Scotland

I'm very slow at blogging lately: I mainly write my blog to remind me of our adventures. This post is a general look back at our Scotland highlights that didn't involve a wee dram! 

The scenery is lovely, very impressive. I have my phone at the ready when we're in the car; some photos work, some are blurred as quite often we hit a pothole or bump just as I click. This is one I managed to take as we travelled west with the September colours starting to appear.

The first day of our travels was my birthday, it was lovely to be with our friends visiting one of the iconic sights of Scotland ... the bridges across the Forth. There are three bridges, the arched one on the right is the famous Forth Bridge in it's bright red. Opened in 1890 this steel cantilever bridge is the main rail link north and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are two road bridges, the far left one is the main M90 Queensferry Crossing Bridge; opened on 30th August 2017. It replaced the middle Forth Road Bridge which was opened on 4th September 1964 and is under repair, it is currently used only for public transport. 

We stopped at the view point on the south side of the estuary before crossing on the M90 and stopping for a birthday picnic under the arches of the Forth Bridge. The trains certainly rumble along and are quite frequent.

Continuing north towards our first B&B in Pitlochry we stopped at The Hermitage, a Scottish National Trust site. Hubby and I discovered this hidden beauty spot on our previous Scottish holiday. It's a lovely woodland walk along the River Braan and leads to the unexpected Ossian's Hall built in 1757. This small folly has a balcony overlooking the Black Linn Falls and was once decorated with mirrors and paintings to create the illusion of surprise.

Along the way were many large fallen trees with coins pressed into them. We didn't notice them on our previous visit but apparently it's a 'wish tree'. We couldn't see any dates but some coins must have been there for many years. 

Our stay in Pitlochry was lovely, made even more special as our friend celebrated her birthday the day after mine. Our super B&B hosts left a bottle of bubbly for us to share, how kind was that. 

We took a stroll over Pitlochry suspension bridge crossing the River Tummel. I will just say that I had not contemplated that fact that it would move ... not my favourite bridge crossing. The views upstream to Potlochry Dam were beautiful. It was amazing to see the fish ladder alongside and to walk across the top of the dam back towards the town. Such a scenic walk with a great coffee in the visitor centre. 

I have heard about the Queen's View but I didn't realise it was close to Pitlochry. As we set off west for our drive up the Great Glen to our next stay in Alness we detoured slightly to visit this stunning view. Although thought to have been named after Queen Victoria's visit in 1866 the view was actually named after Robert the Bruce's wife Isabella who visited 500 years earlier. 

Of course my seat was there waiting .... hee hee

Back on track we travelled west, pausing at Spean Bridge to look towards Ben Nevis, unfortunately the cloud was a little low to see the top. 

Travelling up the Great Glen towards Inverness we stopped at Fort Augustus the southern point of Loch Ness. The Caledonian Canal travels from here south to Fort William beginning with a set of steep and continuous locks. It was interesting to watch the boats going up, I was surprised how many fit in the huge locks at the same time. 

Being the start of Loch Ness I was very pleased to find Nessie too!

Our time north of Inverness was not quite how we had planned, many distilleries and places of interest were still closed or restricted. The scenery had changed from mountains to sea but was still stunning. We drove to Portmahomack on the edge of Dornoch Firt; it's a small village with a harbour and great views across to north east coast. With the sun out it made a great picnic stop, so calm and peaceful.

Alness was the furthest north we travelled, our return journey south took us past Cromity Firth with beautiful early morning views. We called at Culloden Battlefield before continuing our journey to Dufftown, our home for a few days. I'll be writing a separate post about Culloden.

A word of warning when visiting Scotland ... it's very rural in places so watch your step especially if you have been enjoying a wee dram at one of the many, oh so many distilleries. That said the chaps were on their way to, not back from, a distillery and were just larking about, nice bridge though.

During our stay in Dufftown we drove further east to the coast where to our amazement a large number of seals were basking on the sea rocks. They were quite close to the sea front, we sat on the sea wall for ages watching them, they were quite noisy with their bellowing. It was such a surprise to see so many so close. 

All too soon our days in Scotland came to an end: what a lot we saw, did and discovered. I have written, and have more to write, about specific trips and adventures, this post is an overview of our travels. 

Finally a few more car photos, we loved Scotland and will surely be visiting again. It's nice to now enjoy a whisky at home reminiscing about our trip across the border.

Glen Moray and Glenfiddich

 
One of my favourite distilleries is Glen Moray, even more so after our previous trip in May 2019. At home we have three Glen Moray whiskies: traditional, Fired Oak and my favourite Chardonnay cask, but it is always good to discover more.

