Great Scotch Whisky
Transcript
00:00:00♪♪
00:00:10♪♪
00:00:20♪♪
00:00:30♪♪
00:00:40♪♪
00:00:50♪♪
00:01:00♪♪
00:01:10♪♪
00:01:20♪♪
00:01:30♪♪
00:01:40♪♪
00:01:50♪♪
00:01:53But all tongue-in-cheek observations aside,
00:01:56the appreciation of Scotch whiskey
00:01:58is a serious business indeed,
00:02:00and not just confined to Scotland.
00:02:03All over the world, more and more people
00:02:05are discovering the delights of the Scottish brew,
00:02:08now famous wherever you travel,
00:02:10and connoisseurs of fine Scotch whiskey
00:02:12are growing in number on a daily basis.
00:02:15♪♪
00:02:20Now, no one's saying that you can't walk into any bar
00:02:22and enjoy a wee dram or two of Scotch whiskey
00:02:25without prior knowledge of the subject.
00:02:27Far from it.
00:02:29There are literally hundreds of whiskeys to choose from,
00:02:32all with their own delightful characteristics and flavors,
00:02:35and you could spend a very happy and fulfilled lifetime
00:02:39ambling through the shelves of a well-stocked pub,
00:02:42randomly trying any bottle that happened to take your fancy.
00:02:46♪♪
00:02:49However, when it comes to whiskey tasting,
00:02:52just a little learning will go an awful long way.
00:02:56But panic not, this is no demanding scholarly exercise.
00:03:02It is instead a fascinating journey of discovery
00:03:06that will really help even the novice whiskey drinker
00:03:08get the most from his or her chosen tipple.
00:03:12♪♪
00:03:17Before embarking upon our investigation into Scotch whiskey,
00:03:21it's well worth taking just a few moments
00:03:23to consider Scotland as a country,
00:03:25and a few of the key points in history
00:03:27that have shaped this nation's unique heritage.
00:03:30♪♪
00:03:36♪♪
00:03:42♪♪
00:03:48♪♪
00:03:54♪♪
00:04:00Right from the start, the people of Scotland
00:04:02had a fearsome reputation,
00:04:04with a strong independent streak to say the very least.
00:04:08The mighty Roman conquerors of neighbouring England
00:04:11chose to leave the natives north of the border well alone,
00:04:14even building Hadrian's Wall
00:04:16to keep the warrior-like Scots away from them.
00:04:19♪♪
00:04:22After the Romans came the Christian missionaries
00:04:25with their Celtic crosses
00:04:27and such notable dignitaries as St. Columba from Ireland,
00:04:30with more than religion to import,
00:04:32as you'll discover a little later.
00:04:34♪♪
00:04:37Hot on their heels came the Vikings,
00:04:39looting and pillaging for all they were worth,
00:04:42and by the 11th century, when the Norman conquests
00:04:45altered the face of all Great Britain,
00:04:47Scottish folk had evolved,
00:04:49taking elements of culture from the settlers,
00:04:51conquerors and invaders who had gone before.
00:04:54♪♪
00:05:04Tribes, or clans, based on kinship, flourished,
00:05:09with chieftains ruling by common consent.
00:05:12However, when the property-coveting Normans
00:05:14cast their eyes upon Scotland,
00:05:16powerful feudal lords were installed
00:05:18and controlled from London,
00:05:20much to the disgust of the Scots.
00:05:22♪♪
00:05:25To the kings of England, Scotland was theirs by right,
00:05:29and when Edward I stole the Stone of Destiny from Scone Abbey
00:05:33and took it to Westminster, he threw down a gauntlet
00:05:36that the proud and wronged Scots could not ignore.
00:05:39♪♪
00:05:42It's a sad indictment that only in very recent years
00:05:45has the stone upon which the ancient kings of Scotland were crowned
00:05:49been returned to its rightful owners
00:05:51and is today on public display in Edinburgh Castle.
00:05:54♪♪
00:06:00And so the scene was set for a bloody uprising,
00:06:03and thanks to these two gentlemen,
00:06:05William Wallace and Robert the Bruce,
00:06:08today peacefully guarding the entrance to Edinburgh Castle,
00:06:11the English overlords discovered
00:06:13that they'd seriously underestimated
00:06:15the power of a wild, angry Scotsman.
00:06:18♪♪
00:06:21William Braveheart Wallace led the Scots
00:06:24to a famous victory at Stirling Bridge,
00:06:27and when he was captured and executed,
00:06:30Robert the Bruce took up the mighty sword
00:06:32and conclusively beat the English at Bannockburn in 1314.
00:06:37The Bruce became King of Scotland,
00:06:40and it was from his lineage
00:06:42that the Royal Stuart Dynasty descended.
00:06:45♪♪
00:06:48When Mary, Queen of Scots,
00:06:49perhaps the most famous Stuart of them all,
00:06:51appeared on the scene in the mid-1500s,
00:06:54her cousin, Elizabeth I,
00:06:56desperately trying to stay firm on the English throne,
00:06:59saw her relation as a constant threat
00:07:02and eventually ordered the Scottish Queen's execution
00:07:06after years of imprisonment.
00:07:08♪♪
00:07:11A visit to Edinburgh's Holyrood Palace
00:07:13will give you a fascinating insight
00:07:15into this dramatic period of Scottish history
00:07:18and is well worth a visit.
00:07:20♪♪
00:07:25Elizabeth certainly removed the threat
00:07:27of Mary, Queen of Scots
00:07:28pretty conclusively with the executioner's axe,
00:07:31but when the great Virgin Queen of England died,
00:07:35ironically, it was Mary's son,
00:07:37King James VI of Scotland,
00:07:39who inherited the English crown.
00:07:41As James I of England, Scotland, and Ireland,
00:07:44he was not a popular king,
00:07:46as proved by the infamous gunpowder plot
00:07:49of Guy Fawkes in 1605,
00:07:51which aimed to blow up the Palace of Westminster,
00:07:54complete with His Royal Highness
00:07:56at the state opening of Parliament.
00:07:58♪♪
00:08:17The next Stuart in line to the throne,
00:08:19Charles I, fared little better than his father,
00:08:22losing his head when executed after defeat
00:08:25in the civil war against Oliver Cromwell
00:08:27and his parliamentarians in 1649.
00:08:30Now for the Scots, and the Irish too, for that matter,
00:08:34Cromwell was a much-hated historical character
00:08:37who mercilessly took his revenge on natives of each land
00:08:40who had supported Charles Stuart,
00:08:42and hostile relations between Scotland and England escalated.
00:08:46♪♪
00:08:51Cromwell's influence ended with his death
00:08:54in 1658 and the restoration of the monarchy two years later,
00:08:58but by 1714, the Stuart line was passed over
00:09:02and the first Hanoverian king, George,
00:09:05succeeded to the British throne,
00:09:07much to the disgust of a vast majority of the population.
00:09:11♪♪
00:09:14The Scots supported efforts to reinstate the Stuarts
00:09:17with the Jacobite Risings,
00:09:20first in 1715 and again in 1745
00:09:24when Bonnie Prince Charlie returned to Scotland
00:09:27from exile in France.
00:09:29With an army swelled in numbers by the clans
00:09:32and the highland chieftains,
00:09:34the story of this young pretender
00:09:36is one of the most romantic in Scottish history,
00:09:39but his eventual defeat at the hands of the British army
00:09:42had disastrous and tragic consequences.
00:09:47The wild Scots had given the king
00:09:49and his ministers in London a real scare,
00:09:52and although the Bonnie Prince escaped to the island of Skye,
00:09:55rode over the stormy sea by the fair Flora MacDonald
00:09:58as immortalised in the Skye Boat Song,
00:10:01the reprisals against the proud Scots were barbaric.
00:10:06♪♪
00:10:09♪♪
00:10:12♪♪
00:10:15♪♪
00:10:18♪♪
00:10:21♪♪
00:10:24♪♪
00:10:27♪ Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wind,
00:10:32♪♪
00:10:35♪♪
00:10:38People were cleared from their homes in the highlands
00:10:41and forced into mass emigration to America and Canada,
00:10:44and for those who remained,
00:10:46stripped of their lands and their dignity,
00:10:48hating the English became a national pastime.
00:10:52♪♪
00:10:55♪♪
00:10:58♪♪
00:11:01♪♪
00:11:04♪♪
00:11:07It took until the mid-1800s and the reign of Queen Victoria
00:11:11for matters to really improve
00:11:13when the good ladies' love of anything Scottish
00:11:16dispelled the terror felt by Scotland's southern neighbours.
00:11:19Bagpipes, tartan and the beautiful Highland countryside
00:11:23were suddenly the height of fashion
00:11:25where Walter Scott and Robert Burns
00:11:27were applauded for their evocative Scottish writings.
00:11:33To this day, the British royal family
00:11:36still enjoys a love affair with Scotland
00:11:38and Queen Victoria's beloved castle at Balmoral
00:11:41still proves to be a very popular summer hideaway.
