Nova Scotia looks right smack dab into the expanse of the northern Atlantic Ocean. It's bucolic on the best of days and darn right nasty when a sea fueled squall (or worse) rushes in to darken, dampen and chill its door. Hearty souls are created in these extreme conditions. And whiskey can only be expected to help warm the insides when needed. It's easy to imagine a local sipping a dram on a beautiful summer day dockside with gentle waves kissing the shore. It's also easy to imagine a bundled up denizen hunkered down at home or at a friendly pub in front of a crackling fire with a favorite whiskey in hand to get him or her through a long day and night of bitter cold. "Pull up a stool, Mr. Brass Monkey, you look like you need a dram to help thaw out."
Now, my musical tastes happily range from screeching incomprehensible metal to Francis Albert Sinatra, and many points in between. But it's difficult for me not to think of a certain treasured trio when even remotely pondering any aspect of Canada. Staples and terms like Maple Syrup, Poutine, Old Time Hockey (eh), Polite, First Nations, The Loonie, Tim Horton's, Johnny LaRue, Geese, Inuit, and "World's Longest Undefended Border" only reinforce to me that I want dual citizenship so that I can happily call Rush one of "our" own!
And on the occasions of tasting this group of whiskies from north of the border and a dog leg to the east, my head turned to the sounds of Rush in all of their many layers. With music never far away for an analog kid thanks to the digital age, I spent an evening or two random sampling Canadian whiskey new to my palate with the sounds of Lee, Lifeson and Peart (a Macallan man, by the way) filling the invisible airwaves. We will save speaking at length on the complexity and grace of Rush and the impact they and their music have had on this whiskey drinker and let their music speak for itself, paired with Canadian spirits courtesy of Sir Bruce...
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Jacob's Ladder
The clouds prepare for battle
In the dark and brooding silence
Bruised and sullen storm clouds
Have the light of day obscured
Looming low and ominous
In twilight premature
Thunderheads are rumbling
In a distant overture
Lyrics: Neil Peart
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Forty Creek John's Private Cask No. 1
Middletown Dreams
Dreams flow across the heartland
Feeding on the fires
Dreams transport desires
Drive you when you're down
Dreams transport the ones
Who need to get out of town
The boy walks with his best friend
Through the fields of early May
They walk awhile in silence
One close, one far away
But he'd be climbing on that bus
Just him and his guitar
To blaze across the heavens
Like a brilliant shooting star
Lyrics: Neil Peart
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The Garden
In this one of many possible worlds, all for the best, or some bizarre test?
It is what it is - and whatever
Time is still the infinite jest
The arrow files when you dream, the hours tick away - the cells tick away
The Watchmaker keeps to his schemes
The hours tick away - they tick away
The arrow flies while you breathe, the hours tick away - the cells tick away
The Watchmaker has time up his sleeve
The hours tick away - they tick away
Lyrics: Neil Peart
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Something for Nothing
Waiting for the winds of change
To sweep the clouds away
Waiting for the rainbow's end
To cast its gold your way
Countless ways
You pass the days
Waiting for someone to call
And turn your world around
Looking for an answer
To the question you have found
Looking for
An open door
What you own is your own kingdom
What you do is your own glory
What you love is your own power
What you live is your own story
In your head is the answer
Let it guide you along
Let your heart be the anchor
And the beat of your own song
Lyrics: Neil Peart
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Glynnevan Double Barrelled Rye
Available Light
Run with wind and weather
To the music of the sea
All four winds together
Can't bring the world to me
Chase the wind around the world
I want to look at life
In the available light
Run to light from shadow
Sun gives me no rest
Promise offered in the east
Broken in the west
Chase the sun around the world
I want to look at life
In the available light
All four winds together
Can't bring the world to me
Shadows hide the play of light
So much I want to see
Chase the light around the world
I want to look at life
In the available light
I'll go with the wind
I'll stand in the light
Lyrics: Neil Peart
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Glen Breton Rare Single Barrel Select, Cask #14
La Villa Strangiato
Music: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart___________________________________________
Special thanks to Bruce Fraser for a taste of Canadian whiskey, and to Rush for providing the music to pair them with.
Categories: Booze Review, Caldera Distillery, Canadian Club, Forty Creek, Glen Breton, Glynnevan, Myriad View
Tagged as: booze, Bruce Fraser, Canada, Canadian Whisky, Drinkwire, Music, Nova Scotia, Review, Reviews, Rush, Whiskey, Whisky
