Drink it as you like it: straight, with water, blend or single malt, spell it with an ‘e’ if you like, buy any foreign brand and claim that’s the real stuff, but be warned; however much of a whisky lover you are, you are not drinking the real “water of life”, unless you’re harvesting the large barley crops in Scotland, standing strong against the chilly wind in its isolated redolent countryside. The Scottish whisky is not just a liqueur; it is Ishkabar, which means much more.
Scotland is by far the main producer and exporter of whisky worldwide, accounting for a substantial turnover of about £4 billion per year - 4% of the Scottish economy and roughly a quarter of the overall food and drink exports in the United Kingdom. The major markets are Europe, USA, Japan, although Brazil and some areas in South America are rapidly catching up.
The art of distilling itself is not an invention of the Scots though. In fact, it has its roots in the ancient Egypt – (someone even claims it was actually brought to Egypt form Asia), and ultimately got to Ireland to then be brought to Scotland by Ireland’s patron Saint Patrick and other Irish monks, which were mastering the making of the so-called ‘aqua vitae’. In Scotland, the creation of this sort of spirit was firstly attributed to Friar John back in 1494, which used to give alcohol to people affected by diseases and illnesses to heal them. And we have no doubts it would actually work!
Whisky was thoroughly enjoyed by the Scots, but it didn’t take long for the English to fell for it too, which gave start to whisky exports in the rest of Britain. The prompt response of the British government came in 1730 with a levy on whisky and strict regulations to limit the number of lawful distilleries and cut down the production and consumption of such spirit. Selling whisky soon became illegal for many Scots, as only few prestigious families were allowed to produce and export it, whereas all the others would have to face penalties if caught exporting whisky outside of Scotland. Hence, the era of whisky smuggling began. It is estimated that in the XVII century, there were over 400 private distilleries in Edinburgh alone that were still producing and selling whisky illegally.
THE HIDDEN MESSAGE IN THE BOTTLE
Taking a whisky tour will surely add to your visit to Scotland if you want to get a real feel of the local culture, because whisky is not only a traditional drink and an enjoyable spirit to locals; in fact, there’s a proper philosophy behind it, and a fascinating story, which makes it even more exciting.
Whisky is a real reason of national pride. In front of an empty bottle of whisky, the Scots feel as depressed as you on your last day of summer vacations. And they don’t allow any space for optimism by calling a half-filled bottle “half full”; it is clearly “half empty”. Consequently, it comes without saying that a brand new unopened bottle of whisky would make any Scot’s day!
It is not by coincidence that whisky is bottled into dark-colored glass bottles, as they cannot put up with the grim sight of a half-empty bottle of Scotch.
Plus, in a bottle of Scotch whisky there’s much more than an inebriating brew with a peaty tingly taste; there’s much of the characteristic Scottish landscape: the vast hills and lush countryside, its despicable weather conditions, the purest virgin water, the overall nature that had and still has a strong influence on the quality of whisky and the different varieties it comes in. No wonders a bottle can be priced at $5,000!
In the past whisky was clearly made with different tools than today’s advancements technology.
Nevertheless, the basic principles have not changed a little bit in the past few centuries. The truth is, all people needed in the past to make an excellent malt whisky is still there in copious quantity, right on their doorstep: the profuse barley crops, the immense water supply, the ubiquitous peat, the element found in water that gives that distinctive regional distinctive flavor to the end-product.
THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Water is, in general, a crucial element throughout the whole manufacturing process. It is very likely that different types of water would give a remarkably different taste to the ultimate whisky. All in all, the manufacturing process requires constant labor and accurate assessments in every single step. If anything goes wrong in the middle, the end-product would be different from what users expect.
Barley is usually soaked in water and yeast to ferment (the variety of yeast is often the special distillery’s secret!). It is then boiled over and over, until ready for malting, which is pivotal in the manufacturing process - this is when the sugar will react chemically and turn into alcohol. This will be eventually separated by water and caught into pot stills through the distillation process.
Once whisky has matured for about 20-25 years in oak casks, only 5% of it will be bottled and sold as single malt whisky. The remaining 95% is usually used to create blend whisky, like the popular brands Johnnie Walker, Grant's, Bell’s, Famous Grouse, Ballantine’s, J&B.
HOW TO DRINK SCOTCH WHISKY
With such a blurred debated history and variegated nature, it can be understood that there’s no unanimous consent on how whisky should be taken. However, the experts recommend using a tulip-shaped glass that allows for anti-spill twirling. You should pour a little water in it, to be able to distinguish and taste every single aroma and avoid adding ice.
However, If you are visiting Scotland and you want to enjoy some proper whisky in a proper way, you can make your life easier by joining a tour in the main whisky producing districts: Islay, whose distillery Laphroaig is the flagship manufacturer for the loved single malt peaty-flavored Scotch; the Lowlands, an area whose importance in whisky brewing has been diminishing in time, but which is still making the Scots proud with the triple distilled Rosebank; The Highlands, possibly featuring the majority of distilleries (at least 60), a real must-see for visitors, who usually limit their whisky learning experience to this region, because of the presence of many ancient rustic distilleries and for being readily accessible from the rest of the country.