00:11:45♪♪
00:11:48♪♪
00:11:51♪♪
00:11:54Simplified to the bare bones,
00:11:56this potted history of Scotland
00:11:58will certainly help you to understand the character
00:12:00of the people responsible through the ages
00:12:03for the making of Scotch whisky
00:12:05and help you to appreciate the adversity
00:12:08out of which this wonderful drink has arisen.
00:12:11Combine this with the wild landscape
00:12:14and the often inhospitable weather conditions
00:12:16and you have a true picture of the birthplace
00:12:19of great Scotch whisky.
00:12:24♪♪
00:12:52It's pretty much accepted that the Irish
00:12:55were in fact the first makers of whisky
00:12:57back in the 6th century AD.
00:13:00Irish monks travelled the world
00:13:03and encountered the distillation of perfume in Alembics
00:13:07which were great copper constructions
00:13:09that undoubtedly inspired the bubbling pot stills
00:13:12that you'll find in the whisky-making industry
00:13:14to this very day.
00:13:16With a few modifications, the godly monks
00:13:19worked out that spirit for drinking rather than wearing
00:13:22was a rather good idea
00:13:24but purely for medicinal purposes, of course.
00:13:27♪♪
00:13:31When the monks headed for Scotland
00:13:33with a view to converting their pagan Scottish neighbours
00:13:36to Christianity,
00:13:37they naturally took the secrets of whisky-making with them.
00:13:41Now although not all of the Scots
00:13:43were too enamoured with the religion preached,
00:13:45to a man they were fascinated by the whisky-making
00:13:48and before long they had mastered
00:13:50this new and mysterious art form.
00:13:53♪♪
00:13:55More romantically though, the Scots do claim
00:13:58that they had already come to the alchemy of distillation
00:14:01by their own observations
00:14:02long before the Irish missionaries arrived.
00:14:05♪♪
00:14:07Travelling ancient cattle drovers
00:14:09would boil up their porridge wherever they went
00:14:12and any leftovers would be reboiled again and again.
00:14:16The potent porridge mix gave rise to various experiments
00:14:20resulting in a whisky-type brew that would blow your socks off.
00:14:24♪♪
00:14:28The first official record in the Scottish history books
00:14:31appeared in 1494
00:14:33when friar John Corr purchased malt to make aqua vitae
00:14:38meaning the water of life.
00:14:41By the time whisky turns up again
00:14:43at the funeral of a Highland chieftain in 1618
00:14:46aqua vitae had been translated into the Gaelic isca bar.
00:14:51Steadily through the centuries since
00:14:55isca has been anglicised to become whisky
00:14:59though the Irish always add an extra e
00:15:02to their spelling of the word.
00:15:04♪♪
00:15:08So, how was whisky actually made all those years ago?
00:15:12Well, the answer, quite simply,
00:15:14is almost exactly as even the biggest distillers do it today.
00:15:19OK, things were not done on this enormous scale
00:15:22but the principles were exactly the same.
00:15:26Any croft kitchen or farm outhouse
00:15:30could serve as a home-grown still house
00:15:32and everything that the Scotch whisky man needed
00:15:35was close at hand.
00:15:38To make whisky, you needed a good source of barley
00:15:42and the Scots always grew copious quantities.
00:15:46Malting the barley required a plentiful water supply
00:15:50and even if you visit Scotland in the height of summer
00:15:53you'll discover that rainfall is ubiquitous
00:15:56and the running waters of a cool mountain stream
00:15:59to soak your sack of barley in are never far away.
00:16:04Next, the process required peat,
00:16:07again to be found in Scotland in abundance,
00:16:10to make fires for drying and heating the barley
00:16:13until it transformed into the finished malt.
00:16:20The simple addition of water and yeast
00:16:22would then ferment the mix into a weak and washy beer
00:16:26ready for drinking.
00:16:28The water and yeast would then ferment the mix
00:16:30into a weak and washy beer ready for distillation
00:16:34with a resulting spirit that posed all kinds of dangers.
00:16:43The first spirit out of the still,
00:16:45or the fore shots as they are more technically termed,
00:16:49were actually very poisonous
00:16:51and not to be consumed by man or beast.
00:16:54The after shots, at the end of the run,
00:16:57although not poisonous, were equally undrinkable
00:17:01and the task of calling the shots,
00:17:03deciding which portion of the brew was fit to swallow,
00:17:06was a tricky one
00:17:08without any of the advanced technological devices
00:17:10available in modern day distilleries.
00:17:15A pinch of gunpowder added to the spirit
00:17:18was usually the best strength gauge
00:17:21but it took a brave man to ignite the mixture.
00:17:25If your brew exploded, not only did you risk life and limb
00:17:29but even worse for the early pioneering distillers,
00:17:32you also ended up with a finished whisky
00:17:34that was too strong for even the most hardened toper to drink.
00:17:43Going back to our history,
00:17:45we know all about Oliver Cromwell
00:17:47and his vengeful persecution of the Scottish Royalists
00:17:49who opposed him
00:17:51but there is another reason for the Scots
00:17:53to remain ill-served by this ruthless Englishman
00:17:56because his civil war was, no matter how inadvertently,
00:17:59responsible for the introduction of whisky taxation.
00:18:04This is a subject of dissent for every true Scotsman
00:18:07and still causes heated arguments
00:18:09if mentioned at the bar by the modern drinker.
00:18:13The aftermath of the civil war
00:18:15left the coffers of government empty in London
00:18:18and some ingenious soul suggested levying a tax on whisky,
00:18:22incidentally equally abhorrent to the Scots and the Irish
00:18:25but remarkably lucrative for customs and excise.
00:18:32Then, adding insult to injury,
00:18:35the Act of the Union in 1707
00:18:38allowed English customsmen to cross the border into Scotland
00:18:42to search out illegal whisky stills.
00:18:45Rather than curtailing such lawless manufacture,
00:18:48the new rules had the opposite effect.
00:18:51Every native Scot considered duty-bound to produce illegal whisky
00:18:55even if he'd never made a drop of the stuff in his life before.
00:19:01The number of stills in the Scottish countryside increased dramatically
00:19:05and any English customsman who tried to prevent such anarchy
00:19:09quite literally took his life in his hands.
00:19:13Irish whisky makers were treated just the same
00:19:16and reacted equally as violently
00:19:18but at least they had the benefit of a stretch of water
00:19:21between themselves and the English revenue officers.
00:19:29With the passage of time, licensing laws gradually became accepted
00:19:33as an integral part of the whisky industry
00:19:36and the companies that you'll discover continuing to distill in the 21st century
00:19:40are fine, upstanding institutions
00:19:42despite the fact that some of their ancestry
00:19:45might have been a little on the dubious side.
00:20:15MUSIC
00:20:45MUSIC
00:21:15And so at last we come to whisky,
00:21:18the golden liquid responsible for inspiring many a poetic verse.
00:21:24However, when it comes to Scotch, from the very beginning
00:21:27you need to appreciate the fact that not all whisky
00:21:30that comes from Scotland is the same.
00:21:33The differences are wide-ranging and dramatic
00:21:36and it can quite literally take a lifetime to become fully conversant
00:21:40with the multitude of varieties available.
00:21:45For most people, a blended whisky
00:21:48will be their first experience of this great Scottish drink
00:21:52but this could not be more different in character
00:21:54from the rugged island whiskies
00:21:56full of salt air atmosphere loaded with peat smoke.
00:22:02Then again, the single Highland malts from Speyside
00:22:06are absolutely unique and completely different
00:22:09from the lighter grain whisky varieties of the lowlands.
00:22:13Yet one thing's for certain,
00:22:15wherever you travel throughout this wonderful land
00:22:17you will never have to look very far to find a wee dram to enjoy
00:22:21and what's more, your journey will lead you to some of the most beautiful countryside
00:22:25that you'll ever get the opportunity to see.
00:22:28MUSIC
00:22:43MUSIC
00:22:58Our first destination is Speyside
00:23:01where the imposing Grampian Mountains
00:23:03shelter the lovely glens of the River Spey.
00:23:09This is ideal whisky country
00:23:12which explains why you'll find to this day
00:23:14some 40 or so active distilleries in the region
00:23:17with a number of the biggest names in the entire industry
00:23:20tucked away in splendid isolation.
00:23:24There were of course many more bubbling stills
00:23:26in the days of the old whisky smugglers
00:23:28evading the prying eyes of the English customs men
00:23:31and as you can see for yourself
00:23:33the landscape afforded the Scottish whisky men of ages past
00:23:36plenty of protection.
00:23:39However, you'll have no trouble in finding the magnificent Glenfiddich distillery
00:23:44because today there are an abundance of signposts
00:23:47to point you in the right direction
00:23:49and visitors of every nationality are very welcome indeed.
00:24:02The ruins of Balvenie Castle
00:24:04cast a protective shadow over the Glenfiddich operation
00:24:07and you will actually find a Balvenie whisky here
00:24:10bearing the castle's name as part of the William Grant portfolio.
