During one of our Zoom tastings this spring, Mitch offered to host a weekend trip to his camp on the northern tip of Moosehead lake. It's a remote place, completely off the grid - no power company, no internet or phone service. This was a great opportunity to get away from everything for a few days and enjoy nature and each other's company.
We made plans for a late August Trip, and it finally came around last weekend. Naturally the trip included some fishing, but it also included some other 'guys weekend activities like target shooting in a remote gravel pit and some exploration of the dirt logging roads around camp.
We all enjoy cooking (and eating) so of course there was lots of good food, and of course being "The Whiskey Mafia," the weekend also included Whiskey - on the water, by the fire, and in camp.
I thought it might be fun to share some of our experiences alongside some of the more memorable whiskies we enjoyed along the way. This wasn't a tasting so we didn't make tasting notes, but I suspect some of these bottles may come around again in future tastings.
Day One: Arrival at Camp and our First Cruise of the Lake
We arrived at camp in the early afternoon after a seven hour drive from our homes in Southern Maine across a mix of highways, back roads, and dirt logging roads. Access to camp is from one of these logging roads - it's a bit of a rough ride and very dusty, but every now and then there are stunning views at river and stream crossings, and nature is all around you.
The camp itself is a one-story building with a kitchen, a living room, two bunk rooms and a washroom where you can use lake water to wash up - but anything else requires a trip to the outhouse. We had power at night from a 2000 watt portable generator, and we cooked on a gas range and kept our food cold with a gas fridge. Aside from the outhouse, we weren't exactly roughing it, and the view from the shoreline in front of the camp was nothing short of stunning.
Once we were settled, we launched the boat to take a cruise of the lake. No fishing on this first pass because it was hot and we wanted to move a little faster for the sake of a breeze. We settled in for a somewhat leisurely cruise to Mount Kineo, and opened our first bottle of whiskey.
Amador Chardonnay Cask Finished Bourbon
I picked this one up on a whim when we saw it at our grocery stop in the town of Greenville, just before we hit the logging roads, and I have to say it turned out to be quire a serendipitous pick and a great way to start off the weekend on a Friday evening.
As its labeling indicates, this bottle has been finished in a chardonnay cask. It's fairly low proof at 86.8, but it still manages to have a lot of character. Although I didn't go deep on the tasting notes, I can say that I found this bottle very caramel forward. It also had vanilla on the mid palate and a spicy back end. I'm sure the chardonnay finish had a mellowing impact on this bourbon as it was a very easy drinker, but I can't say I got much of the wine's flavor from it. As you can see from the photo, we finished this one during a several hours long run around the lake.
The Rocky Face of Kineo
Mount Kineo is an island mountain that separates North Bay, where Mitch's camp is, from the rest of the lake. The north face is a rocky cliff that descends directly into the lake. Depending upon where you are on the lake, it looks very much like someone cut the mountain in half - a gradual slope on one side that falls away immediately from the summit.
While we were there, there was a family in their boat looking on while their kids jumped from the rocks to the water. As best we could tell, the jump was 30 feet or so - a little nerve-wracking for parents but I am sure lots of fun for the kids. We hung around for a bit in the shadows of the mountain enjoying the shade before heading north. We'd be back to Kineo a few more times over the course of the weekend, but we didn't get this close to the cliffs themselves again.
Oban 14 Year Old Scotch
Being the Scotch guy in the group, Mitch is fairly determined to convert me. To that end, he brought along a bottle of this bottle of Oban 14 West Highlands Single Malt, deliberately staying away from the peaty, smoky flavor of Islay on the theory that it would be more palatable for me.
I have to say that I found it pretty drinkable. Unfortunately I didn't make any tasting notes at all, but I wouldn't turn down a pour, or a bottle, although I am still not convinced enough to pay its $70 for a 750ml bottle price tag.
The evening, however, was well worth the drive all on its own, and we stayed on the water until well after a stunning sunset. The breeze on the lake was enough to keep us cool on a hot day, but not enough to stir up the water.
Day Two, Shooting, Cruising and Fishing
After enjoying the
Mountain Main Breakfast the next morning we headed off to a remote sandpit for a little target practice, then went back to camp to prep lunch for a trip out onto the water. When we set out were mostly cruising to beat the heat, so we ran a little too fast to fish and along the way we cracked a bottle of Knob Creek Rye. We cruised all the way around Kineo and had lunch on the opposite side. There is a protected harbor here and a several nicer camps and cottages.
We continued to the shores of the town of Rockwood and into the Moose River, a short but navigable river that leads to Brassua Lake.
Ultimately though, we decided to turn back to Moosehead for a little fishing in Kineo Bay, as the afternoon breeze was picking up and the salmon chop would make for better fishing. As we were finishing the final sips from the Knob Creek we put a few lines in the water. As much as I love Knob Creek Bourbon, this was my first time drinking the Rye, which left a very favorable impression. It was smooth and drinkable, with a good mouth feel. I'll definitely pick up another bottle for my shelf.
The afternoon's fishing was brief and there was not a lot of action, however Dan did manage to catch a very nice brook trout. For a trout it actually fought pretty hard. This may have been because. The fish was hooked pretty deep in its mouth and it bled everywhere when we were trying to get of off the line. We headed back to camp not long after for an evening by the fire, we opened a couple of additional bottles of whiskey including a Bulleit 10 Bourbon and a George Dickel 12 year Tennessee Whiskey, pan fried some scallops and enjoyed them by the fire with cajun seasoned tater tots. The day was capped off by an absolutely gorgeous sunset from the beach of camp.
Day 3 - The Real Fishing Day
Sunday turned out to be a bit cloudier, which we thought would make for better fishing, so we packed another lunch and hit the water. We had with us the remains of the Bulleit 10 along with a Bottle of Wild Turkey 101, which we intended to mix together as a blend. This was something we had done before; we'd even dubbed the mixture "The Kickin Chicken Takes a Bulleit."
We fished most of the day Sunday, and managed to pull five landlocked salmon from the lake all but one of which went back into the water. We had one moment when Dan got the boat into a little too shallow water for the depth we were fishing at amd we lost a few lures, but for the most part the day was fun and relaxing and we were all pleased with the action from the fish.
We were on the water for the better part of the day, so it was no surprise that we finished off both the Bulleit and the Wild Turkey while we were out there. You should try blending these two whiskies together sometime. They pair really well.
Dinner that evening was a surf and turf of one of my salmon, Dan's trout and some ribeye steaks over charcoal in the fire pit, along with some
Dutch oven Scalloped Potatoes and asparagus.
After dinner we headed back out out onto the water for a swim in Little Duck cove and enjoyed another beautiful sunset as well as some stunning views of the night sky.
Final Day
Monday turned out to be a low-key day. We spent the morning exploring the logging roads and traveling to Seboomook Shores campground for an Ice Cream from the store there, only to find the store wasn't open until 2:00. We then headed back to camp for lunch and Mitch and I went out for a little more fishing while Dan stayed at camp and took it easy, which was just as well because in spite of a good salmon chop the fish weren't really biting Monday afternoon. We also had our first real rain of the evening, but not before we enjoyed one last beautiful sunset while we were cooking scallops wrapped in bacon and reheating scalloped potatoes in a cast iron skillet.
It was a truly amazing weekend and we made some great memories together and I'm very thankful to Mitch for inviting us. We did enjoy a fair amount of very good whiskey along the way of course!
If you can ever get up to Moosehead Lake you really should. It's a really beautiful place and the northern reaches of the lake are very quiet and peaceful - an outstanding place to relax.
Cheers!
Trevor
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