Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA.

Balblair'99

Ater the banana bread goes into the oven, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. And some leftover Kahlua.

Jameson. Neat.

Gordon's gin and cherry 7up. I have no idea how that started...

Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

Elijah Craig barrel strength.

Tito's vodka and Zing Zang Bloody Mary mix.

Redhook No Equal Blonde. Refreshing.

Iced decaf tea. The meds limit my alcohol intake.

I did take a sip of this in honor of the Woodford Reserve kitty:

Old Chub nitro Scottish ale

Lagunitas Maximus

Macallan 12 year with a splash of water

Springbank 15.



-BK

quote:

Originally posted by badkarma56:
Springbank 15.



-BK

I never made it down to Cambeltown, but did hit up a few decent distilleries:

Dalwhinnie
Edradour
Glengoyne
Talisker
Glenmorgie
The MacAllan
The Balvenie
Glenrothes
Aberlour
Oban
Dalmore
Glenfarclas

A few things I took away:
Once you have been on 3 tours, you can officially lead one.
The same jokes are commonly shared between all tour guides.
The barrel is essentially the most important part.
Some distilleries have resorted to artificial flavors and colors.
Almost nobody malts their own Barley.

That said, Talisker was a big disappointment, Glenfarclas is still family owned, one man's 10 is another man's 2 (scale reference), Speyside has more distilleries than the red light district has hookers, and some of the best whisky comes from distilleries you have never heard of.

quote:

Originally posted by 280nosler:

I never made it down to Campbeltown, but did hit up a few decent distilleries:

Dalwhinnie
Edradour
Glengoyne
Talisker
Glenmorgie
The MacAllan
The Balvenie
Glenrothes
Aberlour
Oban
Dalmore
Glenfarclas

A few things I took away:
Once you have been on 3 tours, you can officially lead one.
The same jokes are commonly shared between all tour guides.
The barrel is essentially the most important part.
Some distilleries have resorted to artificial flavors and colors.
Almost nobody malts their own Barley.

That said, Talisker was a big disappointment, Glenfarclas is still family owned, one man's 10 is another man's 2 (scale reference), Speyside has more distilleries than the red light district has hookers, and some of the best whisky comes from distilleries you have never heard of.

Excellent, 280nosler, I'd say that was a successful trip!

I totally know what you mean regarding the commonality of distillery tour guides. I suppose that's bound to happen in such a close-knit industry.

It's a pity that many whisky brands have elected to add artificial ingredients to their products. Personally, I avoid those brands and stick with the tried and true. The big-name distilleries are notorious for adding things to their whisky in order to have more "mass appeal." I reckon that's fine and dandy, but my preference is for non chill-filtered whisky, typically from either Springbank or Laphroaig, with no artificial additives. Peaty and smoky aromas are quite welcome. Additionally, I also really enjoy cask strength expressions from those same distilleries.

FWIW, Springbank is one of the very few remaining distilleries left in Scotland that performs every single step in the whisky production process (i.e., from malting their own barley right down to bottling the resultant whisky). This is one major reason that I enjoy their whisky so much and recommend it to those who possess a similar palate and preference for full-flavored, traditional whisky.

-BK

Pyramid Outburst Imperial IPA. Boxed up the whole business today and helped move 90% of it across the Puget Sound and up a flight of stairs. The heavy stuff goes tomorrow. Short weekend. Wife on baby duty. Beer night for sure.

O'dell's 90 Shilling Ale, and Lagunitas Maximus.