00:24:17William Grant was the visionary man responsible for creating Glenfiddich
00:24:22producing his first whisky on Christmas Day 1887.
00:24:27He was a remarkable character
00:24:29who started out as an apprentice shoemaker
00:24:31but always dreamed of opening his own distillery
00:24:34and to this day Glenfiddich is still a family owned business
00:24:38with direct descendants of William Grant retaining a controlling interest.
00:24:52Now there are those who are a touch disparaging about Glenfiddich
00:24:56and its rather gentle character
00:24:58but you can't argue with the sales figures
00:25:01who declare this to be the best selling Scottish malt in the world.
00:25:15People love Glenfiddich
00:25:17and although this product is undeniably very well marketed
00:25:20over a hundred years worth of happy consumers can't all be wrong.
00:25:25Perhaps it's the fact that as well as being a first class whisky distillery
00:25:29this is also one of Scotland's premier tourist attractions
00:25:33and as such can offend the single minded purist.
00:25:37But these two elements of Glenfiddich sit very comfortably side by side
00:25:41and delighted visitors actually get to tour the production line from start to finish
00:25:46whilst this superb whisky is being brought to life.
00:25:50Even better, no charge is made for admission
00:25:53including a fascinating guided tour
00:25:55so take a look for yourself and enjoy a snapshot of Glenfiddich in all its glory.
00:26:06Pagoda towers can be seen all over this region
00:26:09with particularly fine examples to be found at Glenfiddich.
00:26:13These are in point of fact the chimneys of the malt kilns
00:26:17where the soaked and dried barley is transformed into malt
00:26:20by the heat of the peat smoking fires.
00:26:26After milling, the mash tun is where the emerging grist is combined with hot water and agitated.
00:26:34The now soluble barley starch quickly dissolves
00:26:37to make a brown sugary frothing liquid termed as wort.
00:26:42There have been through the centuries many stories told about the frugality of the Scots
00:26:47and if this process is anything to go by it's something they can be rightly proud of.
00:26:53When the wort is drained away to continue being refined into whisky
00:26:57a husky solid remains, highly rich in nutrients
00:27:01far from being left to go to waste
00:27:03the draugh, as it's commonly known, is recycled into cattle food.
00:27:13Once cooled, the wort is piped to the washbacks
00:27:16where yeast is added and the fermentation process can begin.
00:27:22Music
00:27:30The washbacks at Glenfiddich are made of wood
00:27:33and the smell of the bubbling wash is absolutely intoxicating.
00:27:38At this stage the liquid is about the same strength as strong beer
00:27:43and is ready for the magical distillation to begin.
00:27:47Music
00:27:53If the ghost of William Grant walked into the still room at Glenfiddich today
00:28:00he would instantly recognise the size and shape of the shining pot stills
00:28:05as his own precious design.
00:28:08Little has changed since that first flowing of Christmas spirit
00:28:11at the end of the 19th century with Mr Grant's distinctive stills
00:28:15adding uniquely to the character of the finished whisky.
00:28:19Undoubtedly the goings on in a still room are shrouded with an aura of mystery
00:28:24but a quick science lesson will soon put that to rights.
00:28:28Music
00:28:38Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water
00:28:42causing it to evaporate at a much earlier stage in the proceedings.
00:28:46Consequently when the alcohol condenses in the cooling pipes
00:28:50it's at a much higher percentage proof than when it began
00:28:54with the diluting water left behind.
00:28:57The Scottish whisky makers distill their spirit twice
00:29:01which does leave a touch of fire remaining.
00:29:04Irish whisky is distilled three times and is altogether less fearsome.
00:29:09Music
00:29:17With the second distillation complete it's time to call the shots
00:29:22and although the modern whisky maker has plenty of gadgetry to hand
00:29:26to make his life a little easier than that of his gunpowder firing predecessors
00:29:30it still takes a great deal of skill to judge this part of the process accurately.
00:29:37Now if you tried to drink the spirit at this moment in time
00:29:41you'd be in for a bit of a shock.
00:29:44Music
00:29:49For a start the liquid is completely clear and very, very strong
00:29:54nothing like the whisky that we all know and love.
00:29:57It is in fact ethanol at this stage
00:30:00and what happens next requires equally as much time, care and patience
00:30:05as everything that has gone before.
00:30:08Music
00:30:15Few people will get the opportunity to enter a whisky warehouse
00:30:19where this magical transformation takes place
00:30:22but here at Glenfiddich our guide has been given special permission to show us around.
00:30:27To legally earn the title whisky
00:30:30the clear spirit at the end of the distillation process
00:30:33has to mature for a minimum of three years in wooden casks
00:30:37which is what you see going on in here.
00:30:40The golden colour is imparted from the carefully selected oak
00:30:44used in the manufacture of the cask
00:30:47with various flavours developing as the whisky matures.
00:30:55The smell as you walk into a Scotch whisky warehouse
00:30:58can only be described as divine
00:31:01but the chemical process responsible for this aromatic delight
00:31:05results in a significant degree of evaporation
00:31:08that no whisky maker has ever been able to overcome.
00:31:12The fine Scottish mountain air will permeate the casks
00:31:16adding an extra dimension to the finished product
00:31:19but at the cost of up to a 10% loss due to evaporation.
00:31:26Philosophically and perhaps a trifle romantically
00:31:30this is called the angel's share
00:31:33and it is what you can smell on the air as soon as you step in through the door.
00:31:42However through the centuries you can't help wondering
00:31:45if the angels might well have been blamed
00:31:48for taking more than just their own share of the whisky.
00:32:00A wily workforce would have known precisely
00:32:03when to remove an odd dram here and there
00:32:06and apparently an old-fashioned baby's bottle on a piece of string
00:32:10fitted perfectly through the bunghole of a cask.
00:32:13But today security is, as you've seen, very tight indeed
00:32:18and nothing is ever allowed to disturb the slumbering casks
00:32:21as they work their alchemy
00:32:23turning clear, rough-edged ethanol
00:32:26into a smooth, golden, extremely drinkable Scotch whisky.
00:32:33With the maturation process complete
00:32:36and for some whiskies this takes as long as 10, 15 or even 25 years
00:32:41the spirit is vatted up, ready for bottling.
00:32:56This is a rare sight.
00:33:18Glenfiddich is certainly a rarity these days
00:33:21as bottling actually takes place on-site
00:33:24and for visitors this is an added bonus on this particular distillery tour.
00:33:29But what goes into bottles must come out
00:33:32especially when it's whisky of this quality
00:33:35and you'll not be allowed to leave Glenfiddich
00:33:37without being hospitably offered a dram or two to taste.
00:33:42The Glenfiddich Special Reserve is light and peaty in aroma
00:33:47with a pleasant sweetness in the taste.
00:33:49It's a perfect malt for novice whisky drinkers
00:33:52and an ideal aperitif
00:33:54but in fairness to its dissenters, it's not exceptional.
00:34:01The 12-year-old Special Reserve on the other hand
00:34:04is the perfect malt for a youngster
00:34:06who's just starting out in the world.
00:34:09The 12-year-old Special Reserve on the other hand
00:34:12is far more complex
00:34:14with delightful sweetness, spice and a tongue-tingling finish
00:34:18and well worth searching out.
00:34:23If you do get the chance to try the Glenfiddich Solera Reserve
00:34:26make sure you do
00:34:28because there's a rich fruitiness and shared quality
00:34:31to this more recent offering from this distillery
00:34:34which proves that whilst Glenfiddich is steeped in tradition
00:34:37it's also moving with the times.
00:34:42For the younger, perhaps more sophisticated whisky drinker
00:34:46Solera has a more modern image
00:34:48and hopefully it will quickly receive the recognition
00:34:51that it truly deserves.
00:35:05With your visit to Glenfiddich complete
00:35:08you might be surprised to find a cooperage
00:35:11the place where the casks for storing the whisky are made and repaired
00:35:14on the list of nearby tourist attractions.
00:35:35This is the Speyside Cooperage
00:35:37about a mile from Glenfiddich
00:35:39where you can see the ancient craft of the cask maker
00:35:42from the relative comfort of a glass-enclosed spectator balcony.
00:35:47This is hard, physically demanding work
00:35:50that hasn't altered since Roman times
00:35:52but it's certainly worth a visit.
00:35:55It's a great place to visit
00:35:57especially if you're a youngster
00:35:59who's just starting out in the world.
00:36:01It's hard, physically demanding work
00:36:03that hasn't altered since Roman times
00:36:05and the speed that the men here work at is quite phenomenal.
00:36:09It takes seven years to serve a cooper's apprenticeship
00:36:12and the assurance with which the barrels are rolled, hammered
00:36:15knocked down and raised up
00:36:17come only with experience.
00:36:31Music
00:36:47The casks are made of finest oak
00:36:49with the majority of the new wood being imported from North America.
