Cask of Dreams: If you sign it, they will come.

Aberdeen is an extremely transient town. In the 6 short weeks that I’ve been here, we’ve said goodbye to three people, and also welcomed in two.  People are constantly coming and going, arriving and departing. It’s the oilfield circle of life.

To celebrate/mourn our friend Mackenzie’s return to the States, we decided to send her off in true Scottish fashion by touring the world famous Glenfiddich Whiskey Distillery, which is only about an hour and a half drive from Aberdeen. Since Jonathan first started his Scotch drinking hobby a few years back, Ole Glenfiddich Single Malt has been a frequent house guest of ours. Driving up to the distillery, I actually felt a little bit star struck to finally meet it face to face.

Of course, the surrounding scenery was breathtaking, despite the persistent fog and rain. Luckily, most of our tour was indoors, and our lovely tour guide, Amy, educated us all about the distilling process.

Since some tourist thought it would be a fun prank to pull the fire alarm in the usual 'tourist' warehouse, Amy took us to another storeroom off the beaten path. Since this particular room isn’t usually open for tours, the smell of whiskey permeated throughout the massive warehouse. Because the alcohol content is so high in these buildings, it's considered a fire risk to take pictures. Shhh..don't tell.

Can you tell that I am keeping my eyes out to make sure the guide doesn't discover our illegal behavior? I'm such a goody goody. Don't worry, no fires were caused, so no harm done.

Amy told us about this special stock that will be released in the States and Canada in about 12 years called the ‘Cask of Dreams’. The whiskey barrels themselves are covered in sharpie marker where people have written out their life’s hopes and wishes. Clearly sensing our enthusiasm over this, she asked us if we’d like to sign one of the casks. Without hesitation, our friend Caitlin pulled out a handful of colored markers and we each took a turn writing out our dreams.

I was stumped at first, since for so long, my dream has been to live abroad. It was a surreal moment to take a step back and think, ‘I can’t think of a dream to write down because I’m living mine’. And then it hit me. I have everything I could ever want. Everything that is, except for a horse.

So yes, my friends, in 12 years when you see Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams Special Edition Whiskey, buy a bottle and raise a glass to my life long dream of owning my very own horseJ.  I felt pretty confident about my choice of dream until I had seen what other people had written. Things like “I want to help those in need” or “I wish that there could be peace in the middle east”. And I’m still the spoiled brat, selfishly screaming out that I WANT A PONY!!! I guess God isn’t finished with me yet…

Either way, it was by far one of the coolest things I have ever done, and I can’t wait to see this special edition whiskey on the shelf at a Texas Liquor store and remember how I was a part of it. Our group will definitely need to have a reunion when it's released and toast a wee dram to those dreams we dreamed so long ago. And then they can take turns riding my horse, whom I plan to name 'Glenfiddich'.

After signing the Cask of Dreams, we were treated to a tasting of some wee drams, which was hands down, Jonathan's most favorite part. Yes, we are truly living the dream.