shared. He and his wife Daphne showing up in a snowstorm to a "party" we had cancelled, but Bob said: "Nonsense" and showed up anyway. There we were the four of us, spending a fabulous evening talking, sharing drams and laughing while the blizzard raged on. That was the last time I saw Bob.

I went to work but thought of Bob all day. When I got home, we had errands to run and things that needed to get done. I didn't get back to the whisky until much later. I got into my pj's, got a warm fuzzy blanket and proceeded to finally make notes about the Cambus. 

Adelphi Cambus 1988, Single grain whisky, 27 year old at 48% ABV. Bourbon refill cask #59353. 

Colour: Another really pale whisky. Barely there yellow!

Nose: Powdered sugar on an apple danish. Creamy, buttery and sweet.

Palate: Delicate, silky. Vanilla pound cake but with of a Madeira cream sauce. 

Finish: Not as sweet as the nose and palate and it has a bit of a strange aftertaste... a bit "plasticky"? 

Overall this was a very good dram, except the finish threw me off completely. I'm happy I got to try it, but I didn't find this one as balanced as many of the other drams in the calendar. The great part of the discovery is how it made me remember a friend from days gone by.

If you'd like to see what Jonathan thought: 

www.singlemalting.com

Dr. Robert Rae - We miss you dearly my friend

Can't wait to see what is next... and here's to the memory of distilleries and friends gone but never forgotten.

Lassie