St Margaret’s, in Aberlour, will unveil the St Margaret of Scotland bottling at this May’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. Just 260 bottles of the cask strength single malt from Auchroisk will be available, each signed and numbered. The whisky, chosen unanimously at a blind tasting by a panel of experts, celebrates the life of St Margaret and also honours the Speyside church, which was once the chapel for Aberlour Orphanage. All profits will go to St Margaret’s, which continues to be a lively place of worship. Born in about 1043, Margaret married King Malcolm III of Scotland and had considerable religious influence.

A Patron Saint of Scotland, she is also the Patron Saint of the homeless, orphans, insane, midwives, penitents, single mothers, reformed prostitutes, step children and tramps. The church itself was built between 1875 and 1879 to the design of Alexander Ross thanks to benefactor Margaret Macpherson Grant (local well to do family), who also funded the orphanage. She sadly died before the project was completed, but Charles Jupp, her personal chaplain, became the first rector of the church and warden of the orphanage. The orphanage, which was home to some 5000-6000 children, closed in 1967 and all the buildings were pulled down, except the church and clock tower.

Member Angus Findlay said: “With the departure of the children, the church lost most of its congregation. Many old boys and old girls, their relations and descendants visit St Margaret’s, the only part of their childhood home that survives. The small congregation believe that they owe it to them to keep this beautiful building in good order.” Just 260 bottles of St Margaret’s whisky will be up for grabs.

The tasting notes show luscious fruits on the nose. Hearty oak spice emerges to balance the initial sweetness, presenting a slowly drying, fruity finish with a hint of dried fruit and nut. Distilled in 2010 and matured in a bourbon cask, it was re racked in a port cask. The launch will take place at Craigellachie Village Hall on May 1. A bottle will then be auctioned at the whisky auction, also at the Craigellachie Hall, on Sunday, May 3.

My own thoughts, Paul; this seems to me to be a heavenly dram one which I would love to own. I do like the label design, methinks as this is a charity type release, Aberlour may have had something to do with helping? look at the bottle for a start. Then again, the dram is a Diageo. Am thinking here, my good friend Vic Cameron should be the one to hold the auction.  Who gets the angels share on this one? Dad! are you listening?  ~ PAUL MCLEAN

Auchroisk Distillery  The character is produced by rapid mashing, quick fermentation and, rapid boiling regime (thanks Ingvar). This character shared with Blair Athol, another Diageo, is most obvious at new make but falls away with maturation, being replaced by a honeyed cereal sweetness (flora and forna).  Auchroisk the building, stands out a white boring building set in the moorland. Now here’s a new one to me; Auchroisk was first bottled as single malt in 1986 and was the first to carry the prefix ‘Singleton’, a name now attached to single malts from Glen Ord, Glendullan and Dufftown. The brand was dropped in 2001 and has slithered back into the shadows. Auchroisk is an industrial malt distillery that produces mostly for the J&B Blended Scotch whisky. Current owner Diageo 1997 – present. Previous owner Justerini & Brooks  1974 – 1997.

Ask Liz if she would like a dram, of say Laphroaig, she will make a strange noise and pull a face. She cannee stand the smell of a peaty whisky, never mind taste. This is a goal in life – by hook or by crook I will get her drinking/liking peaty drams. The key maybe to start her off with a cocktail. The flavour of peated whisky can be hard going, peated Scotch is floated on top of a drink, where a small amount has maximum aromatic impact, the Penicillin being the best-known example. Another is to pair peated whisky (from Scotland of course), with another spirit, which helps moderate the smoky influence without burying it altogether. The best combination I can think of is peated Scotch plus a mellow, unpeated whiskey, which means an Irish whiskey. Peated Scotch also holds its’ own nicely against rich or sweet ingredients, such as egg whites, syrups or liqueurs. The Wind-Up, showcases both peated and unpeated whisky alongside amaretto, or geat and egg white.

With this in mind; Peat Beast Old Fashioned  60ml Peat Beast/Bid Peat, 5ml Dry White Port, 1/2 Cane sugar cube, 6-7 dashes of hop and grapefruit bitters. Served with a burnt orange peel.  Or we can move on to a famous Scot; The Rob Roy Whisky Cocktail: 2 ounces of Islay Whisky, 3 quarter ounces of sweet vermouth and 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters and serve over ice. Finish the cocktail with a cherry garnish or alternatively, a lemon twist. In fact, this cocktail, unlike its’ name suggests, was actually created at the Waldolf Astoria in Manhattan. The barman decided to mark the celebration of the opening premiere of the Rob Roy operetta in 1984 with his creation, and as such the cocktail grew in popularity very quickly. Today the Rob Roy continues to thrive as a popular choice of drink. Then of course is the Famous ‘Hot Toddy’: but come on, it’s only these past 4 years or so I have got Liz away from toddy’s! 3/4 Cloves, 2 Star Anise, half snap of a cinnamon stick, 2 teaspoons of honey, half a thumb of ginger, orange zest, grapefruit zest, 500mls boiling water, 50mls of Ardbeg Islay whisky per glass.

