Wednesday 19 August 2015

Brom's adventures in Scotland III


Coocoo

On Monday we all woke early, because we were going for a long drive through the Cairngorms and going for a visit at a whisky distillery. But when they left, they left me behind!! I was still at home when Mara left in the car! [oops, sorry again Brom, I guess I will have to tell today's story]

Well, as you gathered, I forgot to take Brom along and the bad thing of it was, I only found out about twenty minutes into the journey! Shame on me!!! Since it was such a long drive though, we didn't want to turn around again and get him, so we continued on our way. 

Braemar Castle
It was a beautiful journey. The Cairngorms is quite a haunting place. Not a lot of trees to block the view, the first of the purple heather was blooming and the road was quiet, even though it is a main road through the Cairngorms. We stopped off in Braemar to get a coffee (my parents need their coffee fixes at set points during the day) and something nice to go along with it. 

After coffee we contiuned on our way until we saw the signs for Glenfiddich: that was where we were going. First lunch and then a guided tour through the distillery to see how the whisky was made. 

The first thing we noticed was that it was hot, sauna hot! But we saw where the malted barley and the water were mixed. 

This was like an iceberg: most of it was underfloor!
We saw the big vats in which the yeast was added to the barley/water mixture to make alcohol. 

However, that alcohol would be absolutely undrinkable, so it needed to be distilled (twice, once in the small stills and once in the big stills). But even then it wouldn't be nice to drink at all: it needed to be put into vats to age. 

A marrying vat
At least 12 years at Glenfiddich, before the first bottles would be filled. There were a lot of storage rooms, but we only saw 2 of those. It smelled absolutely gorgeous inside, and in the end we got the chance to taste the gorgeousness of the whiskies. 

We had 4 different ones to taste. To be completely honest, I didn't taste that much difference, but they were nice anyway. My dad however, he could taste the difference and came away with a nice bottle to enjoy at home. 

On our way back home to Brom, I had decided to drive via Aberdeen, perhaps even with a little stop there. However, time was not on our side and by the time we got to Aberdeen, it was in the middle of rush hour. We only stopped at a supermarket to get some food for the evening, but no real stop to see the town. And then: home to Brom!

13 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Crikey, you really did cover the miles!!! All very beautiful driving though... Aberdeen is such a sprawling city.. perhaps another holiday for the more Northern regions??? YAM xx

    (pee ess to Brom... hope you held back on a cuddle or two from Mara so as to make her feel more guilty!!! &*>)

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    1. Well, she did allow me to sleep in her bed that night and that is the biggest treat ever! I was made for sleeping in beds you know!

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  2. Er, didn't you get a wee dram to sample Brom?
    Beautiful countryside, you are having and amazing time
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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    1. Not the tiniest drop did I get! And I would so have loved to have a taste.

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  3. Hey Brom!
    Wow, sorry you didn't get to ride along, but what a fun place to visit! I bet the heather was gorgeous and that castle looks amazing. I'm sure you won't be forgotten next time. BOL
    Grr and Woof,
    Sarge, Police Commish

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    1. Oh, I made SURE I wasn't forgotten again!! SURE!!!

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  4. I like your photos an you writing in your own voice. For whatever reasons, I am not a fan of writing in cat or other voices. I guess I'm an old fuddy duddy. :)

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  5. Poor Brom. To be FORGOTTEN! Have the tears dried yet? We love that castle. There are no castles around here!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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    Replies
    1. We visited a really nice castle as well. The next day when Brom was with us again.

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  6. Such gorgeous pictures, we are so very sorry Brom got stuck at home!!!
    Smileys!
    Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo

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  7. The pictures are so special!! I am sorry Brom, maybe next time. I get stuck at home sometimes too.

    Ziggy Out!!

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  8. That sounds like a fun day to me. I would have enjoyed seeing that and tasting it too! 12 years is really a long investment of time. Aged to perfection I guess!!!

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  9. Brom is probably underage for drinking anyway. Looks like a full day.

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Any weighty (and not so weighty) comments are welcome!