To celebrate the inaugural release of Ardnahoe whisky into the single malt universe on May 10th of 2024, here's a bit of photographic history for you. I'm willing to bet the Laing family as well as Jim McEwan MBE are all thoroughly chuffed. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Whisky, in all its iterations, is not just an end product, not just a drink...though it is a good one at that. It is a science, an art, alchemy and magic, geography and history, and it is people (um, not like soylent green...). There are many exemplary sites out there on the making and tasting of whisky, and I don't intend on reinventing that wheel. I just want to bring some story to what I think is a fascinating process.
You can see more whisky photographs as well as not-just-whisky photographs and ramblings if you follow the links in the sidebar. Please take a look...or not.
May 10, 2024
Ardnahoe
April 27, 2024
Octomore
In September of 2009 we brought back our first payload. Due to Canadian import restrictions (don't get me started!), we were only allowed to bring back 1.14 litres of alcohol per person without having to pay exorbitant duty. We convinced mom to come along with us on this particular trip, not the least of which was so we could bring back one more bottle of our long awaited uisge beatha! Until this point in time she had not wanted to be what she thought would be a "third wheel" on our trips, but this was a good excuse for her to relent and join us on our adventures.
Nice.
Slàinte
April 21, 2024
Lagg
It wasn't the distance - I like driving in Scotland, and the sense of “distance” for a Scot is quite different than that for a Canuck. But it was the weather. It was, not surprisingly, grey when we arrived in Lochranza on the ferry from Claonaig. For the final few miles to our evening lodgings at the Lagg Hotel at the south end of the Isle of Arran, the road had become quite hilly and winding. I'm sure the scenery looking south towards distant AilsaCraig would have been spectacular had it not been obscured by heavy fog. Narrow Scottish roads can be tricky to drive at the best of times, but when you can't really see what's coming around the next bend it tends to be especially hairy.
But don't let that put you off.
Slàinte
April 5, 2024
1984
At the northern end of the Isle of Jura is a place called Barnhill, which is somewhat renowned as the location where George Orwell finished his last novel "1984" while he was dying from tuberculosis. Having visited Jura several times, my father and I decided to travel as far north as we could by car in 2022, just to see where the road would take us. Where the road turned into a cart track a sign had been posted indicating mileages to the next locations. Beside the entry for the four miles to Barnhill someone had scribbled an addendum which those familiar with Orwell would chuckle at.
And here's a photo of my dad in the Jura Hotel across the road from the Jura Distillery, where we enjoyed a dram and a lager, in no particular order.
Slàinte
February 13, 2013
water of life
One of the more interesting stories Ronnie told about the early history of the distillery was that of its water. Apparently there was a time when Glenglassaugh was intended to reproduce the flavour profile of the whisky produced at The Glenrothes in Speyside. Although the differences in water chemistry were known ahead of time, the ramifications were not fully realized until the new make coming off the still was found to be quite different as well. After many attempts at doctoring the production water, success was only found by actually transporting it from The Glenrothes itself, some 30 miles distant.
Should there be any question about the level of importance of water in the making of whisky, this anecdote surely goes a long way toward an answer.
Slàinte
February 11, 2013
where on earth
Way back when I first started this blog, I promised you a link to a good map for finding your fave Scottish distilleries. Here's a link to a downloadable one from the Scotch Whisky Association from 2023. Mind you, with the bustling nature of whisky distillery construction currently (ie 2024), it too may soon be lacking.
Slàinte
November 11, 2012
March 6, 2012
small is beautiful
Perhaps more delightful was meeting Mrs. Cuthbert and their young daughter. After Frances drove away on his tractor, I sat in the car writing a few notes. Hazel came out to make sure I had not missed Frances, and graciously spent some time chatting.
Daftmill is a beautiful little distillery for many reasons, not the least of which is the people who live and work there.
Slàinte
March 21, 2011
not scotch
The first photo shows the distillery as the white building on the left. Behind it up the hill are the half dozen log chalets maintained by the distillery's Inn operation, where my parents and I stayed when visiting the area. The rest of the photos are self explanatory. Like many good single malts, these pix are almost 10 years old.
Slàinte
February 16, 2011
raison d'être
I feel honoured to be in such company, having conceptualized this project quite independently of the Macallan and Albert Watson. My phone lines are open for future consideration (which emoji indicates one's tongue firmly implanted in one's cheek?).
Slàinte
February 8, 2011
February 1, 2011
more Tomatin
Slàinte
December 28, 2010
barrels
And though the distiller appreciates the barrel for the qualities of its wood, I appreciate it for the qualities of its shape and form...the smooth flowing line of the circle, the rhythm of repetition, the stories it tells by its grizzled exterior and stencilled tatoos. They're fun to photograph.
Slàinte
...and Happy Hogmanay
October 29, 2010
on malting
The first two are a couple photos of barley quietly germinating on the malting floor at Laphroaig. It's time, labour, and space intensive to malt this way - that's why few distilleries do it for themselves any more. I'm thinking the process was only undertaken after the establishment of distilleries as legal entities able to occupy a relatively large footprint, the first arguably founded sometime during the last quarter of the 18th century. Prior to the luxury of a malting floor, I suggest that most Scotch whisky must have been made with unmalted barley.
I also suggest you pick up one of Iain Banks's works, with or without the M. His "Raw Spirit" got me reading him, and though it is not quite representative of his more widely distributed subject matter the book is a tasty dram, a roadtrip through the landscape of Scotch whisky.
a grain wheelbarrow at Laphroaig used to spread the steeped barley by hand across the malting floor
you've seen a similar image here before - raking the growing barley at Bowmore so it doesn't mat together into a tangled mess
a motorized barley rake at Laphroaig - undoubtedly a lot easier on the maltman's back!
after two days on the malting floor after three days on the malting floor
the malting floor at Springbank, Campbeltown
the malting floor at Kilchoman, Islay
October 6, 2010
tribute
We had a wonderful tour of their maltings in 2008, very informative and personal, with Heather Anderson, the distillery manager's wife. The maltings may still be operating, I don't know. When you get to meet the people who have a direct role in the crafting of our whisky, one feels a modicum of personal loss when a distillery like Tamdhu is considered redundant by its corporate owners. One wonders what happens to the people you've met...here are a few of them.
...another one bites the dust
...peering into the barley screener
...emptying the steeped barley
...casting the steeped barley to the Saladin box for germination
...emptying the Saladin box, the barley being ready for the kiln
See www.whisky.com/brands/tamdhu_brand.html for more information on Tamdhu.
Slàinte
August 15, 2010
the rant
Jump to the present. Most distilleries now do not allow photographs to be taken in any of the production areas. Apparently this is for health and safety reasons - a common excuse being the prevalance of explosive alcohol vapours. More likely the methane from this bull***t.
I welcome any industry comments on this. And I applaud all those distilleries which still allow whisky fans like me to have their photographic fun.
This clandestinely obtained photograph would have gotten me into trouble with the tour guide at Tomatin had I been seen.
A couple of Whisky Academy students at Bruichladdich get a lesson from Budgie...look out folks, my camera is going to blow you up! During past visits, the folks at the Laddie have given me free access to photograph in the distillery. One of the reasons I love the place.
Slàinte