A TASTE OF SCOTLAND

Òlamaid deoch-slàinte! 

(Scottish toast - Let us drink to health)

I recently spent a very pleasant evening sponsored by the Saint Andrew's Society of Montreal (http://standrews.qc.ca/)

held at the Black Watch Armoury - home of the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada (http://www.blackwatchcanada.com/ ) .

Over a period of several hours, I sampled four of the twenty-five different varieties of scotch whiskey offered (with emphasis - sadly - on 'sampled')

 

the PEAT MONSTER

      

YAMAZAKI
(a very pleasant Japanese scotch)

 

BENORMACH

BLACK WATCH
(the official scotch of the regiment)

With a flourish of ceremony, the haggis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis) was piped in and we were all treated to the 'ADDRESS TO A HAGGIS'  and as last year it was peppery and delicious.

 

"Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o'fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware

That jaups in luggies;

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,

Gie her a haggis!"

~ excerpt from Address to a Haggis by Robert Burns

My father once told me I had not one drop of Scottish blood in me but at the end of this fine evening I did indeed have a wee drop of Scotch in my blood.