This was the only distillery we actually took a tour of; the whisky process is the same in all distilleries, the difference being the shape of the stills and the finishing casks. As with most places we visited Glen Moray is very picturesque but noisy too as we visited on a working day with lorries and fork lifts moving about giving warning hoots on the horns as they went.

We were shown how the grain is turned into grist and then mash before going through the stills to become a clear alcoholic spirit ... whisky gets its colour from ageing in the various casks and a spirit cannot be called whisky until it has been maturing for 3 years and 1 day.

Scotland's Covid restrictions are higher than here at home and because we were in a working environment we had to wear our masks as well as using hand gel on entering any building. This isn't quite the 'still' photo we expected to take but it will certainly bring back memories in years to come. 

The final part of our tour was into the Duty Free Warehouse. No tax is paid on whisky until it is bottled so this warehouse is kept under lock and key. Each barrel is recorded and regularly checked as the value for the taxman is very high with the warehouse holding hundreds of barrels until bottling time, in some cases over 20 years.

I find it amazing how the cask changes the clear spirit. The combination of finishes is vast, not only the oak used but the previous contents of the barrel and the amount of charring given to the inside. I am always drawn to a wine cask finish but my favourite is a port cask, I'm not so keen on the sherry cask whiskies but then I'm not keen on sherry.

There were many barrel and whisky examples in the warehouse; these particular ones looked intriguing as not many distilleries use ale or cider casks, and the three wine barrels would always catch my eye. I'll be looking out for these when they are released in a few years' time.

No tour, be it whisky, gin, wine, beer or something else, is complete without a tasting. I was the driver so I could not join in as Scotland has a zero tolerance to drink driving. My tastings were certainly enjoyed by Hubby, along with his two wee dreams that were not so wee. We all selected one whisky from Glen Moray's bottled range with our other tasting from their cask strength whisky which is stored in the cask in the shop. When buying a cask whisky you have the joy of filling the bottle yourself and adding the label, a very personal bottle if you like this stronger spirit

As I said before I do enjoy a port cask whisky so it would have been very remiss to not purchase this set; a great whisky along with two Glen Moray glasses, I do like a branded glass. 

As well as a distillery tour we visited Speyside Cooperage. This is one of four cooperages in the same company but the only one where the coopers are on piece work meaning they are paid per barrel. This is very unusual these days but apparently it is what these coopers want as they enjoy the challenge of producing the quanitiy as well as quality ... the most unpopular cooper is the chap checking the barrels and returning any not right!

This cooperage refurshines barrels to the specific requirements of each distillery, all barrels are made of oak and the coopers check each to see if any staves need replacing. In some cases the barrels are completely taken apart and rebuilt before being charred to the said requirements. It was great to see the coopers at work, they cannot choose which barrel to work on as this could give an advantage given their piece work employment. 

There are so many gifts relating to whisky, some ornaments, some practical, some sadly too big to bring home (a garden table and chair set made from barrels) but I couldn't leave this pourer behind. I wonder which whisky will this be pouring at Christmas? 

A distillery name I have always known, mainly as it was my Dad's favourite malt, but also because it's one of Hubby's favourites is Glenfiddich. Their stag head is an iconic symbol of their brand, there was a stunning wooden pallet sculpture in the grounds ... so striking in the brooding sky.

Entering the Glenfiddich shop the stag head again stood out. I'd love to be writing this blog in that location, a wee dram making it perfect.

In 1887 William Grant, along with his wife, seven sons and two daughters began his dream of owning a distillery. They built the buildings by hand, completing the challenge in a year, William named his distillery Glenfiddich, the Valley of the Deer.

Glenfiddich is still family owned, something that's rare these days. It is one of the most awarded Scotch Whisky and is a name known worldwide.

Glenfiddich have a super range of whisky, as with all distilleries it has various casks and uses different maturation styles. Bottling and branding is also an important side of the whisky industry. Glenfiddich Grande Couronne is a 26 year old aged whisky, finished in French cognac casks. It certainly is a crowning glory, an eye catching bottle with the eye opening price of over £400.

Having a few Glenfiddich bottles at home, namely IPA and Select Cask, but not having time for any tastings we decided to buy miniatures of Glenfiddich 12, 15 and 18 year old and as with the Glenlivet (see my previous post) we'll have a tasting night here at home. 

Two great distilleries, we will certainly be enjoying whiskies from Glen Moray and Glenfiddich here at home ... roll on cold winter nights!

Jean-Max Roger Sancerre

At a Majestic tasting in Leicester in August 2019 we tried Jean-Max Roger's Sancerre Cuvée Genèse and although nice for me it had something missing. As you know I love Sancerre wine but had I been given this blind I would not have said it was from this appellation. Feeling the need to cleanse/change my palate I nibbled on the selection of cheeses offered ..... and yes it worked. Still a light Sancerre the flavours of gooseberries and citrus appeared. A good amount of acidity with now more length on its finish, but it left me a little disappointed.

