Lassie's top 10 memorable drams for 2015 - #7 Glitter giggles

If you had or have small kids I know you know what I know... GLITTER.... makes you cringe!!! You can't get rid of that crap for years??!??? Speaking of crap ;) why or how this was started is beyond me but these are on the market and yes... they make you poop glittery?!

These are $7.00/two capsules but you can also buy the ones that have 24K gold for $750/capsule and apparently are a hot item on the Asian market. Who knew this was the new definition of luxury?

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTT! Marketing bullshit can apparently sell just about anything these days....

Case in point. I'm about to sprinkle a bit of glittery poop on Haig Club so if you are a huge fan, stop reading now and go do something else ok...

David Beckham (some soccer dude) and Simon Fuller (some bigwhig who created reality tv show Idol something or other) got together and partnered with Diageo to launch Haig Club. Interestingly enough this isn't the first time Diageo links up with celebrity status. Diddy Combs, Justin Timberlake and George Clooney = Tequila. Not a stupid move by any means since celebrity status brings a wider audience and appeal right? I mean after all if David Beckham dressed in is Armani suit drinks Haig Club, then damn it I'm going to put on my Jimmy Choo's and pour myself a tall glass of that stuff too!!! With celebrity status, HUGE marketing budgets for ads, videos and coming out parties around the world, the stuff in the fancy and mysterious cologne bottle, errr I mean whisky bottle is bound to be expensive? Well in the UK it retails for under £45. That's $100 Canadian...

I tried it... it's good but was it $100 good, nope. 

Meanwhile there was a dram I tried and loved in February 2015 at a whisky festival in Kingston Ontario. I believe they were the first whisky festival in Canada to showcase this one and then I was fortunate enough to try it again in March at Celebrate Whisky in Halifax Canada. It's half the price of Haig Club and in my opinion, twice as better. So value for money = excellent. It's less than $50 Canadian = less than £25. And you know what else... unlike Haig Club, it's available in Canada. Needless to say I bought two bottles for that price tag ;)

Ladies and gents:  

Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky, 43% ABV

100% grain whisky made at the James Sedgwick Distillery by highly respected master distiller Andy Watts in... South Africa (yup, you read that correctly my friends). 

Nose: My first thought was creamy MacIntosh toffee bars (from my childhood) and as it develops in the glass it turns into a creamy vanilla custard.

Palate: Sweet grains (reminded me a bit of a young bourbon) then with a few drops of water it softened the oaky aspect I was getting. Lots of ginger spiciness too!

Finish: This one lingers for a long time. It was a bit drying at first and then came the spices and warming sensation. From start to finish this is a well balanced and lovely dram. 

No fancy expensive bottle, no David Beckham 10 Million dollar deal, invitation to a big party or Jimmy Choo shoes but you will get excellent value for a great grain whisky! 

Because honestly most of us don't like anything with glitter anyway...

LASSIE ENJOYING BAIN'S ON WORLD WHISKY DAY!

Lassie's top 10 memorable drams for 2015 - #8 Here's to fantastic whisky friends

If you haven't already been sickened by my constant comments about the #whiskyfabric, well maybe you should go get a bag, just in case... Because I'm not about to stop now. ;)

There are very few parts of the #whiskyfabric that I don't enjoy. For instance, Scott Munro @KiltedMoose greeting me at the door of the Bon Accord pub and saying with open arms: "Welcome home Lassie" (Seriously did bring tears to my eyes ;)). People like Jo Lawson @AlpacaJo who constantly check in with you when you are not feeling well and managing to make you giggle with a kind word or lovely poem. The likes of Rick Culver @rmculver and @OliverKlimek who not only come to visit but bring fantastic things for us to have (not even whisky related!). Erik and Laura Burgess @TheWhiskyKiwi & @LauraWBurgess organizing a huge #whiskyfabric get together for 2016 at the Artisan near Glasgow. Getting surprise packages from those I have met along the way: Jacqueline Sutherland @WemyssJacque, Jarred Lindale @thecyclingyogi or Bob Caron @Bob_Caron. These are simply but a few examples I will mention but I assure you there are 100's of other moments for 2015 that were near and dear to my heart from whisky friends, brothers and sisters (you know who you are!) 

Case in point. Dram #8 is dedicated to those of us who care enough about our whisky friends that when we get something special, we share it. Samples travel all over the world in one form or another. I am never without 15-20 when I'm travelling and excited to give them out when I reach my destination. This is but a very small list of people who shared samples with me this year: Beth Havers - @Whiskybeth, Tom Tompson - @ifotou, Dave Worthington - @WhiskyDiscovery, Dan Davies - @Whisky_Yak, Dave Alcock - @whiskyrepublic, Anki Ulvmane - @ulvmane, Dustin Harris - @TheN5Of Ontario, André Girard - @AndreQCWhisky and Benoit Bailey - @RatherBeOnIslay. 

THANK YOU for not only sharing the lovely whiskies with me and others all over the globe but truly being the epitome of that large crazy quilt I call #whiskyfabric.

DRAM#8, Courtesy of Franck Debernardi, prolific whisky blogger and maker of the best Osso Buco, @LaCavedeCobalt:  lacavedecobalt.com

KARUIZAWA 1981, BOTTLED 2014 - CASK 136. EX-SHERRY, 55.3% ABV. SELECTED EXCLUSIVELY FOR LA MAISON DU WHISKY IN PARIS.

Nose: Herbal (That surprised me...?) Almost smells like menthol cigarettes. It reminds me of a dusty old library book too. Spices come next - ginger especially at the forefront. 

Palate: Tannic with hints of Earl Gray tea, woody but not in a bad way, visually I'm getting fresh cut pine trees. Sweet like rum soaked raisins. Quite mouthwatering indeed!

Finish: Walking in a forest after after rainfall. I had a hard time describing it. It's almost like the taste of a truffle right out of the ground.

One of the best Karuizawa's I've ever had and completely different then the others. I didn't really get much of the sherry influence and I was truly surprised by the flavours and how the taste lingered. It was truly a memorable dram. Thanks Franck ever so much for constantly sharing memorable and intriguing drams with all us of...  xox

Now the funny part of this particular dram is that (again because I also prescribe to sharing) I decided that I should open it with my father-in- law, George. He poured it for us in "these" glasses and later when I asked him what he thought of the dram his answer was: "Really good whisky". I prodded a bit: "So what stood out for you?" He looked at his empty glass and without skipping a beat he answered: "It was moorish but you would have to give me more for me to figure that out...."

So, I raise a dram to all of you, wherever you are. Thank you for making 2015 a fun and heartwarming year for this Canadian Lassie. 

If someone bestows upon you the gift of a special dram, pay it back or pay it forward. It is, after all what I feel being part of this lovely "thing" is all about. Life, is simply too short to have your bottles sitting on a shelf. Share, enjoy, appreciate.

Cheers!

Lassie