00:36:53The light quality gives an elegance of style
00:36:56and delicate flavour range
00:36:58preferred by the specialist malt distilleries.
00:37:02However, most of the work that you'll see in progress at this cooperage
00:37:05is restoration of older barrels
00:37:07which have been used previously
00:37:09for storing such treasures as sherry, port or American bourbon.
00:37:15By using these casks
00:37:16whisky makers can incorporate notes of extra flavours into their product
00:37:20with sherry casks generally proving to be the most popular
00:37:24explaining why so many whiskies have a hint of sherry in their make-up.
00:37:47Just as whisky matures gracefully over time
00:37:50so too do the casks
00:37:52with a well-tended example having a lifespan of up to 60 years.
00:37:58Even when they become too ancient and decrepit to repair
00:38:02a Scotch whisky cask is still much sought after
00:38:05by the Scottish smoked salmon industry.
00:38:08The flavour imparted by old whisky cask sawdust
00:38:11in the smoking of the fish
00:38:12is as close as you can get to gastronomic perfection.
00:38:22It may seem an odd tourist attraction
00:38:47when you first read about the Speyside Cooperage
00:38:49but it truly shows one of the most significant elements
00:38:52of the whisky making process
00:38:53in a surprisingly entertaining way
00:38:56and the whole experience is not to be missed.
00:39:20The Speyside Cooperage
00:39:22is a win-win situation for whisky makers
00:39:24who are looking to expand their business
00:39:26to the wider world of whisky making.
00:39:28The Speyside Cooperage
00:39:30is a win-win situation for whisky makers
00:39:32who are looking to expand their business
00:39:34to the wider world of whisky making.
00:39:36The Speyside Cooperage
00:39:38is a win-win situation for whisky makers
00:39:40who are looking to expand their business
00:39:42to the wider world of whisky making.
00:39:44The Speyside Cooperage
00:39:45is a win-win situation for whisky makers
00:39:47who are looking to expand their business
00:39:49to the wider world of whisky making.
00:39:51The Speyside Cooperage
00:39:53is a win-win situation for whisky makers
00:39:55who are looking to expand their business
00:39:57to the wider world of whisky making.
00:40:05Heading deeper into the Speyside countryside
00:40:08well off the beaten track
00:40:10you'll discover many a long and winding road.
00:40:13Roads are obviously very important
00:40:15to the far-flung communities of this region
00:40:17a typical example being Tomintool
00:40:19one of the highest villages in Scotland
00:40:22which is literally laid out along the main road.
00:40:26After the Jacobite Rising
00:40:28and the defeat of the Bonny Prince
00:40:29as we've already heard
00:40:31the English overlords were determined
00:40:33to quash their Scottish subjects
00:40:35and building roads into the highlands
00:40:37was fundamental in achieving control.
00:40:40With access to all the tiny villages
00:40:42any insurrection could be quickly put down
00:40:44and the customs and excise men
00:40:46searching out illicit whisky stills
00:40:48certainly had a much easier time of it as well.
00:40:56Now, for the native Scots
00:40:58obedience to English law was just not an option
00:41:02particularly when it came to whisky making
00:41:04and if you travel down from Tomintool
00:41:06into the beautiful Glenlivet Valley
00:41:08the wonderfully atmospheric Glenlivet Distillery
00:41:11has a remarkable story to tell.
00:41:20Shortly after the failed Jacobite Rising
00:41:22there were at least 200 illicit stills
00:41:25bubbling away in this district
00:41:27and as reprisals against the supporters
00:41:29of the Bonny Prince were draconian
00:41:31a Jacobite farmer who was a dab hand with the moonshine
00:41:34changed his name from Gough to Smith
00:41:37in order to protect his family.
00:41:39He dutifully farmed his land by day
00:41:41but by night, like so many of his neighbours
00:41:44he brewed illicit whisky
00:41:46that tasted all the sweeter for its dubious character.
00:41:51However, despite the fact that whisky making
00:41:53was evidently in the blood with successive smiths
00:41:55continuing the tradition
00:41:57by the time George Smith, the old man's grandson
00:42:00arrived on the scene, horror of horrors
00:42:02he decided to make his whisky production legitimate.
00:42:05George Smith's Glenlivet whisky
00:42:07was the first in the region to receive a licence
00:42:09from the British government in 1824
00:42:12and it opened up a huge and very lucrative export market
00:42:16for the enterprising Scot.
00:42:28If you travel a little way down the road from Glenlivet
00:42:31you'll come to Minmore House
00:42:33which was actually built by George Smith
00:42:35so he could be on hand in the event of trouble at the distillery
00:42:38and by all accounts, he had plenty to deal with.
00:42:42For his neighbours, Smith had sold out to the enemy
00:42:45and they attacked both his business
00:42:47and his person quite regularly.
00:42:49It's said that George Smith was famous
00:42:52for carrying two pistols with him at all times
00:42:55even tucking them under his pillow
00:42:57when he went to sleep at night.
00:42:59Public relations were further threatened
00:43:01when Smith quickly found himself with a rip-roaring success
00:43:05as he had the legal monopoly
00:43:07on whisky export sales from the district.
00:43:13When Smith refused to be intimidated by his neighbours
00:43:16they decided if they couldn't beat him, all too literally
00:43:19they might as well join him
00:43:21and quickly marketed their own whiskies
00:43:24with Smith's Glenlivet name.
00:43:26It took a complex court case to sort it all out
00:43:29and to this day, the whisky from this distillery
00:43:32is the only one entitled to use the direct article in its title
00:43:35making George Smith's whisky
00:43:37the Glenlivet for all time.
00:43:43The Glenlivet is a delightful whisky
00:43:45that still has the fruity and almost flowery character
00:43:48that it would have had in George Smith's day.
00:43:50However, there is less peatiness than there was
00:43:54However, there is less peatiness than there once would have been
00:43:57which possibly gives the modern day version
00:43:59a very much wider appeal.
00:44:04Having seen both Glenfiddich and Glenlivet
00:44:07which, if you should visit in the summer months
00:44:09are swarming with visitors
00:44:11it's well worth discovering the delights
00:44:13of a rather smaller distillery
00:44:15that you might not be quite so familiar with
00:44:17but has a great deal to offer.
00:44:24You'll receive a very warm welcome at Glenfarclas
00:44:27and, as you enter the visitor's centre
00:44:30you'll be delighted by its opulence.
00:44:35The pictures of the grants of Glenfarclas
00:44:37no relation to the grants of Glenfiddich
00:44:39line the walls dating back to A.C.E.
00:44:42The pictures of the grants of Glenfarclas
00:44:45no relation to the grants of Glenfiddich
00:44:47line the walls dating back to A.C.E.
00:44:50The pictures of the grants of Glenfiddich
00:44:51line the walls dating back to A.C.E.
00:44:54and today's M.D. is a fourth generation grant
00:44:58with his son already in the business
00:45:00poised to continue the family tradition.
00:45:21As an independent, family-run business
00:45:24Glenfarclas whisky has been able to retain
00:45:27its rich, unique character
00:45:29and offers the whisky enthusiast
00:45:31something just that little bit different.
00:45:42With water taken from crystal clear streams
00:45:44high in the mountains
00:45:47With water taken from crystal clear streams
00:45:49high up on the mountainside
00:45:51traces of peat, granite and aromatic heather
00:45:54can be detected in the finished brew.
00:46:02Also the location of the warehouses
00:46:04where the fine mountain air can work its magic
00:46:06on the waiting casks
00:46:07adds to an elusive sense of time and place
00:46:10to the Glenfarclas whiskies.
00:46:13When you enter the warehouses
00:46:15the angel's share is unmistakable
00:46:18and nothing could compare
00:46:19with tasting a well-aged wee dram
00:46:21straight from the cask.
00:46:23No doubt left up to Glenfarclas management
00:46:26it's a pleasure that would still be allowed
00:46:28but sadly complex licensing
00:46:30and taxation regulations prohibit this
00:46:33and the removal of any whisky
00:46:35even a shot consumed in situ
00:46:37would contravene the rules.
00:46:39But fear not
00:46:40head back to the visitor centre
00:46:42and you'll get to taste a drop
00:46:43of good Glenfarclas for yourself
00:46:45so be prepared for a few surprises.
00:46:53The standard Glenfarclas 10-year-old malt
00:46:55is rich and spicily aromatic.
00:46:58Slightly on the dry side
00:47:00this whisky is certainly not a lightweight
00:47:02and with a hint of pine needles
00:47:04it's a classic Scotch malt
00:47:06that you can come back to.
00:47:09Back to again and again.
00:47:14Having limbered up your whisky taste buds
00:47:16on this fine brew
00:47:18you're ready to ask for the Glenfarclas 105
00:47:21cask strength.
00:47:23Now most whiskies that you'll come across
00:47:25range between 40 and 45% proof
00:47:29but this fire-breathing dragon of a whisky
00:47:32comes in at a mighty 60%.
