Whisky

Well, that is why we are here in Speyside.

There was sunshine early on but by the time we headed out the mizzle was on the go, again. Never mind, we dressed accordingly. Today we had a slower start with plans to stay local to the area and not so much driving.

Our first appointment was at Cardhu for a whisky “Experience”. This did not involve a distillery tour but a chance to taste 5 different single malts from 5 of their local distilleries. Each malt was barrel strength and we got to draw the samples direct from the barrels, and very generous samples they were to !

Cardhu is famous for a couple of reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, it was established by a woman and a woman is today the operations manager. A rare thing in the Whisky world. Secondly, it is one of the bases for the Johnny Walker blends. The whole Johnny Walker thing is not promoted very much at all at the distillery, where it seems to be mostly about their single malts.

There was huge range of colours and flavours between the 5 we tasted, with the Cardhu one sadly coming in last on our tasting score sheet. All the distilleries seemed to be in close proximity to Cardhu (which is named after the village it is in). The whole set up is very up to date, with lovely tasting rooms. Our guide was just out of school, but very knowledgable and helpful. Kirsty and I were the only ones taking this experience, so it felt very personal. The casks from which we took the samples were in one of the original store houses.

The whole experience was about 1 1/2 hours. They even bottled up the 5 samples that were left over from our tasting. Well worth it, and the Highland cows attached to the place were an added bonus.

We then headed to Dufftown for lunch. Most of the town was closed. It seems very quiet here. Perhaps the main tourist season has finished. We did find a cafe in the end.

Our next appointment was at the Speyside Cooperage. It makes, but mainly restores, the whisky barrels for not only Speyside, but just about everywhere. Our guide explained the whole process, which basically boils down to the fact that if it wasn’t for their magnificant barrels the Whisky would be crap. It’s all about the barrel…..and you can see his point. There was a viewing platform where we could see the Coopers at work. They are paid per completed barrel. Today they were restoring ex-bourbon barrels. It is noisy and dirty work. They wouldn’t disclose how much they get per barrel, but he did say to have a look at the staff car park and we would see that they are doing quite well.

Tonight is a home cooked meal, some telly, feet up, a dram and an early night. Just what a holiday should be.