We journeyed to Scotland during my first Sabbatical in 2000, and when we spotted a sign inviting us to the Glenturret distillery near the town of Crieff, Perthshire, we decided to discover the joys of single malt whisky . For someone who had forsworn Scotch since an untoward experience as an undergraduate in Hangover, New Hampshire, this was a brave venture. The tour was fascinating, and at its conclusion we had a wee tasting and came away with a 15-year and 10-year miniature.
Since then I have tried several different single malts from Bowmore and Glenmorangie to Highland Park and Oban. I first tried Laphroaig because it's the single malt of choice for one of my favorite characters, Ian Rankin's John Rebus. Here are three excerpts from Rankin's fourteenth John Rebus book, The Falls:
". . . Rebus has his memories, too. Which was why, at day's end, he went home, showered and changed, and sat in his chair for an hour with a glass of Laphroaig and the Rolling Stones for company: Beggars Banquet tonight, and more than one glass of Laphroaig actually" (p.82).
"He drank alone: just the one before the walk to Surgeons' Hall; a Laphroaig, with the merest trickle of water to smooth its edges" (p. 118).
"He knew he couldn't do too many [Guinness pints], so switched to IPA and finally a Laphroaig with the meerest drizzle of water" (p. 159).
But the inspiration for this post comes from the Christmas gift my daughter Karen and her fiance Jason gave me: The Dalmore 12 Years Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky.
On The Dalmore's handsome dark brown box with gold bordering and print we read this:
"In 1263 the ancestor of Clan Mackenzie saved King Alexander III from being gored by a stag with a single arrow. The grateful king granted him the right to bear a stag's head in his coat of arms, with the motto 'Help the King' (Cuidich 'n righ, in the Gaelic language). The Dalmore Distillery was long owned by the Mackenzie family, and every bottle of The Dalmore is adorned with this noble emblem: a stag's head, with twelve points to its antlers signifying a 'royal'.
"A reminder of our heroic past and an inspiration for all who taste our single highland malt.
"Tasting Notes:
"Deep, golden mahogany in colour with orange, marmalade, and aromatic spice on the nose, elegant and rich on the palate with concentrated citrus, oloroso sherry with hints of sweet vanilla pod, an aftertaste of great complexity.
"Matured 50% bourbon American white oak, 50% oloroso sherry wood."
Sláinte mhath!
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