Customable whisky tours are widely offered throughout Scotland and are the best to accommodate your needs, whatever these may be; whether you are interested in visiting a specific area on a particular day, having a one-off tour on a special occasion or a specific event, whether you are looking for a 20-day stay or just a weekend, or even one day only. As there’s no fixed itinerary, this choice would probably suit best for those who have at least an understanding of whisky and are looking for specific distilleries in Scotland, or prefer to tour an area specifically. However, it is possible to seek advice and recommendations in travel agencies or follow one of the popular itineraries, escorted or self-drive. Have a read below and you may find what you are looking for.
The Islay Whisky tour
The most popular formula is the 4-day escorted tour throughout the island, paying visits to at least one different distillery per day, as well as the main sights in the region, like the gorgeous Loch Lomond National Park, the Kilmarting stones, sandy beaches, while tasting different varieties of the typical delightful single malt whisky in Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg, Caol Ila and Kilchoman distilleries. The price, inclusive of 3-night stay in a hotel in Bowmore, fluctuates between £200-300 - discounts and concessions available.
Speyside Whisky Trail 3 Day Tour
This area is another popular choice for a short tour. The 3-day Speyside Whisky Trail will take you to the picturesque town of Dunkeld and the marvelous Hermitage pleasure ground, a National Trust for Scotland protected site, which is worth a visit anyway! You will visit 4 different distilleries on the route and appreciate whisky even more once you’ve seen the lush National Park of Cairngorm, where you’ll spend 2 nights, and touch the waters of the River Dee, whisky’s top ingredient. Price ranges between £130-150. If you’re short on time but don’t want to miss out on a tour in the kingdom of whisky, you can still go on a 1 day tour, usually leaving from Edinburgh or Glasgow.
If you visit Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, you may want to extend your visit to the ancient capital of the country, Dunkeld. This is included in the tour which covers a visit to one of the main distilleries (Blair Athol and Glenturrett) with tasting, visit to interesting sites such as the Hermitage waterfalls, the burgh of Pitlochry, the spectacular loch of Tay, which you will be able to see from a great viewpoint called the Queen’s view. A superb one-day trip for about £35-50.
Glasgow is a slightly cheaper option (around £30-40) but equally amazing. It includes a visit to the Stirling Castle, amongst other sites such as the little village of Aberfoyle, the stunning The Trossachs National Park, the natural trail in the scenic Balmaha, near the splendid Loch Lomond, and, of course, the exquisite distillery of Glengoyne.
If you are a hard-core explorer and want to have a whole whisky experience, there are comprehensive tours you can chose from. One of the most popular is the Whisky explorer escorted Journey. The round 7-day trips leaves and ends in Edinburgh, going past Speyside, Oban and Islay. Visitors will be escorted in groups across many different distilleries (6 of which offer free tasting), where you will see and learn on the most prestigious private whisky collections and acquire notions about whisky manufacturing, history and varieties, odd facts and much more, thanks to the well-informed expert guides that will accompany you throughout the visit. This type of tour does not run all year though, so make sure you pre-book it to get a place in the time of the year that suits you best. Winter is usually not recommended because it is extremely cold.
You can join the tour as an individual or if you are traveling with one or two friends, or make your own group, with a minimum of 6 people (max is 16!).
Fares range between £1,534—1,595 and is comprehensive of 6-night stay in hotels with breakfast and dinner (one at the Scotch Whisky Experience), a visit to distilleries and to the Speyside Cooperage, all transportation.
Scotland’s self-driven malt whisky trail
This is a highly favored trail because of its unique character. This tour is, indeed, the only malt whisky trail in the world. It is a self-drive tour, allowing you that privacy and flexibility that’s always a plus.
There are different routes you can follow, depending on where you start your journey. What most visitors do is they start in Speyside to visit the popular The Glenlivet Distillery in Banffshire. The distillery if free of charge and you can choose whether to have a guided tour inside, to get briefed on the history of whisky, and a free sample of The Glenlivet at the end of the tour. Head towards Dufftown, 22 miles north and you’ll reach Speyside Cooperage, where you can see, in the heart Speyside, where you’ll witness not only the whole whisky manufacturing process, but also the peculiar art of making whisky casks with traditional tools - that you can borrow to make your own!
On your second day, you may want to pay a visit to the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, as you’re pretty close. Here you can join the short daily Pioneer’s Tour and fill up a bottle of Glenfiddich directly from one of the barrels. From Dufftown you can easily reach Rothes and visit the Glen Grant Distillery, explore the whole distillery and the stunning Victorian Garden that surrounds it, join tasting sessions and/or guided tours as you please. The Strathisla Distillery in Keith is also recommended. Being this the oldest running distillery in the Highlands (1786), it is one of the best venues to get a good insight on the manufacturing process, especially for blend whiskies. Drive to Elgin and visit the Glen Moray Distillery which organizes daily tours where you can watch how single malt whisky is crafted and even get an exclusive tour by the Distillery Manager.
A 20 minute drive will take you to Forres to get a sample of the organic whisky produced by the Benromach Distillery before ending your tour in the historic distillery of Dallas Dhu, closed since 1983 but timeless icon of the whisky manufacturing era, with a fascinating story to tell. You can still make your trail more exciting by stopping by minor distilleries and other sites of interest that can be reached with minor deviations. Tank it up and take the long way to drive past Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, The Scotch Whisky Experience, The Isle of Skye, and the Talisker Distillery.
PASSPORT & VISA PROCESSING