Whiskey

We've spent the weekend in Inverness visiting with Cindy & Aaron's family.  Mary & Ken's family are staying with them at their home in Culbokie -- on the Black Isle just outside of Inverness.  The rest of us are at a B&B in the center of Inverness.

On Saturday night, Aaron did a whiskey tasting for us.  Everyone got to sample various whiskeys -- some smoky, some smooth, and some not so smooth.  Sunday morning we went to their local church, and afterwards, most of us went and toured the Glenmorangie Whiskey Distillery.  The Scots do love their whiskey so it seemed only appropriate to go and partake on a Sunday afternoon.

David's all smiles now -- you should
have seen him after the tasting.

Glenmorangie (rhymes with orange-y) is the #1 whiskey in Scotland and #4 in the world according to our lovely tour guide.  We were touring the actual production facility and not just a mockup or museum, so we got to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the production process.  One of the more interesting things I learned is that all of the whiskey barrels used by Glenmorangie are made of American Oak that comes from a certain area of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri.  These particular barrels are first used by Jim Beam and/or Jack Daniels and filled with bourbon for two years before being shipped to Scotland for whiskey production.  The barrels are then filled with whiskey for a minimum of 10 years before being bottled.  Upwards of 20% of the whiskey is lost to evaporation during this period.

Although I'm not really a fan of whiskey, I have a new appreciation for all that goes into the production process.  Glenmorangie has been made in the same location in the village of Tain for over 170 years and the locals are extremely proud of what they produce.