00:47:36It most definitely is an acquired taste
00:47:39because the alcohol can be
00:47:41understandably rather overpowering
00:47:44but there is a buttery richness
00:47:46which is very pleasing
00:47:48and once you've got used to the not insubstantial
00:47:50kick of this whisky
00:47:52there is nothing better on a cold winter's night
00:47:54to warm and cheer a flagging soul.
00:48:01Whilst we're considering the Glenfarclas Cask 105
00:48:04as a strong and powerful Speyside malt
00:48:07it's a very appropriate moment
00:48:09to explain how blended whiskies came about.
00:48:18A blended Scotch whisky
00:48:20is a mix of lighter grain whisky
00:48:22usually of lowland origin
00:48:24with the more robust malts of the character
00:48:26we've been discussing from Speyside
00:48:28and they developed when the lucrative English export market
00:48:31demanded a less fearsome spirit.
00:48:35When the great Dr. Johnson
00:48:37compiled his revolutionary dictionary in 1755
00:48:40his entry for whisky was very telling.
00:48:45The Irish sort is particularly distinguished
00:48:48for its pleasant and mild flavour.
00:48:50In Scotland it is somewhat hotter.
00:48:55This resulted in Irish whisky
00:48:57being rather more popular than the fiery Scottish malts
00:49:00and away from the home markets
00:49:02Ireland's version fared considerably better.
00:49:05However the invention of a retired Irish customs officer
00:49:08certainly tipped the balance of power
00:49:10in Scotland's favour.
00:49:17Anais Coffey produced a brilliant new still design
00:49:20in the 1850s
00:49:22that could produce grain whisky
00:49:24cheaply and efficiently
00:49:26at an amazing rate.
00:49:28In the first instance he approached
00:49:30the major Irish distillers
00:49:32who told him in no uncertain terms
00:49:34that his idea would never catch on.
00:49:36A copper pot still was the only way to make whisky
00:49:39and they wanted no part of his newfangled nonsense.
00:49:45But being a tenacious sort of chap
00:49:48Coffey packed up his invention
00:49:50and took it to Scotland
00:49:52where the major distillers there
00:49:54were more than willing to listen to what he had to say.
00:49:59Already used to grain whisky from the Scottish lowlands
00:50:01they were delighted at the prospect
00:50:03of profitably producing vast quantities of the stuff
00:50:06which could then be mixed with the fiery malts
00:50:08to blend a spirit that would have much wider appeal
00:50:11for the export trade.
00:50:16The new blended Scotch whiskies
00:50:18quickly became market leaders
00:50:20and the Irish whisky brands
00:50:22were very definitely pushed down into second place.
00:50:25Interestingly this is why
00:50:27the Irish spelled their whisky differently
00:50:29to the Scotch version
00:50:31adding an extra E.
00:50:33They believed that they were right to reject Coffey's still
00:50:35and in their opinion
00:50:37the new Scottish blended brews
00:50:39didn't even deserve to be called by the same name
00:50:41as their traditionally
00:50:43copper pot distilled whisky
00:50:45and so the E was used to mark the difference.
00:50:49But the Irish were shutting the stable door
00:50:51after the horse had bolted
00:50:53and nothing could contain the world's appetite
00:50:55for blended Scotch whisky.
00:50:57Great family names such as
00:50:59Johnny Walker, Hague, Bells
00:51:01and Teachers
00:51:03became instantly recognisable
00:51:05as Scotland took over
00:51:07as the world's best known whisky producer.
00:51:13For the modern whisky drinker
00:51:15there has been a tendency to overlook
00:51:17blended Scotch as being rather run of the mill
00:51:19which is a great shame
00:51:21as there are some fine examples to try.
00:51:25The Johnny Walker blends with their distinctive
00:51:27red, black and blue labels
00:51:29are very good indeed
00:51:31and synonymous with quality wherever you travel
00:51:33especially on an international scale.
00:51:39It's well worth trying Lowland Grain whisky for comparison.
00:51:41Glen Kinky
00:51:43is made just outside Edinburgh
00:51:45and it has a light, lively character
00:51:47bursting with lemon peel, almonds
00:51:49and even a hint of freshly mown grass.
00:51:51What this really proves
00:51:53is that when it comes to Scotch whisky
00:51:55you should really keep as open minded as possible
00:51:57because the more varieties you try
00:51:59the greater your appreciation
00:52:01of this ancient tradition will be.
00:52:03After all
00:52:05the best whisky has to be the one
00:52:07that you like best
00:52:09whatever any so called expert
00:52:11might have to say about it.
00:52:15For starters
00:52:17you now have a passable knowledge
00:52:19of how whisky is made
00:52:21and a pretty good understanding of the Speyside
00:52:23malts and blended Scotch whiskies
00:52:25but it's now time
00:52:27to tackle a very different type of whisky.
00:52:47Lastly
00:52:49the Middleton
00:52:53Before the
00:52:55dawn of day
00:52:57Sun
00:52:59rises golden
00:53:03Oh for sweet
00:53:05Iona
00:53:09The flowers of
00:53:11our forest
00:53:13are all
00:53:15blown away
00:53:27The red
00:53:29rose of
00:53:31England
00:53:33The flowers
00:53:35of old Scotland
00:53:37The shamrock
00:53:39green as
00:53:41emerald
00:53:45The dragon
00:53:47and the flame
00:53:49Sun
00:53:51rises golden
00:53:55Oh for sweet
00:53:57Iona
00:54:01The flowers of
00:54:03our forest
00:54:07are all
00:54:09blown away
00:54:19Don't wait
00:54:21for the
00:54:23yarder
00:54:25A march
00:54:27lads to the
00:54:29border
00:54:31Put your pike up on
00:54:33your shoulder
00:54:35And we
00:54:37will win
00:54:39the day
00:54:41Sun
00:54:43rises golden
00:54:45Oh for
00:54:47sweet Iona
00:54:51The flowers
00:54:53of our
00:54:55forest
00:54:59are all
00:55:01blown away
00:55:05I've
00:55:07heard
00:55:09the Middleton
00:55:13From
00:55:15the highest
00:55:17mountain
00:55:19Glasses
00:55:21of morning
00:55:25Before the
00:55:27dawn of day
00:55:29Sun
00:55:31rises golden
00:55:33Oh for sweet
00:55:35Iona
00:55:41The pride
00:55:43of our
00:55:45nations
00:55:47Like
00:55:49hope within
00:55:51the rain
00:55:53Sun
00:55:55rises golden
00:55:57Oh for
00:55:59sweet Iona
00:56:03Iona
00:56:07The flowers of
00:56:09our forest
00:56:13are all
00:56:15blown away
00:56:27Scotland can boast
00:56:29750 major
00:56:31islands scattered around
00:56:33its ragged coastline
00:56:35and the inhabitants of a fair proportion of them
00:56:37have for generations been extremely
00:56:39accomplished whisky makers
00:56:41Despite the fact that they are more than
00:56:43happy to consume whatever they produce
00:56:45the worldwide export market
00:56:47has developed quite a fancy for
00:56:49island whisky over the years
00:56:51and no whisky trail could possibly
00:56:53consider complete without including
00:56:55a taste of what the islands have to offer
00:57:01There was a time
00:57:03and not so long ago
00:57:05that the only way you could get to the Isle of Skye
00:57:07the largest of the Inner Hebrides
00:57:09was by ferry
00:57:11but the new road bridge linking
00:57:13Skye to the mainland has certainly
00:57:15improved accessibility
00:57:17despite the fact that not everyone
00:57:19locally believes it to be altogether
00:57:21a good thing
00:57:27Summer visitors flock to Skye
00:57:29yet out of season, even in bad weather
00:57:31the atmosphere is absolutely
00:57:33magical, evocative of
00:57:35ages past when the natural order of the
00:57:37countryside dictated the pace of life
00:57:45There's plenty to see
00:57:47and for walkers and climbers there are many
00:57:49wonderful challenges to rise to
00:57:51The island is perhaps most famous
00:57:53for its haunting melodic Skye boat song
00:57:55and Flora Macdonald
00:57:57Bonnie Prince Charlie's heroic saviour
00:57:59is buried here
00:58:01If you should find yourself
00:58:03at Dunvegan Castle, the ancestral
00:58:05seat of the Clan Macleod
00:58:07you can just imagine the tiny rowboat
00:58:09bringing the Prince to safety here
00:58:11and you can't help feeling that the view
00:58:13you see now is identical
00:58:15to what the defeated and fleeing
00:58:17Royal Stuart adventurer would have
00:58:19experienced all those years ago
00:58:27Rocking the deep
00:58:29Eventually the
00:58:31Bonnie Prince made good his escape to
00:58:33France, but the reprisals against
00:58:35the people of Skye by the English for sheltering
00:58:37him were cruel indeed
00:58:39Flora Macdonald was actually
00:58:41imprisoned as a traitorous accomplice
00:58:43and although she was subsequently
00:58:45released, she left her native land
00:58:47to avoid further persecution
00:58:49emigrating, like so many of her fellow
00:58:51Scots, to America
00:58:53Not only was the
00:58:55landscape tough, the political
00:58:57climate also turned harsh, as native
00:58:59islanders were driven away to make more
00:59:01space for the cultivation of sheep
