As most of my characters are vampires, sweet indulgences are not something they get to enjoy, although Nial, one of the heroes in Blood Knot, attempted it with severe consequences in that book.
Which neatly reminded me of Garrett’s downfall in Blood Stone.
Garrett, one of the heroes of Blood Stone, for some complicated reasons that are wrapped up in spoilers, needs to dive into the deep end of a bottle and escape reality for a while.
I don’t think there’s a man on planet Earth who hasn’t thought that was a good idea at least once in his life. Once is usually all it takes for him to figure out just how stupid an idea it really is, but they all have to try it at least once, and a lot of women seem to need to try it, too.
But Garrett has developed some taste over the six centuries he’s walked the planet (I did mention he was a vampire, yes?), and he doesn’t pick just any old bottle of booze to pickle his brains with. Oh, no.
Calum Micheil Garrett was born in 1574 in Kincardenshire, Scotland. If you know your Scots history at all, you’ll know that Kincardine is the heart of the mighty Bruce clan, and Garrett was raise and fought as a Bruce, until he was turned in 1601.
So when he reaches for a bottle, he naturally turns to scotch. But not to Johnny Walker, which he calls “cheap piss”, but a sixty year old bottle of Fettercairn.
Fettercairn Distilleries were established in 1824, in Kincardinshire, and they are still making single malt scotch even today.
It’s a good bet they established their distillery methods based on the local home still recipes and methods that had been passed down from generation to generation. If there is a scotch that could be considered a Bruce clan scotch, it would be Fettercairn. Garrett was staying true to his roots when he cracked the seal on his bottle of Fettercairn.
It’s a pity the consequences of drinking it were so dire.
But…I would be spoiling the story to say more. 🙂
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Garrett and his story, in Blood Stone, are part of the Blood Stone series. Blood Knot, the first book in the series is free until Sunday. Get your copy now!