Patrick, dude, I wish you could’ve been there. Just got back from my whirlwind Memorial Day tour about our hometown, and I’m pleased to report that after only 24 months, our single malt whiskey is f*%#&ing FIRE!!!

Which is to say “delicious”. Don’t interpret “fire” as indicative of a burn, because nothing could be further from the truth; this New Scottish delicacy goes down SMOOTH.

I mean, sure, if you thought “fire” represented the smoky aura which entices the nostrils and cuddles the taste buds, then you were spot on. The charred interior of our oak barrels has—in just two years—packed a phenomenal aroma and flavor to our inaugural forays into this venture (as you well know). Yet as this was the first time I’d ever tasted the product, I was overjoyed (and relieved!) to discover that we’re not just on the right track, but rather conducting this crazy train at lightspeed.

And beyond the whiskey, bro, the entire experience was just an absolutely wonderful testament to community…….

The first stop was the Albany Distilling Company (ADCo), were founders John Curtin and Rick Sicari have been warehousing our whiskey for the past two years. Armed with hammer and chisel, he uncorked one of the barrels and then used one of this little plastic bulb syringes to extract a few pinches of whiskey. The Altamont Enterprise & Albany County Post was even there to witness the uncorking!

Then, we conducted the “2-Year Tasting” on the second floor of the Albany Bar & Bottle Shop, ADCo’s companion retail outlet. The corporate offices are warm, relaxed, and historic; John and Rick have cultivated a distinctly creative atmosphere. On the long conference table, we set out a SPREAD of some of New Scotland’s best cuisine. This was deliberate; to celebrate the achievement of our own local business, I invited a broad collective of New Scottish entrepreneurs to share in the experience and jointly enjoy the fruits of local labor.

Our toast to New Scotch Spirits was the perfect way to ring
in the first sips of our Auld Lang Syne single malt whiskey.

First I turned to JayCees Pizza, because it’s been my favorite food for going on 30 years. But I also made sure to incorporate a slightly healthier component to the meal by relying on Gracie’s Kitchen—the brand new restaurant which rose from the ashes of the old Voorheesville Diner—to supply the salads and lemonade.

Of course I turned to Indian Ladder Farms to provide the “dessert” flair to the extravaganza with their renowned and award-winning cider doughnuts. But the real thrill was the newest addition to the Village of Voorheesville’s culinary experience: Rollin’ Smoke Handcrafted BBQ! Proprietors Rob and Amy Carmel cook the finest handcrafted BBQ in the Capital Region from the food truck they began operating out of New Scotland in November 2018, and Rob joined us alongside 100 of his wings.

The tasting was the perfect mix of people. Dietrich Gehring—the proprietor of Indian Ladder Farms and the farmer who provided the barley for our whiskey—brought the whole crew down from the cidery to taste the outcome of his agricultural expertise.

Rebecca Miller of Lime Kiln Farms (our other grain supplier) stopped by for a taste, too, such that we had nearly all components of the New Scotch Spirits supply chain on-hand to celebrate our collective feat.

Lastly, we even were joined at the last minute by Cassie Hudson of News Channel 10, who stopped by to cover our success on local television! Check out her spot on WTEN.

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All in all, Patrick, it was a spectacular introduction of Auld Lang Syne, our signature single malt whiskey. I can only imagine what this feat of community is going to taste like when we bottle and release it in 2021, after four long years of aging and effort.

So with that, I sign off… on this Memorial Day, remember that our ability to freely embark on our venture to distill spirits from the land we love is made possible by the sacrifices of those who defend our way of life.

— Jesse