There's always something exciting about getting your hands on a bottle that isn't available in your neck of the woods. When I was reviewing the Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength 2020, I mentioned my buddy from Chicago had sent it to me, so that we could enjoy the same whisky during our periodic FaceTime calls. And that bottle was wonderful. Then there are my yearly trips to the beach, where the local stores, in addition to stocking bottles I can easily get, have a handful that I can only purchase there, so I stock up and bring them home with me. I mentioned in my last tasting, for the Redbreast 21, that my friend had come into town from Chicago, and in addition to generously supplying that Redbreast 21, he also came toting this Machrie More Cask Strength. We had discussed getting the Ardbeg 19 in place of the Redbreast 21, but since Matt's less of a peated whisky fan than I am, we went Irish, but he still, very thoughtfully, stored this one in his luggage. Being a fan of Arran, he figured he was meeting me halfway by bringing their peated line, and again, if I have to repeat it, I was highly appreciative. The only Arran available in my area is the Robert Burn Single Malt, which I have a bottle of but have not yet opened, so I'm unfamiliar with their array of offerings. That said, we both laughed upon opening this at the coloring. It's a pretty intense yellow, like initially my thoughts were not only was it urine yellow, but it was urine yellow after you've taken a B Complex vitamin. Does color change with aeration? This was only a few days ago, and granted, we were drinking it out of teacups in the airbnb we were staying in, but pouring it tonight, the color doesn't strike me as being of the same intensity. It's a regular gold in my Glen Cairn glass, and the aroma is delectably peaty. Oh that's right! Having said that thing about it being urine yellow, I probably turned you off, but this is a really good whisky. The peat mingles with sweetness on the nose, dances with it, twirls in a bit of a waltz. It is a peat mingled with honey and peaches and apples, and it mingled well in between glasses of Redbreast, almost complimentary, which strikes me as unusual, being able to shift back and forth between Irish whiskey and scotch so well. After a while in the glass, the peat even becomes secondary, muted when next to the fruitiness. On the palate, it's strikingly similar to what I would imagine Loch Lomond 12 might taste like at cask strength, like you just dove headfirst into a leaf fire in a peach orchard in late autumn with a peppery smokey long finish that lingers until the next sip brings back the fruit. So, in summation, my friend has left town, he left two days ago, and we had a great time. The concert was a good one, even if I got a bit claustrophobic five songs in and had to take a lobby break. The food we found was wonderful, especially the breakfast joint K'Far. But the real memories were the quality of the whisky we drank over those few days. The Redbreast 21 was a highlight, but so too, was the Redbreast Cask Strength, and as for this, this Machrie Moor that he left me with, it's the lingering memory of those few days away from work, away from taking care of my kids, and now, well, now it's back to life, back to reality, but at least I have a dram of this to keep my company and ease my way back in.