In September 2019 we visited Sancerre  (a dream trip) and as Jean-Max Roger is in Bué, just outside Sancerre village but still within the appellation, we drove over and met Jean-Max's son. They were busy bottling 2018 vintage in order to make room in the vats for this year's wine with the grapes being harvested in the next week. I find it fascinating to see the articulated lorries at the domaines, turning into a mini bottling plant with the distinctive sound of bottles chinking along the conveyor belts.

We were warmly welcomed, especially when we said we had tried their wine at Majestic, although I did not mention my disappointment. We tasted four wines from their range of both soil varities and vintages. As soon as I tasted the second wine I knew it was the one we'd had at Majestic Leicester, confirmed by checking my photos online!

Last night we enjoyed a bottle of their Cuvée Les Caillottes that we had purchased when visiting the domaine two years ago. It's a beautiful elegant Sancerre, full of minerality with fresh citrus. This is my style of Sancerre and I really enjoyed it, many memories of our holiday.

This, and our trip, highlights for me two things: the vast different in any appellation, even by the same winemaker, and how much is discovered by visiting vineyards and domaines, something I hope we can be doing again soon.

Pernod Ricard .... whisky

Many of the whisky distilleries are owned by bigger international groups, Pernod Richard is one of the biggest, owning many vineyards as well as distilleries worldwide.

During our tour of Scotland we visited three distilleries who are in the Pernod Ricard Group under Chivas Brothers; Glenlivet, Strathisla and Aberlour.

Our first visit was to Glenlivet. In 1822 in the remote Livet valley whisky was distilled without the knowledge of the Customs Officers. Hidden away George Smith distilled and perfected the Glenlivet whisky that is now known world wide. It was even requested by King George IV even though an illegal dram. 

In 1824 George travelled to Elgin where, because of a change in legalisation, he obtained a licence and became the first legal distller in Glenlivet parish. 

Hubby and I did not get the chance to visit this distillery in 2019 so we were very excited to fit in a trip this time. Stunned ... it just took my breathe away, the typical Scottish stonework outside did not prepare us for the amazing interior.

The array of whisky was vast, there were so many aged whiskies, so many variations on maturation as well as shiny gold, sparkling lights, comfy leather chairs - certainly a distillery that is high on my revisit list. A revisit with plenty of time to sit and enjoy the surroundings whilst enjoying a dram of this superb whisky .... but which one? 

Scotland is a zero tolerance country regarding alcohol and driving so it wasn't always possible to try any whisky. Hubby and I bought six Glenlivet miniatures so we can discover more here at home, probably on a dark winter's night with the fire on and if we're lucky snow outside.

Our second distillery in the group was Strathisla Distillery, an unexpected visit. We saw the sign and popped in, little did we know it is the Heart of Chivas Regal. Started in 1786 it is the oldest, and said to be prettiest distillery in the Highlands; it was certainly a beautiful setting.

I am always amazed at the vast variety of whisky in the distilleries. I guess it is similar to wine as in we only know what we see in the supermarkets and shops, our buying is controlled by the supermarket buyers. It's an education and delight to discovery much much more. Each distillery we visited had a vast selection of choice, Starthisla was no different with so many Chivas Regal whiskies all having a different and distinctive colour from the various casks used for maturation. 

Strathisla was certainly a hidden gem, Hubby discovered they also sell Glen Keith which is one he liked from a tasting elsewhere so we purchased a bottle to bring home. By signing up to their newsletter we were all given a Chivas glass and a Chivas Regal 18 miniature, one for another tasting at home. 

Aberlour was just down the road from our final stay in Dufftown, a small but prominent village with the main road running through and the fast flowing Spey river running nearby. Our third Pernod Rocard distillery was Aberlour founded in 1879 by James Fleming.

Here, with the backdrop of Ben Rinnes, the Lour burn flows into the Spey. The water used for Aberlour whisky comes from two high up burns with the Lour water used in the cooling process. 

Aberlour is a smaller, more intimate distillery and we very much enjoyed their 12 year old double cask single malt. Matured in Oloroso Sherry and American Oak barrels this whisky is quite complex in flavour. Full of citrus aromas with hints of apple, following on with rich fruit flavours with rich chocolate, finishing with sweet and spicy notes. As with all whiskies this really opens up when warmed, the Aberlour glass is perfect for caressing in your hands to warm the rich contents. 

Three superb distilleries, amazing whiskies which we will be enjoying at home with fond memories of our tour of Scotland. Glenlivet is certainly a place I'd love to revisit with time to savour.