So where do we go? Maybe a real sneaky way into peat, have our usual tasting session (research & development) and wait until she appears silly (guaranteed), then slip a weak peat into her glass, start low and work up – maybe with a dram of Allt-a-Bhainne ? A Speyside single malt – normally used as an ingredient in blends, this single malt puts a peaty twist on the traditional Speyside profile to achieve a sweet, spicy and accessible malt with, as   Allt-a-Bhainne themselves put it, ‘just enough peat to start a fire’.

PAUL MCLEAN her pal, business partner and friend of over 20 years!

Liz – “I can’t help it, I WANT to like them but they turn my stomach, I once said the worst ones remind me of a funeral parlour!!  That’s fun ‘eh?

A tasting on tour – the Blind Swiss

Jura is found on Scotland’s west coast, next to its’ busy neighbour, Islay. Although not as busy and as many inhabitants, it has whisky – well just one distillery, more later. It does however also have deer and history in abundance! Jura has been inhabited since 8000 BC and had homes since 5600 BC oh aye, a wee while back. Even 10,000 BC has been put forward,  ok donder along to Lussa Bay and, 3 stone circles can be seen in Lussa Wood – believed to hold the oldest stone structure in Scotland. I do like history and scraping aboot.  Even better, I love delving into clan history, especially my own; Maclean. The Battle of Kura, a little know affray, June 768 AD, a fight between the Britons (Strathclyde) and Dalriada (Ulster as is now and the west of Scotland – I do insist on you doing your own discovery work on Dalriada),  this all came about around 258 AD, it is fascinating, do go and check this out, it is where Scotland and its’ language began. Wee note; the Maclean’s are related to the Kings of Dalriada.

Did I mention the Vikings were here? No, well they were, and it’s almost certain it was them who named this island “deer island”. The Norwegians gave up the island in 1266, it was then ruled and held for the Scottish king by those Macdonalds, Lords of the Isles. Here we go – in 1390 lands were given to Lachlan Maclean of Duart. Then in the early 1600’s those barbarous, land grabbing, devil worshiping, thieves (the Campbells) were given the isle and the Macdonalds driven out. The northern lands of Jura were still Maclean, we didnee get on too well with these savages, two big battles are known to have taken place; both 1647, Barnhill and Glen Garrisdale, all the hero’s of clan Maclean were killed, for years after there was a skull at the glen locally known as Maclean’s skull. In 1690 John Campbell (surname means crooked mouth by the way, very apt) took action against our hero’s , with constant eruptions between the two clans the Maclean’s were forced out but not before selling (canny chief) their lands to Donald McNeill of Colonsay. This 30 mile long and seven mile wide island is surrounded by the wild waters of the Atlantic, home to serene bays, seals and sea eagles. The Corryvreckan, a giant whirlpool at the north tip off the isle, the Royal Navy considers it to be one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the British Isles.  Jura’s only village Craighouse is where the distillery is located. The isle is some two hundred people strong (last counted),  in previous centuries there were as many as a thousand.

Here is a wee tale; a story goes, of an old woman, told prophecies, she saw the departure from the island of the Campbell chief. The last Campbell would have one eye and that all he owned would fit on a cart, drawn by a white horse. In 1938 Charles Campbell had one glass eye, all his goods were taken to the pier by a cart and white horse. Justice!!!  There is an alternative ending, rather than a horse, it was a white car – horsepower.  Which leads me nicely into the whisky! Jura Distillery;  Founded in 1810, it collapsed at the end of the 19th century and fell into ruin. Despite this and the two World Wars, the Diurach spirit remained. In 1963, it was rebuilt to help revive the small island community. Jura Prophecy (whisky)  heavily peated with a sweet and spicy finish. It’s said that centuries ago, an old seer prophesied that the last Campbell to leave the island would be penniless. In 1938, this came to be. To mark the legend, the seer’s symbol watches over every bottle. See? Told you so. Today you get to Jura from Port Askaig, although there are wee ferry companies who will take you from the mainland (no cars). Last time I was there, some wealthy Aussie was building a golf course and posh digs, will be there again pretty soon to be sure. PAUL MCLEAN

https://whiskytours.scot/