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Then I hum with pleasure. "This is delicious and not what I expected. It tastes sweet but also fruity and smoky, with hints of nutmeg and vanilla." I try one more sip. "Mm, do I detect heather and honey? The whisky has nice body with an earthy but sweet finish."
His brows shoot up. "Thought you weren't a whisky drinker, but you described my single malt perfectly."
"I like to take part in the occasional wine tasting."
"Ah, that does explain it." He smiles and winks. "You will certainly appreciate my new whisky varieties, then."
"Tell me all about them." I throw back the last bit of whisky and let out a satisfied sigh. "With this variety alone, I could come up with a marketing campaign that would skyrocket your sales."
"You're that confident?"
"Absolutely. This whisky is incredible. And with you as the face of the company---"
"No. I do not want my face on the bottle or in adverts."
"Come on, Thane. This is your whisky. Why are you so camera shy?"
He pours himself a shot of the good stuff and knocks it back. "Dinnae want my face to be shown in public, that's all. End of story. Work around that limitation."
"But you swore you'd share all your secrets with me."
He scrunches his lips, twisting them side to side. Then he blows out a breath, and his shoulders wilt. "I did make that vow, and I never renege on a promise. But let me show you the newer versions before you interrogate me."
"I would love to taste all of them."
Thane chuckles softly. "Take it easy, lass. Dinnae want to get drunk on your first day at work."
"Oh, please. I never get drunk. Rarely drink at all, except for the occasional glass of wine---and that's only at tasting parties."
"Your unfamiliarity with whisky makes you vulnerable to overdoing it. Take my advice and only have one sip of each variety I'm about to show you."
I salute. "Yes, sir."
"Are you sure you aren't already tipsy?"
"My salute was sarcasm. I'm not drunk. Your whisky is amazing, but it's not strong enough to get me tipsy after a few baby sips."
He shepherds me further down the aisle to a row of casks that have multicolored wood. Then he pats the barrel. "This vintage was our first experiment with making casks that have three types of wood in them---sessile oak, hazel, and wild cherry."
"What do you call the whisky that was aged in these barrels?"
"The one you tasted was Collaidh Sgeul-Rùin Black Label. It's a single malt. This newer version is also single malt, but it has a richer flavor profile thanks to the three woods in the casks. So, we call it Collaidh Sgeul-Rùin Triple Threat."
"Are you serious?" I shake my head at him. "You gave your whisky a threatening name. That's bad marketing, Thane. Have you actually sold any of this type of whisky?"
He winces and scratches his cheek. "Not as yet."
"Probably because of the name." I nod toward the cask. "May I taste it?"
"Aye, of course." He brings out his spigot to pour a small amount of whisky into the shot glass, then offers it to me. "Sip it slowly and carefully. You aren't used to Scotch yet, and I dinnae want you to be shocked or to vomit all over the casks."
"I'll try not to soil your barrels. But I'm not as wimpy as you seem to think."
"Never meant to imply you are 'wimpy.' But Fiona thinks it's quite a bit stronger than the Black Label, which is itself stronger than average."
"Okay. I'll take it nice and slow." I accept the shot glass and take a dainty sip. "This is interesting, bolder and yet sweeter too. I can taste flavors that I can't quite place yet. Do you want to tell me? Or should I keep sipping?"
"I will share my secrets with you, if only to spare you from getting tipsy. You have tasted quite a bit of whisky in the last few minutes."