00:59:03during the highland clearances
00:59:05that followed the Jacobite uprisings
00:59:07It's ironic
00:59:09that you can still see the sheep
00:59:11contentedly grazing amongst the ruins
00:59:13of Kilchrist Church, that once served
00:59:15Skye's most densely populated
00:59:17area
00:59:19You can
00:59:21see for yourself just how efficiently
00:59:23the local community was wiped out
00:59:25with all trace of the people and their
00:59:27properties long, long gone
00:59:29leaving this eerie and
00:59:31beautiful place almost uninhabited
00:59:45Now undoubtedly
00:59:47some Skye folk turned to the church
00:59:49for comfort in times of adversity
00:59:51but others
00:59:53had an alternative way of maintaining
00:59:55body and soul
00:59:57Follow one of the island's
00:59:59elusively meandering roads
01:00:01from Sligachan towards Portnalong
01:00:03and you'll not be able to miss
01:00:05the distinctive Talisker distillery
01:00:07where the island's fine and famous
01:00:09whisky is made
01:00:15Dating back to the 1830s
01:00:17the Talisker distillery
01:00:19had an interesting start
01:00:21as the local minister denounced it
01:00:23instantly as a great curse for the area
01:00:25but judging by
01:00:27the number of visitors who passed through the gates
01:00:29here year in, year out
01:00:31far from being a blight
01:00:33it's indeed proved to be of great benefit
01:00:35to the local economy
01:00:37if perhaps not quite so efficacious
01:00:39for the native islanders'
01:00:41immortal souls
01:00:49Talisker is
01:00:51strategically positioned
01:00:53to take full advantage of the sea
01:00:55and in ages past
01:00:57everything required to make the whisky
01:00:59arrived by boat
01:01:01and the finished spirit
01:01:03when the islanders were prepared to part with it
01:01:05exited in exactly the same way
01:01:09However, when you actually taste
01:01:11a wee dram of Talisker
01:01:13the flavour of the salty sea
01:01:15underpins the whisky's character
01:01:17It may sound rather
01:01:19a bizarre thing to say
01:01:21but it truly is the only way to describe the phenomenon
01:01:23and creates a unique
01:01:25and quite frankly delicious spirit
01:01:27There's also a mass
01:01:29of fruity sweetness, malted heather
01:01:31with even a tinge of pepper
01:01:33in the finish
01:01:37Talisker is a great treat
01:01:39to try as your first experience of an island whisky
01:01:41and although it's very different
01:01:43from the often gentler
01:01:45seaside malts
01:01:47it's still very approachable
01:01:49despite the full-bodied character
01:01:53The great Scottish author
01:01:55Robert Louis Stevenson
01:01:57responsible for such classics as
01:01:59Treasure Island and Kidnapped
01:02:01actually mentions Talisker
01:02:03by name in his poem
01:02:05The Scotsman's Return from Abroad
01:02:07as a king of drinks
01:02:09and once you've tasted Talisker for yourself
01:02:11who knows, you might end up
01:02:13drinking with him
01:02:17Skye can be very proud of Talisker
01:02:19and rightly so
01:02:21but our next destination
01:02:23is an island that has a remarkable choice
01:02:25of native whiskies, steeped in tradition
01:02:27and famous the world over
01:02:43music
01:03:01Islay is the most southerly of the western isles
01:03:03and there's no road bridge here
01:03:05to make life easier
01:03:07you have to travel by sea for over two hours
01:03:09or fly into the island's airport
01:03:11if you want to discover
01:03:13the pleasures of this fascinating
01:03:15Scottish treasure
01:03:17just a quick tip here
01:03:19always pre-book your ferry
01:03:21because crossings do get pretty full
01:03:23even out of the usual tourist season
01:03:31Islay is only 25 miles long
01:03:33and a little less wide
01:03:35but it nevertheless has a grand total
01:03:37of seven operational distilleries
01:03:39and a wonderful reputation
01:03:41for producing some of the finest whisky
01:03:43that you're ever going to get to taste
01:03:45if you're up for the challenge
01:03:47your first port of call
01:03:49should be to the south of the island
01:03:51and Lagavulin, where the distillery
01:03:53is tucked into a beautiful rocky bay
01:03:55this is dramatic
01:03:57whisky country
01:03:59and in the mid 1700s
01:04:01plenty of moonshine was made
01:04:03and smuggled to the mainland
01:04:05from this part of Islay
01:04:07Lagavulin dates from the early 1800s
01:04:09but production here
01:04:11on a more informal basis
01:04:13does go back considerably earlier
01:04:21all over Islay you can stop
01:04:23at the roadside and see peat being cut
01:04:25or at the very least evidence
01:04:27of where the fuel blocks have been taken from
01:04:29peat is equally evident
01:04:31in Lagavulin's finished character
01:04:33with a smokiness that you will
01:04:35love or hate
01:04:37there's no maybe about this whisky
01:04:39but even if it doesn't prove to be to your own
01:04:41personal taste, it's an experience
01:04:43not to be missed
01:04:47however, Lagavulin isn't all
01:04:49peat smoke, there's also a
01:04:51complex mixture of surprisingly sweet
01:04:53flavours to excite your taste buds
01:04:55including marmalade
01:04:57fruit, heather, nutmeg
01:04:59and of all things
01:05:01cocoa powder
01:05:03the whole character of the whisky is blanketed
01:05:05with the atmosphere of the sea
01:05:07and in a blind tasting you would certainly
01:05:09recognise that Lagavulin had been
01:05:11forged into existence in a salt air
01:05:13environment
01:05:21as you travel round the distilleries on Islay
01:05:23there are some quite remarkable places
01:05:25to visit alongside the mighty manufacturers
01:05:27of whisky
01:05:29it's well worth making the effort to search out
01:05:31the Kildatton Cross, which dates
01:05:33back to the 8th century and really
01:05:35is a most impressive example of its type
01:05:43if history and archaeology
01:05:45fascinate you, the romantic sounding
01:05:47Finlaggan has a great deal
01:05:49to offer, having once been the medieval
01:05:51stronghold of the Lord of the Isles
01:05:55all the digging
01:05:57has now been completed for the present time
01:05:59but the precious discoveries
01:06:01have been beautifully displayed on site
01:06:03and a short pleasant stroll
01:06:05will reveal a flavour of the
01:06:07island's long gone but not forgotten
01:06:09past
01:06:15if ancient artefacts are not to your
01:06:17taste, then perhaps a chance
01:06:19encounter with a Highland cow
01:06:21might prove more interesting
01:06:25but there's not a soul
01:06:27alive who could fail to be impressed
01:06:29by Islay's seals
01:06:31basking in the sunshine
01:06:33Scottish summer days
01:06:35are notorious for being few and far between
01:06:37so the seals do tend to
01:06:39make the most of the weather
01:06:41inhabiting such a remote place means
01:06:43that these magical creatures are surprisingly
01:06:45unfazed by humans
01:06:47who approach with care and many a happy
01:06:49hour can be given over to seal watching
01:06:51even if it is because you're waiting for
01:06:53the distilleries to open
01:06:57now
01:06:59should you be feeling a bit
01:07:01intimidated at this stage in the
01:07:03proceedings at the prospect of
01:07:05Lagavulin and its near neighbours
01:07:07Ardberg and Loughraig
01:07:09both equally renowned for strong smoky
01:07:11peaty rich characters
01:07:13you could make your way northwards
01:07:15to Port Askaig at the top
01:07:17of the island
01:07:23before you reach the little harbour
01:07:25you'll see signs for the Banarvan distillery
01:07:27pronounced Banarvan
01:07:29but spelt very differently
01:07:31you might even have heard of this whisky
01:07:33without recognising it when you see it
01:07:35written down
01:07:37generally this is one of the lesser
01:07:39known Islay brands
01:07:41yet it is an absolute treasure
01:07:43with all of the characteristic seaside
01:07:45atmosphere that you would expect
01:07:47of a spirit made in such surroundings
01:07:49however
01:07:51unlike Lagavulin with its powerful
01:07:53smoky peat, Banarvan
01:07:55is gentle and light in character
01:07:57and definitely very tricky
01:07:59to categorise
01:08:01the flavours
01:08:03are surprisingly fresh
01:08:05with some sweet fruitiness
01:08:07a hint of ginger and even marzipan
01:08:09on the finish
01:08:13it's unfortunate that many people
01:08:15who would normally shy away from the big
01:08:17strong Islay malts
01:08:19tend to miss out on Banarvan
01:08:21thankfully though
01:08:23due to an ever growing interest being taken
01:08:25in Scotch whisky
01:08:27more material is being published on the subject
01:08:29than ever before
01:08:31which is really good news for the less well known brands
01:08:33with more unusual qualities to offer
01:08:35this is proof indeed
01:08:37that you should avoid preconceived notions
01:08:39about what any given whisky
01:08:41is going to be like
