Days two and three in Elgin, the Speyside region of scotch whisky production, were spent exploring the distilleries of Glenfiddich and Glen Moray.
A short bus ride on Tuesday took us to Dufftown where we wandered ( backpacks and poles included for training!) to the grounds of Glenfiddich distillery. An hour and half tour, fun and informative, ended with a well laid out tasting session during which we sampled four different aged Glenfiddich whiskys. Of course, it is now time to walk off the effects...so off we head along Speyside Way toward Craighallachie, and what we hoped would be a well earned luncheon , and taste of whisky, at the famed Craighallachie Hotel. 7 miles later and soaked from the onslaught of pelting rain ( our ponchos saw their first Scotland outing!) we reached our destination at 3 PM....promptly closing time for the kitchen. As Craighallachie is not much for pubs and restaurants, we cheated, caught the bus , headed to Rothes, and rolled into a truly genuine Scottish pub, complete with Mac the pub dog, who has a haggis dog and a burger named in his honor on the menu. They too were closed, but offered Scotch broth, sandwiches and whisky.....we were home!
Today, Wednesday, we opted to skip the hiking and Instead wandered a couple miles to the nearest distillery for their 2 PM tour and tasting. Ian, the guide, was highly informative and friendly; a true delight complete with storytelling of recently excavated bodies dating to the 1600's found on the grounds. Our sampling at Glen Moray included five of their aged and specialty whiskys, as well as a taste of 69 proof raw spirit.... The base alcohol which is then casked for aging.
Tomorrow a bus to Inverness airport where we will grab our car for the next four days and head out to discover Culloden, Craigh na Dun ( if we can find it :-) and Dalmore distillery before heading to the Isle of Skye on Friday.
Days two and three in Elgin, the Speyside region of scotch whisky production, were spent exploring the distilleries of Glenfiddich and Glen Moray.
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