Distillery and Whisky News Aug '19

As the summer shifts to Autumn (not much in it in Scotland to be honest!) we'll be heading to Oban for the West Coast Whisky Fèis - find out more below and come see us on our stand if you're there too!

DISTILLERY OF THE MONTH: GLENGOYNE

Bold, complex flavours from the slowest stills in Scotland - Glengoyne takes patience to a new level

We're great believers of taking your time to savour every sip of whisky, so Glengoyne's processes are music to our ears, and our palates. 

Before they even get to the whisky, they think long and hard about the casks its going to mature in. They start by selecting their own oak from forests in northern Spain, insisting the wood is dried naturally by sun and air for three years. When the wood is ready, each hand-built cask is filled with sherry in Jerez in Spain, and left to absorb its rich colour and flavours for up to another three years.

Once emptied and delivered to the distillery – six years after they started their journey – the casks are then filled and over the next 10, 15 or 18 years the clear spirit takes on the rich gold, amber and copper tones naturally from the wood.

Not only that, but they dry their barley by air, and their bold flavours are the result of an equally bold pledge: to coax their spirit through the slowest whisky stills in Scotland. That's patience on an epic scale.

Find out out more about the Glengoyne Distillery and their tours at DistilleryTours.scot

Saturday 14 September 2019 - The View, George St, Oban

We're heading to Oban on the 14th September to join west coast whisky enthusiasts for the West Coast Whisky Fèis. 

There's whisky sampling with stacks of distillers including favourites Ardnahoe, Ben Nevis, Bunnahabhain, Oban and Tobermory, plus many more. There's discounted bottles from the Fèis shop, and a buffet with locally sourced produce. Each person is given a free tasting glass and there's the opportunity to purchase festival-only bottling. Finally there's masterclasses throughout the day, tutored by some of the most experienced noses in the industry!

Find out more and book tickets on the West Coast Whisky Fèis website and if you're there do pop over and say Hi!

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO SOUTH SPEYSIDE

Speyside Cooperage shows you the incredible skill of the coopers at work

South Speyside is teeming with whisky distilleries and whisky-related activities

Our South Speyside tour is not for the faint hearted: 9 distilleries over 10 days – ‘But that’s not even one distillery a day!’ I hear you say… Well, even the whisky fanatics among you may need to take a breather for a while, not least to Drink Responsibly.

But if the thought of a 10 day whisky tour makes you rub your hands together with glee (as it does us) then read on!

The tour incorporates the Strathisla, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, Macallan, Aberlour, Cardhu, Glenfarclas, Ballindalloch, and Cragganmore distilleries, all of which are all in very close proximity. Find out more about each of these distilleries at DistilleryTours.scot.

In addition to the distilleries:

• Britain’s most northerly heritage railway, The Whisky Line (are you noticing a theme here?) runs from Keith to Dufftown and includes the option to have a Driver Experience with one of their powerful diesel shunters – a great wee slice of history
• Speyside Cooperage should be absolutely top of your list of things to visit – their tour takes you through the lifecycle of the cask, shows you the incredible skill of the coopers at work, and even gives you the opportunity to try it for yourself with a mini cask.
• Take a picturesque circular walk through Aberlour, through the woods and up to the Linn Falls, then back down along the Aberlour distillery. The Falls themselves are beautiful and offer a sun-trap at their foot.
• More whisky fun at the Dufftown Whisky Museum, which delves into the secrets of whisky making, as well as the lives and times of whisky smugglers. The team at the Museum also run the Dufftown Speyside Whisky Festival, this year in October – worth tying in if you can!
• Take a stroll around the woodlands and riverside walks at Ballindalloch Castle. There's also a playground, tearoom, gift shop and of course the Castle itself “brings to mind a romantic chateau from the pages of a children’s fairy-tale”. Lovely!
• The Knockando Woolmill is a heritage working woollen mill and a real hidden treasure. Restored in 2010 after the BBC programme ‘Restoration’, you can see the machines in operation, speak to the head weaver and visit the café and shop, where the woollen mill’s VERY high-quality collection is for sale. Beautiful stuff.
• Finally, one of Scotland's most iconic bridges, The Craigellachie Bridge spans the River Spey and is a remarkable piece of engineering.

Check out full details of this and other tours, including accommodation tips, on our Plan Your Trip pages.