I have sipped the ambrosia of the gods, the elixir of luuuve that is known as the $15,000 57-year-old Macallan poured out of a Lalique crystal decanter. And now I can die. I was lucky enough to wet my lips on this sweet, albeit expensive, golden nectar thanks to Michel Dozois of Neve Ice. His shiny, blue business card was one of three lucky enough to be pulled out of a bowl for a drawing to win a taste of the ultra-primo scotch. When he handed the snifter to me, I inhaled its scent deeply. “It smells leathery,” I noted. “No, no, give it back,” Michel said, trying to snatch the glass away before I could get a taste. Then he smelled it himself, “Yeah, OK, it’s leathery. You can taste it now.” He handed it back to me.

I had expected my world to be blown, for a choir of angels to sing. Instead…it was m’ok. “It tastes weird,” I said looking up at Michel who seemed heart-broken that the sip he so generously gave me was wasted. I was disappointed, too. But then realized that I may have messed up my palate by having enjoyed a Macallan 10 with Fever Tree ginger beer just moments before. Such a dummy. Oh well. At least I had the experience.

And

I had my fill of Macallan at its tasting party which was co-hosted by @JulieWolfson and @NotCot in W Los Angeles’ Nine Thirty restaurant last night. Here was my dream bar: an open bar with all the Macallan 10, 12, 15 and 18 you could drink. I stuck to the 18 which usually retails for about $140 a bottle. (The oldest I’ve allowed myself to get is the 12 which is about $40.) This baby you enjoy neat or with a teeny sliver of ice but the bartender here dropped in a ball of ice. “It’s bad ice,” Michel noted. As the guru of gourmet ice, he would know. He went on to point out this particular ice ball’s imperfections — the line that denoted this was from a mold, the calcium deposits in the ice, the way it melted. By the time he was done, I was ready to throw the ice out to keep it from further contaminating my 18. It definitely made it too watery too fast.

Well, if I ever do want to splurge on my own bottle of 18 I at least know where I can pick up some of Michel’s Neve Ice: The Bar Keeper, K&L Wine and Wally’s Wine.

The party itself was well-stocked with eats provided by Nine Thirty. Over by this food table I ran into Lisa Brenner of LA.com and Zach Behrens of LAist both pairing their Macallan with the cheese and fruits provided. Yes, there were lots of bloggers here. Even one party-goer, a regular guest of the hotel, noted that the last Macallan tasting he went to at the hotel was full of guys in business suits but at this one everyone seemed to be taking lots of pictures. Bloggers like to drink…and take pictures.

Over by the food table there was even a screen to keep us entertained as it displayed all the Tweets from guests at the party who tagged them with “#Macallan.” We giggled whenever our Tweets popped up on the screen.

Macallan definitely knows how to throw a party. Can’t wait for the next one!