Scotland: home to Bens, Glens and Lochs; golf, haggis and whisky. The Bens, Glens and Lochs were scenic (when the mist cleared for long enough to actually see them). Golf was/is a little tedious and frustrating, but the fairways of St Andrews were lush grass cut lower than most greens I’ve played on – definitely a step up from my local: the public course in Huonville! The haggis tasted better than expected but did lead to some pretty serious indigestion. And the whisky...
The whisky was dazzling. I have now come to the conclusion that I’ll be forever poor. I’ll never own my own house or anything like that. Because I have developed quite a liking for this liquid gold... some more spiritual souls might even declare it the nectar of the gods. (I have returned home to find that my favourite drams are all over $100 a bottle! And we complain about the price of petrol!)
We were lucky enough to visit the Isle of Islay. A place where people let you crash on their couch and then cook you a full Scottish breakfast in the morning before you’ve even woken up (and don’t you dare offer them money for it). It’s a place where the old way is the only way and it’s never gonna change. There are eight world famous distilleries on the island: Ardberg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. We went to all of them in a hectic three days of whisky drinking!
The island is wind-blown, pounded by Atlantic swells. It is flat with no trees and large stretches of peat bog. Due to the lack of trees, peat is used for fuel and it’s burnt to dry the barley, which in turn leads to a smoky (tasty!) whisky.
Check out this website for a full run down of Islay and its Whiskies: http://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/islay-region.htm.
For any whisky nerds out there, here is a list of all the whiskies we sampled in Scotland. I count 55 drams, we were in Scotland for about a week. Do the maths. Don't try it at home folks!
Anyway, for what it's worth my personal favourites were: the Ardberg Galileo and Kilchoman 100% Islay.
Evening Night Caps:
Glenrothes 8yr
Achentoshan 12yr
Highland Park 12y
Glenmorangie 10yr
Macallan 10yr
Ledaig
Longrow 14yr
Smokehead: Ian MacLeod
Bruichladich Waves
Balvenie 12yr
Aberlour
Cragganmore 12yr
Ben Nevis 10yr
Shieldaig Macallan 10yr
Glenmorangie 10yr
Cragganmore 12yr
Glenfiddich Reserve
Big Peat blend (inc. ardberg, bowmore, coal ila, port ellen.)
Black Bottle blend
Bowmore 16yr single cask
Jura Superstition
Dalwhinnie distillery:
Dalwhinnie 15yr
Dalwhinnie 18yr
Dalwhinnie single cask 91
Oban distillery:
Oban 14yr
Oban Markie dans
Bunnahabhain distillery:
Bunnahabhain 12yr
Coal Ila distillery:
Coal ila moch 8-10yr
Coal ila 12yr Coal ila distillers edition (wine cask)
Coal ila 12yr unpeated
Bruichladich distillery:
1992 calvados cask strength
Bruichladich 10yr
Black art 1989
Octomore 4.2
Octomore 5.1
Port Charlotte peat project
Kilchoman distillery:
Kilchoman 100% Islay 2nd edition
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Lagavulin distillery:
Lagavulin 16yr
Lagavulin 1995 distillers edition
Lagavulin Whisky festival 15yr cask strength
Lagavulin 12yr Lagavulin jazz festival 15yr cask strength
Bowmore distillery:
Bowmore 12yr enigma
Bowmore 15yr darkest
Bowmore 100 degrees proof
Bowmore 17yr
Ardberg distillery:
Ardberg 10yr
Ardberg Uigeadail
Ardberg Corryvreckan
Ardberg Galileo
Laphroaig distillery:
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Laphroaig 18yr
The whisky was dazzling. I have now come to the conclusion that I’ll be forever poor. I’ll never own my own house or anything like that. Because I have developed quite a liking for this liquid gold... some more spiritual souls might even declare it the nectar of the gods. (I have returned home to find that my favourite drams are all over $100 a bottle! And we complain about the price of petrol!)
We were lucky enough to visit the Isle of Islay. A place where people let you crash on their couch and then cook you a full Scottish breakfast in the morning before you’ve even woken up (and don’t you dare offer them money for it). It’s a place where the old way is the only way and it’s never gonna change. There are eight world famous distilleries on the island: Ardberg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. We went to all of them in a hectic three days of whisky drinking!
The island is wind-blown, pounded by Atlantic swells. It is flat with no trees and large stretches of peat bog. Due to the lack of trees, peat is used for fuel and it’s burnt to dry the barley, which in turn leads to a smoky (tasty!) whisky.
Check out this website for a full run down of Islay and its Whiskies: http://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/islay-region.htm.
For any whisky nerds out there, here is a list of all the whiskies we sampled in Scotland. I count 55 drams, we were in Scotland for about a week. Do the maths. Don't try it at home folks!
Anyway, for what it's worth my personal favourites were: the Ardberg Galileo and Kilchoman 100% Islay.
Evening Night Caps:
Glenrothes 8yr
Achentoshan 12yr
Highland Park 12y
Glenmorangie 10yr
Macallan 10yr
Ledaig
Longrow 14yr
Smokehead: Ian MacLeod
Bruichladich Waves
Balvenie 12yr
Aberlour
Cragganmore 12yr
Ben Nevis 10yr
Shieldaig Macallan 10yr
Glenmorangie 10yr
Cragganmore 12yr
Glenfiddich Reserve
Big Peat blend (inc. ardberg, bowmore, coal ila, port ellen.)
Black Bottle blend
Bowmore 16yr single cask
Jura Superstition
Dalwhinnie distillery:
Dalwhinnie 15yr
Dalwhinnie 18yr
Dalwhinnie single cask 91
Oban distillery:
Oban 14yr
Oban Markie dans
Bunnahabhain distillery:
Bunnahabhain 12yr
Coal Ila distillery:
Coal ila moch 8-10yr
Coal ila 12yr Coal ila distillers edition (wine cask)
Coal ila 12yr unpeated
Bruichladich distillery:
1992 calvados cask strength
Bruichladich 10yr
Black art 1989
Octomore 4.2
Octomore 5.1
Port Charlotte peat project
Kilchoman distillery:
Kilchoman 100% Islay 2nd edition
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Lagavulin distillery:
Lagavulin 16yr
Lagavulin 1995 distillers edition
Lagavulin Whisky festival 15yr cask strength
Lagavulin 12yr Lagavulin jazz festival 15yr cask strength
Bowmore distillery:
Bowmore 12yr enigma
Bowmore 15yr darkest
Bowmore 100 degrees proof
Bowmore 17yr
Ardberg distillery:
Ardberg 10yr
Ardberg Uigeadail
Ardberg Corryvreckan
Ardberg Galileo
Laphroaig distillery:
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Laphroaig 18yr
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