Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 15 - MacNair`s Lum Reek 21 Year Old
Posted on December 15, 2023
by Evan
If you haven’t seen or heard of this bottle before, I am sure you have a few pressing questions.
- What the heck is a Lum Reek?
- Who the heck is MacNair?
- Why are those three words being used together to sell a Blended Malt Scotch?
Story time!
There once was a guy named Harvey MacNair. Harvey was a businessman from Glasgow who had a knack for blending whisky. In 1857, he founded a company named (wait for it...) Harvey MacNair and Company. He is known for promoting the natural idea of whisky being released at its natural colour, instead of adding colouring to make it look older than it was. Harvey was the creator of the original Lum Reek, apparently inspired by drinking whisky in a room with a blocked chimney (called a 'lum').
The room was filled with smoke, and supposedly instead of expiring from carbon monoxide poisoning, Harvey MacNair was inspired to give a blend the name Lum Reek and create said blend with a peaty style. The name comes from the Scottish phrase "Lang may yer lum reek", which translates to "long may your chimney smoke". This is essentially a Hogmanay/New Year’s greeting and a toast to someone's health. Hopefully, that person's lum is not as blocked as Harvey's was.
The MacNair Whisky company was purchased by Hiram Walker in 1933, which itself was acquired by Allied Lyons PLC in 1987. in 2005, THAT company was purchased by Pernod Ricard. In the summer of 2016, Pernod Ricard sold the Glenallachie distillery and the Blended Scotch brands White Heather and MacNair's to a consortium led by Billy Walker. The MacNair’s brand was relaunched with the Lum Reek Blended Scotch shortly thereafter.
Billy Walker loves to fleece Pernod Ricard of their underappreciated distilleries and whisky stock. Before purchasing Glenallachie Distillery and adding a capital to the middle of the name, to make it GlenAllachie Distillery, he had done the same with BenRiach in 2004 and GlenDronach in 2008. But I digress…
We have featured a MacNair’s Blended Malt in our KWM Whisky Calendar previously. That was back in 2019 with the MacNair’s Lum Reek 12-Year-Old. The MacNair’s Lum Reek brand has been given a label makeover since then, but the whisky style has remained pretty much the same. The brand has become part of the expanded MacNai's Boutique House of Spirits, which is expanding with the release of rum expressions from Panama and Jamaica, though those have not hit Canada yet.
Shall we give this 21-year-old Blended Malt Scotch a taste?
MacNair's Lum Reek 21 Year – 48%
This 21-year-old Blended Malt is composed of Islay, and Speyside whiskies (including GlenAllachie) aged in first fill ex-Bourbon, ex-Red Wine and ex-PX Sherry casks.
Evan’s Tasting Note
Nose: Coal dust, peat fires, and stewed fruits. Plum sauce, raspberry tarts, sliced grapefruit, teriyaki-flavoured beef jerky, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and a distant honeyed and waxy note.
Palate: The smoke from a beachside campfire, powdery and chalky Valentine’s Heart candies, maraschino cherries, strawberry jam, smoky and earthy Rioja red wine, more plum sauce and a sip of espresso.
Finish: Earthy and smoky with warming spices, dark chocolate, fading jammy fruit notes, and black licorice.
Comment: Peat lovers, rejoice! If you love the smoky side of life and whisky, then this should be right up your alley. This is a wonderfully complex and smoky blend. It may be a bit too much on the peaty side for some, but I am happy with it!
Cheers,
Evan
[email protected]
Facebook & Instagram: @sagelikefool
This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2023 UBER EDITION
Recent Posts
- Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 25 - SMWS 76.151 - Cloves studded in honey-glazed ham
- KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Blog Day 25 - G&M Linkwood 25
- Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 24 - Whisky Sponge Glen Keith 1993
- KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Blog Day 24 - SMWS 36.209 - WILL YOU JOIN THE WORM TUB CLUB?
- Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 23 - G&M Bladnoch 1988 KWM Cask
- KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Blog Day 23 - Bowmore 18 Year
- Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 22 - Boutique-y Japanese Whisky Batch 5 - 21 Year Old
- KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Blog Day 22 - Berry's Dailuaine 2010 KWM Cask
- Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 21 - Maltbarn Invergordon 1972 - 49 Year Old
- KWM 2023 Whisky Calendar Blog Day 21 - Old Pulteney 15 Year