A Little Story About Marmalade

I’ve never been a huge fan of marmalade. That is, until about ten days ago when I was given a jar of this stuff:

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If you can’t tell, that’s a jar of marmalade made with Macallan 10 Year Old single malt scotch whisky.

Now, I first became acquainted with the Macallan 10yo (the beverage, not the marmalade) back in May this year, while hunting for a good single malt to give to a friend in the States. The young man in question, a fireman, had yet to fall in love with Scotland’s finest export (scotch, not Alan Hansen), and so I was looking for something that would ease him in slowly. Nothing too adventurous, but nothing too dull either. I had intended to get him the Glenmorangie 10yo, the single malt which first aroused my love for Scotland’s finest export (scotch, not Alan Hansen), but at the shop felt it was a tad pricey. So, not feeling particularly generous, I opted instead for the cheaper Macallan, a highland malt which had been recommended to me several times* by a friend**.

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The recommendation was accurate – the Macallan 10yo was superb, and my friend loved it. Apparently one of the secrets*** of the Macallan is that throughout the 10 year aging process it is matured in both bourbon and sherry oak casks. This (according to the experts****) explains the slightly sweeter-than-usual, fruity quality that both me and my friend noticed throughout our drinking experience. In any case, the Macallan 10yo has since become one of my favourite malts.

But to get to the point, it turns out that the Macallan 10yo also makes a FINE MARMALADE! As I mentioned, I’ve never been a huge marmalade fan – but I am a fan of The Macallan ‘Breakfast Orange’ Marmalade. Smooth, bitter (as marmalade should be) but not too bitter, fruity and absolutely DELIGHTFUL on a piece of warm toast.

Go on, treat yourself!

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* Well, in truth, once.

** Well, in truth, a whisky magazine.

*** Well, in truth, it’s not a secret, they tell you about it on the bottle.

**** Well, in truth, a website I visited (but a good one: www.thewhiskyexchange.com).