There is so much magic

I was reminded on Friday evening that, despite all my ailments and dramas, there are many magical moments in my life.

After finishing work, I wandered out into the night to watch fireworks erupt around Sydney Harbour in celebration of the opening night of Vivid Sydney.

I love fireworks, they always make me smile big.

I was filled with delight as I wandered through The Rocks, watching all the people’s faces and buildings light up.

My destination for the evening was Sydney Opera House, where I had been invited to the launch of GlenDronach Distillery’s first-ever 50 Year Old Single Malt, its oldest and rarest whisky to date.

The event was held at Bennelong Restaurant, in the front sail of Sydney Opera House, which has the most spectacular views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Circular Quay.

The celebrations kicked off with whisky highballs – GlenDronach Original 12 Years, yuzu, honey and soda – as we admired the lights.

The GlenDronach Aged 50 Years, has spent five decades in rare Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from the Spanish bodegas of Jerez in Andalucía.

Personally selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie, the casks have been married for a final maturation in a single Pedro Ximénez cask. Only a small number of casks are chosen to reach such a celebrated age, and just 198 bottles will be available worldwide of The GlenDronach Aged 50 Years, with just a couple in Australia.

As for how the whisky tastes … I haven’t actually tried it yet. They wanted us to savour our small sample at home because it’s so special (and expensive, the whisky is priced at – brace yourself – about $40,000 a bottle). I feel like I should save it for a special occasion.

Google tells me it features ripe dark cherry and plum on the nose, a palate of dark chocolate, tobacco, and cocoa, and a finish of plum, black cherry, and espresso. I’ll let you know my verdict once I’ve been brave enough to crack the seal.

While I haven’t sipped the 50 year old, I did try lots of other GlenDronach whiskies, including a 28 year old and 30 year old whisky.

And I had a delicious cherry Old Fashioned as well. I’m becoming quite the Old Fashioned fan in my middle age.

I also met the Brand Manager for GlenDronach, a Scotsman called Stewart Buchanan. He was a top bloke who looked very slick in his kilt.

The menu was so delicious. I had a salad of picked autumn vegetables with rosehip, sheeps milk feta and red leaves, followed by local pink snapper with shaved southern squid, white turnips, koji emulsion and blossoms, and a strawberries and cream dessert.

I couldn’t take DD to this event because it was so exclusive, but made a lovely new friend, Amy Cooper, who used to be the editor of B Magazine many moons ago and works for Good Food. We’ve already pledged to catch up for coffee soon.