Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Tasting at Glenddich Distillery, Speyside

This evening, I am posting information on Glenfiddich, one of Scotland’s premier whisky distilleries. Some brief facts:

• Located near Dufftown on Speyside.
• Name comes from Gaelic and means ‘Valley of the Deer’.
• Adjacent is sister distillery, Balvenie.
• Founded by William Grant in 1887 in a supreme example ‘can do’ Victorian enterprise by the Grant family who had modest resources and literally built the distillery with their own hands using second-hand stills from nearby Cardhu Distillery.
• Glenfiddich was the pioneer of single malts and consolidated theor market position in the 1960s when they introduced an 8 year old in a distinctive triangular green bottle. The product is lightly peated using water from the Robbie Dhu spring.
• Current production is around 10.0m litres p.a. from 29 stills using a ratio of two spirit stills to every one wash still.
• The product is a result of maturation in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
• Main single malts are:
  • 12 year old Special Reserve 40pct
  • 15 year old Solera Reserve 40pct
  • 18 year old Ancient Reserve 40pct.

Gledfiddich offer a wide range of distillery tours to the public ranging from a free, ‘standard’ tour lasting about 45 mins to 2-3 hour small group, ‘connoisseur’ tour at  a fee of around GBP25-30 per person. A quality experience whichever tour is selected. There is a restaurant on site.

Mash Tuns

Underback at Glenfiddich Distillery, Speyside

Traditional wooden washbacks.  See also this short video clip.

Washbacks at Glenfiddich Distillery, Speyside

 Some of Glenfiddich’s 29 stills. See also this video clip.

Stills at Glenfiddich Distillery,Speyside

Glenfiddich is a regular feature in my tours of Speyside.

Deer on Rannoch Moor in Winter

This evening, I am focusing on the somewhat bleak and rugged Rannoch Moor which lies south of the Great Glen fault below Glencoe. Key features:

• Comprises a plateau at 1200 ft surrounded by mountains rising to between 2500ft and 3500 ft.
• Underlain by granite and features a number of small, irregular lakes which were formed by severe glacial erosion. These lakes are separated by collections of glacial debris.
• The Moor was where the last major ice sheet to cover Scotland began to form about 25,000 years ago and also where it was finally extinguished about 10,000 years ago.
• The ice moved along the valleys which radiate out from Rannoch Moor to the north-east (Speyside), east (Tayside), south (Firth of Clyde) and west (Loch Linnhe).
• Each year hundreds of thousands of visitors traverse this Moor travelling to/from Glencoe  many of whom may not appreciate the geological significance of the site.

As will be evident from the images provided here, the winter does present excellent opportunities for landscape photography when the right combination of weather conditions are present.

Photographing Rannoch Moor in Winter

Winter Landscape, Rannoch Moor, Scotland

Winter Scene, Rannoch Moor, Scotland

Winter Scene, Rannoch Moor, Scotland

Mountain View from Ranoch Moor, Scotland

Macallan the Malt, Speyside

This evening, my focus is on Macallan Scotch Whisky Distillery on Speyside, Scotland.

Brief facts:

• Dates from 1842 but the neraby Elchies farm site had probably been producing whisky before that date.
• Located near Craigellachie.
• Product is positioned as a premium malt, at top end of the market.
• Still in private hands, part of the Edrington Group which also embraces Famous Grouse and Highland Park.
• Pr0duction about 6.0m litres per annum.
• A feature of this distillery is the unusually large wash stills (five) which in turn feed ten very small, onion shaped,  spirit stills, making a total of fifteen stills.
• Maturation in (mainly) European red oak oloroso sherry butts from Spain.
• products include:
  • 10 year old (40 pct.)
  • 12 year old (43pct)
  • 18 year old (43pct)
  • 25 year old ( 43 pct)

Photography is not permitted in internal areas in course of distillery tours and hence paucity of images.

Macallan Distillery, Speyside

Tour Group at Macallan Distillery, Scotland

I invariably include Macallan in my tours of Speyside Distilleries.