01:08:43and taste as many varieties as you possibly can
01:08:45because undoubtedly
01:08:47there are some great treasures to be discovered
01:08:49when you look beyond the range of big brands
01:08:51to be found on the average supermarket shelf
01:08:59Islay is a perfectly balanced island
01:09:01and when it comes to whisky
01:09:03it is a delightful happy medium
01:09:09between the gentle smoothness of Banarvan
01:09:11and the mighty power of Lagavulin
01:09:13the whisky produced in the charming Georgian town
01:09:15of Beaumont
01:09:17is a perfect example of the best of both worlds
01:09:25Distilleries do not get more picturesque
01:09:27than Beaumont
01:09:29and for every visitor
01:09:31it's really one where you should take the tour
01:09:33even for the most dedicated whisky enthusiast
01:09:35trailing around distillery tour
01:09:37after distillery tour
01:09:39can be too much of the same
01:09:41each distillery handles whisky making
01:09:43in its own unique way
01:09:45but at the end of the day
01:09:47a copper pot still is going to look pretty similar
01:09:49to any other
01:09:51whatever happens to be boiling up inside
01:09:53go and see as many distilleries as you can
01:09:55take a look around the shops
01:09:57and visitor centres where appropriate
01:09:59but don't overdo the guided tour
01:10:01pick with care
01:10:03the ones that particularly interest you
01:10:05and the distilleries like Beaumont
01:10:07that have something rather different to offer
01:10:15so you may ask
01:10:17what's so special about Beaumont
01:10:19well the answer lies
01:10:21literally at your feet
01:10:23when you make your way
01:10:25to the malting floor
01:10:27a rare and treasured tradition from the past
01:10:29which has continued around the clock here
01:10:31to this very day
01:10:33it used to be that the majority
01:10:35of distilleries malted their own barley
01:10:37but now Beaumont
01:10:39is definitely in the minority
01:10:41as most companies buy in the commodity
01:10:43ready made
01:10:45not only does this remain an integral part
01:10:47of this particular whisky making process
01:10:49but visitors are also allowed
01:10:51a glimpse of this ancient craft
01:10:55a skilled malt man
01:10:57knows precisely when to turn the barley
01:10:59and his methodical action
01:11:01ensures that the temperature of the grain
01:11:03is kept even throughout
01:11:05he makes the whole procedure
01:11:07look effortless
01:11:09but that's down to his level of skill
01:11:11if you try it for yourself
01:11:13it's surprisingly hard work
01:11:15and undoubtedly best left to the experts
01:11:21throughout this programme we've seen many
01:11:23Pagoda Towers gracing the fine distilleries of Scotland
01:11:25but here at Beaumont
01:11:27you actually get the opportunity
01:11:29to see inside one of these great malt kilns
01:11:33peat fires are used for drying the malt
01:11:35which takes 21 hours
01:11:37although towards the end of the allotted time
01:11:39hot air blasts are used
01:11:41preventing the finished whisky
01:11:43being overpowered by peatiness and smoke
01:11:55the still room at Beaumont
01:11:57is also very traditional
01:11:59and the atmosphere is heavy with nostalgia
01:12:01this distillery dates back
01:12:03to 1779
01:12:05making it the oldest legal producer of whisky
01:12:07on Islay
01:12:09and the guided tour really does allow you
01:12:11to step back in time
01:12:29outside the distillery
01:12:31the view along the water's edge
01:12:33is fascinating
01:12:35it's hard to believe that the whisky made here
01:12:37is actually stored in deep
01:12:39dark ancient cellars
01:12:41under the sea wall
01:12:43and in places below sea level
01:12:45just as the high clear mountain air
01:12:47characterises the flavour of the
01:12:49space side malts
01:12:51the sea air certainly leaves its mark
01:12:53on the Beaumont whisky collection
01:12:59at the end of your tour
01:13:01a tasting session is definitely to be recommended
01:13:03Beaumont is a classic
01:13:05Islay whisky with plenty of
01:13:07smoky peat but nowhere near as
01:13:09fierce as the Lagavulin
01:13:11there is of course that salty
01:13:13maritime edge to the whisky's character
01:13:15with sweetness to counter the balance
01:13:17of the smoke
01:13:19if you get the opportunity to taste a more mature
01:13:21dram while you're here
01:13:23the 17 year old and the cask strength
01:13:25are delightful
01:13:27and it's highly unlikely that you'll want to depart
01:13:29the distillery without purchasing
01:13:31a bottle or two to send you merrily
01:13:33on your way
01:13:45it may surprise you to learn
01:13:47that from this point at Beaumont
01:13:49the magnificent Irish distillery at Bushmills
01:13:51is only 16 miles across the sea
01:13:53which gives us the perfect
01:13:55excuse to take a brief look
01:13:57at Irish whisky
01:13:59exploring the difference and similarities
01:14:01between the two nations approach
01:14:03to this heartwarming spirit
01:14:11Bushmills is easy to find
01:14:13just head for the Giant's Causeway
01:14:15and you can't miss it
01:14:17legend claims that the mighty Irish giant
01:14:19Finn MacCool fell in love
01:14:21with a giantess on the Scottish island
01:14:23of Staffa and started
01:14:25to build a causeway to meet her
01:14:29These wonderful
01:14:31archived pictures of Staffa
01:14:33suggest that the giantess
01:14:35started a building project of her own
01:14:37with similar design
01:14:39to reach Finn half way
01:14:41but of course geologists
01:14:43could tell you a very different story
01:14:45that might well be more believable
01:14:47but much less romantic
01:14:53Of all the Irish whiskies
01:14:55Bushmills is most like scotch
01:14:57in character
01:14:59and if you compare it with Beaumont
01:15:01then it will be the similarities that strike you
01:15:03more than the differences
01:15:05even the look of the Bushmills distillery
01:15:07with its fine Victorian
01:15:09pagoda towers is reminiscent
01:15:11of the Scottish scene
01:15:13however if you travel south to Dublin
01:15:15the contrasts become more significantly
01:15:17pronounced
01:15:23This is the old Jameson
01:15:25and Bow Street distillery
01:15:27where this great whisky once flowed
01:15:29from the city stills
01:15:31Today owned by the French drinks giant
01:15:33Pernod Ricard
01:15:35Jameson is produced at the new purpose
01:15:37built distillery at Middleton
01:15:39on the outskirts of Cork
01:15:41but the smooth three times distilled
01:15:43brew without a puff of smoke
01:15:45or hint of peat
01:15:47tastes just as mellow as it always did
01:15:55Here's the irony
01:15:57Step inside the old Jameson distillery
01:15:59which has been transformed into a superb
01:16:01audio visual experience
01:16:03telling the story of this remarkable whisky
01:16:05and you'll immediately encounter
01:16:07the great John Jameson himself
01:16:09who set the stills here bubbling
01:16:11back in the late 1700s
01:16:13Mr Jameson
01:16:15was in fact a Scot
01:16:17with a first rate whisky making pedigree
01:16:19related to many of the Scottish
01:16:21distillers and even married to a daughter
01:16:23of the famous Hague family dynasty
01:16:39As you wander
01:16:41to the carefully presented displays
01:16:43it's fascinating to think
01:16:45that although the Irish
01:16:47taught the Scottish the art of whisky making
01:16:49in the first place
01:16:51it was the Scot to refine the process
01:16:53and bring it back to Ireland
01:16:55in order to create the best known Irish
01:16:57whisky in the world today
01:17:21So you'll
01:17:23take the high road and I'll
01:17:25take the low road and I'll be in
01:17:27Scotland afore ye
01:17:29would be and my true love
01:17:31will never meet again
01:17:33at the money money banks of Lachloman
01:17:37As our journey
01:17:39in search of great Scotch whisky
01:17:41draws to an inevitable close
01:17:43it's a very good time to look at how to go
01:17:45about putting together a whisky trail
01:17:47of your own
01:17:51To get
01:17:53a true appreciation
01:17:55of Scotland's national drink
01:17:57you do need to experience the flavour of the country
01:17:59as well as a taste of the whisky
01:18:01itself. When you look
01:18:03at the stark beauty of Lachloman
01:18:05you'll begin to understand
01:18:07the fire and the passion
01:18:09that's gone into whisky making throughout the centuries
01:18:15From the air
01:18:17the winding roads and hidden farmhouses
01:18:19are a testament to the ancient
01:18:21distillers of yesteryear
01:18:23and you do get a perfect snapshot
01:18:25of how the Scotch whisky industry began
01:18:27and flourished, cheering the people
01:18:29who lived in such a demanding
01:18:31and often inhospitable landscape
01:18:43From the banks of Lachloman
01:18:45the majority of whisky chasers
01:18:47will first head northwards to Speyside
01:18:49just as we have in this programme
