Benromach Distillery Number 20

This distillery is located in Forres on the way to Inverness

It is still in the Speyside region of whisky making. It is the smallest working distillery on Speyside with a staff of two including the manager.

The tour was very well run.

Tasting Notes:
Benromach 10 year old: Pale amber, sweet and a bit smoky, nice flavour bites at the finish.

I would be happy to add this whisky to my drinks cabinet.

Glenfarcas Distillery Number 19

This distillery is in a beautiful location. Its name means "Valley of the Green Grass." The tour was very well done. The tasting room is called "the Ship's Room" because it has the original ship's bar from the ocean liner Empress of Australia.
The wood panelling in the tasting room is also from the ocean liner.

The malt is lightly peated for this whisky. There is a range of single cask bottlings under the Family Casks label. You can enjoy whisky for each year from 1952 to 1994. I did not have the opportunity to try all of these whiskies.

Tasting Notes:
Glenfarcas 10 year old. Light colour and mild flavour with a hard finish
Glenfarcas 25 year old. Amber colour, smooth and tasty, 2 drops of water improve the finish making it less harsh.
Glenfarcas 30 year old. Darker amber colour, very smooth and tasty, bites at the finish. 2 rops of water improves the finish making it less harsh

All three whiskies are most welcome to be part of my drinks cabinet.

Cardhu, Distillery Number 18

Note the Blue Sky above this Distillery!

I was on the first tour of the day, so it was just me and the tour guide who was most pleasant. She was surprised to hear that this was the eighteenth distillery that I had visited. I explained how some people admire cathedrals and others admire whisky. When I am too old to travel to distilleries, I will have fond memories of this trip and I will recommend Scotland and its wonderful people to one and all.

The tour was well done.

The tastings were also well done:
12 year old Cardhu - light, very nice. All in all a lovely whisky
Cardhu Special Cask Reserve - purrs down the throat
Cardhu 18 year old - darker colour and more flavour than the 12 year old

All three of these whiskies were very fine. I gave top marks to the Special Cask Reserve followed closely by the 18 year old. The 12 year old is quite acceptable, but it is in a different league. They are all welcome to come and stay in my drinks cabinet.

Cragganmore

Cragganmore, Distillery Number 17

After a wonderful morning interlude at Balvenie distillery, I decided to travel out to Cragganmore after lunch. This distillery is located nine miles south of Aberlour.

It is part of the Diageo which meant a free tour with my passport. The malt is unpeated and the casks are ex-Bourbon.

Tasting notes: Cragganmore Distiller's Edition - 12 years old and a wee bit more.

Aged in Bourbon Casks and then in Port Wine Casks for a few months.

Light colour, delicate nose, sweet taste with a hint of smoke. I would be happy to add this whisky to my drinks cabinet.

It is unfortunate that after the tour is over, the visitor does not have the option to purchase whisky by the dram. This was part of my experience at Tullibardine and Edradour distilleries and I would like this to be adopted by all distilleries who welcome visitors. 

I believe that this is part of the "So many fine whiskies, so little time" syndrome that whisky lovers suffer from.

Balvenie Distillery near Dufftown

This is the Balvenie distillery within walking distance of Dufftown. 

I just had to take a photo of this copper crapper. It adds a touch of whimsy eh?

This was distillery number 16 of my tour and it was a wonderful experience all round.
An appointment was necessary and I paid 25 pounds for the tour and tasting. Worth every penny! It was a great treat. The tastings were excellent and included some 30 year old Balvenie! It was a wonderful experience for this writer. All that Balvenie put before me to sample is most welcome in my drinks cabinet.

15 year old Sherry Butt, 59.5% spicy dried fruits
15 year old Refilled Hogshead, 62%, honey, black licorice, spicy, fruity
12 year old 1st Filled Oak 63.6% floral
 Signature ,12 year old Bourbon Sherry Butt, refilled Hogshead  amber colour, sweet, slightly vanilla, spicy
Double Wood, 12 years in American Cask, finished 8 months in European Sherry Cask, dark amber, lovely flavour
Carribean Cask 14 years in Bourbon Casks and then 4 months in Rum Casks, very fine dram!
Single Barrel 15 year second filling,amber colour, honeyed flavour
Port Wood 21 years in Bourbon, 3-4 months in Port Pipes, nice amber colour, sweet licorice, fruits, honey vanilla
30 year old, dark amber, chocolate, hints of plum.

When your ninth tasting is a 30 year old Balvenie, you've had a good whisky tasting! Slainte'

Strathisla Distillery close to Dufftown

Some views of Strathisla Distillery and Standing Stones

This is distillery number 15 for me. As it happened, I was able to catch a train from Dufftown to Strathisla and back. It's not very far and the Strathisla distillery is easy to find. The timing of the trains even allowed for some extra time after the distillery tour. This is when I visited the standing stones and the local pub. I found it to be a very enjoyable afternoon's outing.

As you can see from one of the photos, Strathisla is the home of Chivas Regal, a well known blended Scotch. The tour was very well done and the tasting room was like a gentleman's  club with big leather chairs and couches.

Chivas 12 year old. A very pleasant whisky. smooth tasting with a nice finish

Chivas 18 year old. rich, smooth, hint of smoke, light finish

Strathisla 12 year old.  sweet, nutty, oaky, vanilla, honey

All three of these whiskies are most enjoyable. They are welcome in my drinks cabinet.

On to Abelour

This is distillery number 14 on my tour.  This photo is of the lovely gatehouse, gift shop building. I made a reservation to be included on the 2 pm tour. The tour was well arranged. There were six tastings put in front of us. The first was raw spirit. As you may have deduced by now, it goes against my nature to turn down an alcoholic beverage. Be that as it may, raw spirit is called moonshine where I grew up in the Ontario Lowlands of Canada. One of my friends very eloquently summed up moonshine when he stated,
with the voice of experience,"That stuff will make you throw rocks at your own house!"
I took a pass on the raw spirit.

Fortunately, there were five tastings to follow. These tastings are all very fine. All are welcome in my drinks cabinet

16 year old Bourbon Cask 54.4% deep golden colour, vanilla nose, peppery on the lips, short finish

16 year old Sherry Cask Matured, dark amber colour, very nice flavour

10 year old 90% Bourbon Cask, 10% Sherry Cask, 43% alcohol, amber colour, apples, pears on the nose, sweet, smooth, easy to drink. (I know, I know, they are ALL easy to drink when you love whisky. I thought that when I came across an excellent 10 year old expression of the whisky maker's art, it is important to point this out) Now my editing note is longer than the tasting note!

16 year old Bourbon Cask, 50% Sherry Cask, Final 6 months in a sherry cask, deep golden amber, apples, spiciness, nuttiness

A'bunadh - taste from the past. This whisky is based on an old bottle whose characteristics were duplicated by the master whisky makers of Abelour. It is aged in Spanish olorosa sherry buttes for 5-20 years. The average age is 12 years old. 60.3% alcohol, dark golden colour, chocolate,orange,cherry,spice.

 I sat in one of these chairs and had several lovely visits with  whisky lovers from
around the world. We all agreed that whisky tastes better in Scotland.

The conclusive statement that was agreed to by one and all at the director's chair
symposium....Further study is required!