by Delin Watmough
Hello all, well we are finally fully open and looks like things are headed back to normal.
This has been a pretty eventful month with the parade in Sedgewick and numerous other events as well as getting ready for GOTCHF. Before I get into my blog, I would like to publicly thank my FSC and BRPD family for the amazing support they showed me this past month, it was truly appreciated by both Stephanie and myself. I fell ill and wound up in the hospital for a couple days, and not only did they send me a beautiful bouquet of flowers but came to my home and played for my wife and I. It was an amazing gesture that I will never forget, Thank you all.
This month I am going to do something a little different. As most of you know, our annual Gathering of the Clans Highland Festival (GOTCHF) is coming up on August 21 and everyone involved is working hard to make this one the best ever. This year we are featuring our band more, and we will have many band members in attendance who (I'm sure) will be more than thrilled to talk to you about their instruments and may even be playing a solo or 2.(I have a couple tunes worked up but trust me when I say I am not perfect LOL, you may be better off listening to some of the other band members). As the number of vendors are growing day by day, there will also be a vast amount of entertainers, demonstrators, artisan vendors, and many food trucks. The Red Deer & District Pipe Band has confirmed attendance as well so all in all this will be an amazing event for the whole family.
For the evening event, we have a real treat in store. I will be doing a whisky tasting with 3 new Scotch Stewards helping me out to ensure everyone has the chance to taste what I think is one of the most diverse tastings we have put together. So for this month, I am not going to do a review perse but I am going to tell everyone about the 4 whisky’s we will have at GOTCHF and it will be up to you to come on down and taste each of these very interesting whisky’s for yourself.
Benriach, the Smoky Ten – a Highland peated whisky that is said to have a smooth smoky taste without being overpowering. I am sure any of you who like me, like peated whisky this will be the one for you.
Jura Journey – the entry level Jura from the Ilse of Jura (while I have not tried this offering I have not had a Jura I didn’t like).
Highland Park 16 Twisted Tattoo - this whisky definitely has me interested, Highland Park has matured whisky in a Spanish Rioja wine cask and mixed it with whisky matured in a first fill bourbon cask. This actually sounds amazing and I can’t wait to taste it.
Lismore 15 -This is from the Speyside region of Scotland and is said to have hints of fruit and spice, so it should be a enjoyable whisky for those who are beginner whisky drinkers.
So there you have it! You will note I did not include any reviews or tasting notes. So again, I am putting it to everyone who reads these to come down to GOTCHF this year, meet our band members, enjoy a amazing day of Scottish Culture, come to the pig roast and dance, and sample what I think is a stunning array of fine Whisky.
May your days be long and your glasses full
Slainte
Delin Watmough