CURLING & WHISKY in Scotland, October 2014.

We were hosting a curling team from Norway who just happened to like a dram now and again! Carl, Calle, Morten and Erik wanted to come over (again) and do some curling with local Scottish teams. We, of course obliged them and added in whisky – as you do. Thursday 30 October; The guys arrived into Aberdeen, we then drove south towards the County of Angus. With some local sightseeing en route, the first stop was Brechin, Glencadam whisky distillery. The tour was with Douglas Fitchett, Distillery Manager. Glencadam first opened in 1825, in the ancient city of Brechin. It was little more than one year after the Excise Act of 1823 legalised distilling. Glencadam is now the only distillery in the county of Angus, an area of the Highlands region of Scotland between Dundee and Aberdeen. Glencadam Single Malt has always been premium whisky for blending, and as such was highly sought after for some of the world’s most prestigious blends. Glencadam was finally bought by Angus Dundee Distillers on 1st June 2003, an independent Scottish company. Angus Dundee restarted production immediately, and we released our first ever single malt product, Glencadam Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years, in December 2005. This was subsequently re-launched in November 2009 with new packaging, alongside the release of a 10 year old expression. The current multi-award winning range includes Age 10, 15 and 21 Years expressions are good, WE TASTED THEM ALL along with a new make spirit. The most popular dram on the day was Aged 14 Years Oloroso cask finish. We all (except Paul who was driving) had a good tour and taste here, many thanks Douglas and his team. We then drove south to Broughty Ferry where a grand lunch was taken at the Ship pub, the @Ferry was also where they stayed overnight. Liz lives in the ‘Ferry, so we were well covered for local news and where to eat and drink.

Friday 31 October; we started the day with a visit to St Andrews   Eden brewery/distillery, a tour (doesnee take long) until 10am by then we can legally drink samples – we did! Beers by the way and gins, no whisky as yet. Kevan the general manager guided us around the site and the drinks, you can read an interview with Kevan on angelswhiskyclub soon. It is an up and coming distillery, small but with a great future!   From here we drove to Perth, Dewar’s Ice Rink, where a curling bonspiel at 12.45 had been arranged, with another match at 3pm, sharing a few laughs and drinks with your opposing teams in between rinks. The guys had brought over bottles of aquavit for their Scottish teams! Returning to the ‘Ferry for overnight. More drams!

Saturday 1 November; From the hotel, we travelled to Arbroath for some sightseeing and ataste of the local seafood, we had a very nice lunch with drinks. Then we headed north to Forfar for a curling session. After drinks with the opposite team, again a bottle of aquavit showed up, we returned to the ‘Ferry overnight again. Dinner enjoyed at the Ship after a few drinks at The Fort pub, Balvenie Carribean cask and Doublewood, superb!

Sunday 2 November; From the hotel, we travel back to Aberdeen for your flight home. En route we stopped at Dunottar castle for a dram or two! Sad to see them go, but a great tour yet again, lots of fun.

Drams on the road included; Kavalan Single Malt Whisky – water is essential to whisky production, it follows that the character of the water used can have a considerable influence on the profile of the spirit. The founder of the Kavalan distillery has spent years searching for the perfect site, with the ideal water supply. He chose Yilan as the site for its abundant supply of cold, spring water flowing through the Snow Mountain. Kavalan, the earliest tribe that inhabited Yilan, represents sincerity, honesty, and the spirit of step-by-step cultivation. The effort goes into every drop of new make spirit and every seasoned cask we choose. Coupled with the mastery of the blender, they ensure the silky smoothness and distinctive flavours of Kavalan whisky. Glen Elgin, Glen Elgin Distillery nestles quietly in the heart of Speyside approximately 3 miles south of Elgin on the road to Rothes. The architect, Charles Doig, stated it would be the last one built in Speyside for 50 years. His prediction was remarkably accurate with Tormore being the next distillery built, in 1958. Until the 1950s the distillery was entirely operated and lit by paraffin. All machinery was driven by a paraffin engine and a water turbine. It was a full-time job to keep the paraffin lights burning. The distillery has a huge storage capacity for malted barley. The 36 malt bins can hold 400 tonnes – more than the 3 other distilleries in the Elgin group combined. However the ISR (intermediate spirit receiver) which collects the spirit from the stills is very small and has to be pumped empty 3 times a day. The Glen Elgin spirit and wash stills are similar in size and shape, although the spirit stills have a flatter pot. There is a gentle incline on the lyne arms which lead outside to the worm tubs. The distillery operates a balanced distilling process: each wash back provides 6 individual charges for the wash stills; two wash distillations make up the charge for a spirit distillation. This makes for a busy shift in the still house with 9 separate still charges to be made. Using worm tubs to cool the distilled vapours, as opposed to condensers, adds a depth and richness to the spirit. An added bonus are the fresh water shrimp which thrive in the tubs. Ledaig, Situated on Scotland’s picturesque west coast lies the island of Mull, home to Tobermory, and the Maclean’s – is without doubt one of Scotland’s most beautiful and charming distilleries. Built in 1798, The Distillery is quite unique to other distilleries as it produces two very distinct single malt Scotch Whiskies, Tobermory single malt, which has an extremely smooth taste profile and the robustly peated Ledaig single malt. We know it well! The Madeira finish single malt Welsh whisky defines our ‘house style of whiskies’. Distilled in our unique copper pot still, matured in bourbon barrels, finished in rich Madeira wine casks and bottled at premium strength, this single malt whisky is smooth, light in character and softly golden in colour. Penderyn Welsh whisky, Madeira Single Malt At a generous 46% ABV, it has a classic freshness with whiff’s of cream toffee, fruit and raisins. The Gold Medal award winning single malt whisky from the only distillery in Wales, distilled single malt whisky is matured in bourbon barrels and finished in Madeira casks to impart a generous flavour of subtle complexity. Yummy!

Would you like to become a member of our whisky club ? http://www.angelswhisskyclub.com/ an online whisky club, giving details of new whiskies and developments in the whisky world. Or come on tour with us?

AT THE SAME TIME our (friend, tour guide & driver) took another whisky tour, again from Norway. This is another story to look out for. http://www.mcleanscotland.com/