In the words of Scottsman Robert Burns' poem, The Deil's Awa,' "We’ll mak our maut and we’ll brew our drink/We’ll laugh, sing and rejoice, man." That, my friends is exactly what we shall do tonight... Scottish-style! The Meista here with another pairing for you... tonight finds me rocking out to Scotland's biggest hard rock act, Nazareth and their 1975 quintessential album, "Hair Of The Dog" and a lovely Scottish ale... Traquair Jacobite Flavored Ale from Traquair House Brewery from Innerleithen, Peebleshire. Oh, and this pairing goes out to my brother-in-law Paul and his lovely family who gave me this great beer for Christmas! Cheers M5!! Love you!!
"Hair Of The Dog" is Nazareth's sixth studio album and their biggest in terms of sales and rock and roll punch! According to lead singer Dan McCafferty, the title of the album and title track is a play on "heir of the dog," i.e. a "son of a bitch," which was the original name of the album, but the record company would have none of it and the album was renamed "Hair Of The Dog." With songs like "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman," "Hair Of The Dog," "Miss Misery," and of course, their huge hit cover song (my least favorite Nazareth track) "Love Hurts," this album is essentially the ultimate drinking album! Plenty of proto-metal to go around on this one! The guitar work (though sometimes simple) is meaty in tone and aggressive as hell... as is the drumming and good old Danny-boy McCafferty belts them out with gravel-spitting passion! "Changin' Times," "Beggars Day," "Rose In The Heather," and "Please Don't Judas Me" all provide wonderful rock and roll bite with complexity, a bit of raunchiness, and hard rock sensibility. Any and all rockers should own this album!
And speaking of rock and roll bite, the Traquair Jacobite is a great ale for a night of '70s heaviness! It pours a deep mahogany with a thin, dissipating head with no lacing to speak of really. The nose is earthy and sweet with notes of raisin, fig, molasses, toffee, coriander, and rich soil. The mouthfeel is a bit sticky, but well balanced. The flavor is very distinct and complex, yet very smooth and drinkable. There are notes of sweet and caramely malts, dark fruits, boozy Scotch, and spicy coriander. All in all, the Traquair Jacobite is a great, malty ale to rejoice the straight-ahead heaviness that was (and still is) Nazareth!
Cheers and rock on my friends!!
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