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Drams for a Winter’s Night by Will Christie

As Manitoba begins the long climb out of the dark, it is also the perfect time of year to enjoy scotch by a roaring fire while snowflakes gently fall outside a frosted windowpane. Here are a few seasonal drams to put you in a cheery mood while we take our season's greetings and enjoy Christmas and winter holidays with family and friends.

Fred Douglas Laing founded Douglas Laing & Co. in 1948 to fulfill his ambition of becoming a whisky blender.  Several decades later, his company still operates out of Glasgow with his son Fred Laing Jr. as Chairman and his granddaughter Cara Laing as Director of Whisky.  As independent bottlers, they offer several single-cask bottlings and a broad range of delightful blends from well-known distilleries.  In their Remarkable Regional Malt series, we find some festive releases for the holidays.

The Scallywag line represents a blend of Speyside single malts focused on 100% Spanish sherry-aged barrels.  The Fox Terrier mascot adorning their label is inspired by the Laing family's long line of faithful family pets. At the same time, the naturally copper-hued liquid inside the bottle attests to the sweet, dark fruits associated with Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks.  Although the exact composition is unknown, Scallywag has a strong base of notable Speyside distilleries, including those from Macallan, Mortlach, and Glenrothes.  The 2021 Winter Edition is bottled at a healthy cask strength of 53.1% ABV, presenting a nose of rich raisins, hints of chocolate, and dark berry jam on toast.  A sip is rich and luxurious as the flavours of butter tarts mixed with field berries yield a long, toffee finish, pairing well with fruit cakes and Christmas pudding. 

Moving to the Inner Hebrides, Douglas Laing's Big Peat blends focus on the archetypal Islay character of heavy peat smoke paired with a wind-swept coastline.  On their bottles, the iconic character of Big Pete is portrayed in various aspects of Ileach life as an homage to the Islay residents who have crafted their quintessential spirit for generations.  Four distilleries are blended into the final product, with their distinctive smokiness creating a whole greater than the sum of its parts.  Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila, and Port Ellen each respectively contribute medicinal earthiness, balanced smoke, sweetness, and elegance in various measures.  The 2019 Christmas Edition comes in at 53.7% ABV and is a hefty and strong whisky perfect for enjoying around a roaring fire.  Rolling the golden nectar in your glass, the smoke, oil, and salinity bring you instantly to a driftwood fire by the sea.  A sip is beguiling but not for the faint of heart.  Initially, the spirit is silky and sweet with honeyed oats, but like the surf on the shore as a gust of wind fans, the flames, the smoke, and brine come crashing over your senses as heat and ash linger on your tongue.