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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.

  1. What the heck is a Lum Reek?
  2. Who the heck is MacNair?
  3. 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

You can find all blog posts for the UBER EDITION of Kensington Wine Market’s 2023 Whisky Calendar Here

This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2023 UBER EDITION

 

 

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