From: gfl@herahera.cc.bellcore.com (lenahan,grant f)
Subject: Scotland Trip Notes & Whiskey (repost)
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 18:44:12 GMT
Keywords: Scotch

Several folks asked me for input on my trip to
Scotland last summer.  I found one of the several 
posts I made on the topic, and repost it here now.

If anyone has further questions, e-mail me and
ASK WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW.  I'm really pleased
to help out and share info, but I can't anticipate
what you know, like, and don't.

Happy reading:



Hello!

I've recently returned from a holiday in Scotland, and I'll 
share a few Whiskey-ralated thoughts with you all.

During my 2 weeks in Scotland, we visited eight distilleries;
less than we'd have liked, but time _was_ at a premium, alas.
My first comment to those who choose to visit distilleries in
Scotland is to make arrangements ahead of time.  While the 
distillers as a group invite guests, they often request appointments 
or give tours at prearranged times.  Make sure these times fit your 
schedule. 

By and large, the facilities, tours, and explanations are very similar.
Most facilities have become quite commercial (don't expect a dusty
head distiller in a smock to answer the old wooder door), and employ
professional tour guides.  Being Scots, and therefore practical, the 
tours and explanations tend to be quite factual, and therefore quite
similar.

But don't take this as a gripe; in general we found the staffs to be 
open and genuinely happy to see visitors.  All tours either commence 
or finish with a complementary dram (outside the gift shop, of course), 
and provide an excellent overview of the whiskey makeing process.  A

particularly pleasant surprise was had at Laphroaig (Islay), which we
expected to be one of the larger, more "corporate", and impersonal
tours.  Well, Laphroaig is large and corporate (they have a measurement
% for everything!!!), but impersonal it was not.  By freak of luck, the
second-in-command distiller gave us the tour.  Beginning like a tour guide,
he slowly realized that a few in his audience cared and knew quite a bit
about whiskey; and he opened up.  If only we didn't have the last 
(well, OK, only) boat of the day to catch, we could have talked away 
the afternoon with this gracious and knowledgeable gentleman.

Probably my biggest gripe is a direct outgrowth of the successful
marketing of whiskey as a tourist attraction.  After the tour, back
in the tasting room, everyone gets a dram of the house drink.  SO
whats wrong with this?, you ask.  Well, over in Scotland, at some
mecca of debauchery, in the presence of people who know LOTS
about scotch, I'd kinda like to do comparison tasting.  Don't give
our party of 5 identical glasses of XYZ 12 year old.  Give us a glass
of 10,12,15, cask strength, etc, and let us experience the differences!
What a concept.  But, I guess this is hard when you have 200 tourists
saying "Oh that's strong", and "How is this different from Gin?".

Here are my comments, by distillery:

BOWMORE:

Nice folks, nice tour, nice whiskey.  These people went out
of their way and did a vertical for us!!!!!  On the island of
Islay (eye-la), this ditillery is well set up for tours but requests
advance calls.

LAPHROAIG:

See above.

OBAN:

Neat (heh, heh) story.  Oban's not one of my favorites, for the $
they charge, but its OK.  We were in a rally old locak pub in Oban
the night before, drinking a few pints and drams and chatting with 
everyone.  The barkeep asked us if we'd visited the distillery.  After 
hearing that we planned to go the next day, he commented:
"You should, they do a fine tour."  but added "shame about the 
whiskey though".  I love it.  Oban is a UD distillery, and has very
commercial and accessibel tours.

TALISKER:

One of my favorite drams.  Talisker is situated on Skye, about 30
minutes from the main city of Portree.  First, Skye is awesome.
The Cullin mountains are amazing, and MUST be seen.  Talisker, 
another UD distillery, is out of the way, but again, they are
well set up for visitors.  By this time, we were getting the hang of
the tours, and amused ourselves by checking their progress on
the mandatory jokes "and you see, nothing is wasted" (we know,
this is Scotland), and by making our own.  Each distillery will impart
to you that three things are necessary for whiskey: water, barley, and 
yeast (or peat, in some cases).  We disagree: they are video projectors,
tour guides, and gift shops.  The whiskey can be made under contract.
Nice place.  Great booze.

GLENFARCLAS:

This independent distillery makes a super whiskey, IMO.  They also 
gave a nice tour, and tried, but failed, to provide a multi-year tasting
for us (onyl 10 year available!!!).  This distillery is on the speyside
whiskey trail.

GLENFIDDICH:

Why did I go here, to the Exxon of Scotch?  Well, because everyone ways
thay have a nice tour.  They do, if you are into 30 minutes videos on
the Grants and the mystery of Scottish environment and its (undefined)
effect on whiskey.  Gimme a break.  The tour was quite well, done, but
all the info was highly questionable.  "we don't guarantee and age on
our whiskey anymore because it isn't important and people buy on 
age".  Yea, maybe, but your whiskey is still pretty marginal.

GLEN GRANT:

Come see a big, commercial factory, and taste 5 year old carmelized
whiskey made to be cheap in the Italian market.  I think not.

EDRADOUR:

This was to be special.  Situated outside Pitlochary, Edradour is the
smallest distillery in Scotland, manned by a staff of three.  We awaited
chatting with the distiller in the small, white structure on a farm...

It was nice enough, but, ====>>>>>>>>> its owned by Pernod Ricard, the
!!  They may have a staff of three, but this excludes
the tour guides (counted at least four).  Worse, as we drove the tiny
little road to the tiny little distillery, a Caravan (bus) of 50 Japanese
tourists pulled in, drew their semi-automatic cameras, and 
assasinated our peaceful dreams.  Oh well, I must admit the Japanese
tourists by and large knew a bunch about single malt whiskey, but
a BUS, in this little place?

CADENHEADS:

Hey Grant, that's not a distillery, but a store in Edinburgh!
Well, yes, it is.  A great one ont he royal mile, down near the 
hollyrood end.  But the proprietor, Neil, knows lots about scotch, 
and will lecture you on the sins of chill filtering 
(yes, the thing Miller touts).

Cadenheads is an interesting visit, provided you are ready to
spend more money on a bottle or two than is really prudent.  Figure
their specialty bottlings at US$60-80 each.  Pick carefully now!

WHAT I MISSED:
Why, oh why didn't I make it to Cragganmore? I dunno, time.
And McCallan? Ditto.  I regret these, along with Linkwood, Glen
Garioch, and Achentoshan (the last owned by the Bowmore 
people, Morisson's).

I look on the bright side though; I have a reason to go back!


Cherrio,

	Grant

gfl@hera.cc.bellcore.com