01:18:51where the classically built
01:18:53distilleries are almost to be found
01:18:55around every corner
01:19:01The Strathisla distillery in the charming
01:19:03Banffshire town of Keith is the epitome
01:19:05of all that this wonderful region has to offer
01:19:07with the ancient buildings
01:19:09bathed in the watery winter afternoon
01:19:11sunlight
01:19:17Brewing in one form or another
01:19:19has taken place here since Norman times
01:19:21and today
01:19:23Chevasse Regal
01:19:25one of the most successful blends
01:19:27for modern consumers
01:19:29relies upon Strathisla malt
01:19:31proving just how efficiently
01:19:33the Speyside whisky industry has evolved
01:19:39Owned by the mighty Canadian drinks company
01:19:41Seagram since 1949
01:19:43Strathisla has maintained all the best aspects
01:19:45of its traditional past
01:19:47whilst moving very wisely with the times
01:19:49keeping a very astute watch
01:19:51on both the present
01:19:53and the future
01:20:05While you're travelling around Scotland
01:20:07there are many places that you can stay
01:20:09ranging from modern 21st century hotel chains
01:20:11to quiet traditional bed and breakfasts
01:20:13that offer a unique view of Scottish life
01:20:17If you put some careful preparation
01:20:19into your planning
01:20:21it's possible to make your accommodation
01:20:23a part of your whisky experience
01:20:27Minmore House
01:20:29built by the pistol-toting George Smith
01:20:31is actually a country house hotel
01:20:33that boasts a fine range of whiskies
01:20:35and a terrific atmosphere
01:20:37for the connoisseur
01:20:40At the other end of the scale
01:20:42the Benarven Distillery on Islay
01:20:44has a number of old whisky makers cottages
01:20:46available for self-catering
01:20:48that have been lovingly restored
01:20:50and offer a unique place
01:20:52for any whisky enthusiast to stay
01:20:54while discovering the many brands and blends
01:20:56that the island is responsible for
01:21:01However, don't think that specialist
01:21:03whisky-linked accommodation
01:21:05is the only place in which you'll find
01:21:07a good wee dram
01:21:09This is the Dalmashow Hotel
01:21:11in the heart of Speyside
01:21:13that was in times past
01:21:15an old drover's inn
01:21:17Walk into the bar
01:21:19and you'll be greeted by one of the most
01:21:21extensive whisky collections
01:21:23anyone could ask for
01:21:25ranging from the divine
01:21:27locally produced Cragganmore
01:21:29to Irish and even American varieties
01:21:33And of course
01:21:35you must sample that great Scottish culinary favourite
01:21:37to go with your whisky
01:21:39the haggis
01:21:41What could sound more appetising
01:21:43than a load of old offal
01:21:45mixed with oatmeal
01:21:47and forced into a sheep's stomach for boiling
01:21:49It's enough to send any red-blooded carnivore
01:21:51vegetarian
01:21:53But as you see
01:21:55when prepared in style
01:21:57and served with neeps and tatties
01:21:59it really is rather good
01:22:01If the Scottish national poet
01:22:03was inspired to write an ode to the haggis
01:22:05the least any visitor
01:22:07to this country can do is give it a try
01:22:09Chances are
01:22:11you'll be very pleasantly surprised
01:22:17After Speyside
01:22:19journeying to the islands of Skye
01:22:21and Islay will take you through
01:22:23some spectacular countryside
01:22:25and whatever the weather
01:22:27there are some great and dramatic sights to see
01:22:29Mountains
01:22:31glens
01:22:33castles and lochs abound
01:22:35and you'll find plenty of hostelries
01:22:37on route to taste whisky to your heart's content
01:22:49Whatever your reasons for visiting Scotland
01:22:51whether it be to enjoy whisky
01:22:53as featured in this programme
01:22:55or study history
01:22:57climb mountains, walk, fish
01:22:59or simply see the sights
01:23:01you couldn't possibly leave without stopping off
01:23:03in Edinburgh
01:23:05This great, elegant city
01:23:07really does have something for everyone
01:23:09but you may be wondering
01:23:11what it can specifically
01:23:13offer the whisky enthusiast
01:23:17Pull up a barstool
01:23:19at the Sheepheed Inn
01:23:21shadowed by Edinburgh's extinct volcano
01:23:23Arthur's Seat
01:23:25and you can really enjoy a fine dram
01:23:27served in classic style
01:23:33This pub can boast some revered characters
01:23:35from history on its list of regulars
01:23:37including James VI of Scotland
01:23:39later King James I
01:23:41successor to Elizabeth
01:23:43and the English throne as well
01:23:49Despite ordering a new translation of the Bible
01:23:51and writing a counterblast to tobacco
01:23:53an early attack on smoking
01:23:55If local gossip is to be believed
01:23:57His Royal Majesty indulged in a few more vices
01:23:59than just whisky drinking
01:24:01at the Sheepheed Inn himself
01:24:03but probably the less said about that
01:24:05the better
01:24:07Also, some years later
01:24:09Bonnie Prince Charlie was here
01:24:11the night before Preston Pans
01:24:13Whatever whisky he was served that evening
01:24:15must have done the trick
01:24:17because his army conclusively
01:24:19trounced the English on the field of battle
01:24:21and although a short-lived victory
01:24:23it was indeed a day to remember
01:24:27Just one word of warning however
01:24:29should you find yourself
01:24:31supping at the Sheepheed Inn
01:24:33no matter how much whisky you consume
01:24:35be very wary
01:24:37about accepting a challenge
01:24:39to play a game of skittles
01:24:41in this, the oldest skittle alley in Scotland
01:24:43Our demonstrator has not fallen over
01:24:45because of taking a dram too many
01:24:47it's actually how they play the game here
01:24:49so don't say you've not been warned
01:24:53Where better than to finish our tour
01:24:55of great Scotch whisky
01:24:57than back at Edinburgh Castle
01:24:59where we first encountered
01:25:01William Wallace and Robert the Bruce
01:25:03at the beginning of this programme
01:25:05but this is no rhetorical ending
01:25:07with analogies for the whisky drinker
01:25:09there is a very special reason
01:25:11for coming here
01:25:13to conclude this programme
01:25:19If you come to Edinburgh Castle
01:25:21at one o'clock
01:25:23you're in for a very special treat
01:25:25the city is famous
01:25:27for the Time Gun
01:25:29which accurately fires at 1pm
01:25:31to mark the hour
01:25:33Staff Sergeant Tom Mackay
01:25:35MBE
01:25:37carries out this duty
01:25:39with all pomp and circumstance
01:25:41and it truly is a not-to-be-missed experience
01:25:43but there's more to this gentleman
01:25:45than you might at first realise
01:25:47as he is a great whisky collector
01:25:49who can boast 36 different varieties
01:25:51all full bottles
01:25:53including a replica
01:25:551861 Macallan
01:25:57which was made to celebrate the year
01:25:59when the Edinburgh Time Gun
01:26:01was first fired
01:26:07Sergeant Mackay
01:26:09who is better known to all the visitors
01:26:11who come here as Tam the Gun
01:26:13has another claim to fame
01:26:15which any whisky enthusiast the world over
01:26:17would indeed envy him for
01:26:19Tam is the only living person in Scotland
01:26:21to have a whisky
01:26:23that bears his name
01:26:25and what's more
01:26:27you can even buy a bottle of it
01:26:29in the castle's gift shop
01:26:31This is no gimmick
01:26:33Tam's Dram was specially blended
01:26:35in the Springbank Distillery at Campbelltown
01:26:37and is a fine 10-year-old whisky
01:26:39that is a very pleasant
01:26:4160% malt
01:26:4340% grain blend
01:26:47You realise
01:26:49that this man's attention to detail
01:26:51is meticulous
01:26:53and you can rest assured
01:26:55that he would never have put his name
01:26:57to a whisky that wasn't spot on
01:27:07With the one o'clock time gun fired
01:27:09unfortunately
01:27:11it signals the end of great Scotch whisky
01:27:13and we've only covered
01:27:15a very small percentage
01:27:17of the wonderful examples
01:27:19of this true spirit of Scotland
01:27:21that is so richly appreciated
01:27:23the whole world over
01:27:25However, this programme
01:27:27will undoubtedly have pointed you in the right direction
01:27:29when it comes to learning a little bit more
01:27:31about whisky
01:27:35With a good basic understanding
01:27:37of the regional differences in whisky
01:27:39you can start to put together
01:27:41a whisky trail of your own
01:27:43and select the brands that you think
01:27:45are most likely to appeal to you
01:27:47There are many phenomenal whiskies out there
01:27:49waiting to be tried
01:27:51so do keep an open mind
01:27:53and form your own opinions
01:27:55about what you consider to be the finest examples
01:27:57of great Scotch whisky
01:27:59May it prove to be a quest
01:28:01that informs, entertains
01:28:03and delights you for the rest of your days
01:28:13...
01:28:15...
01:28:17...
01:28:19...
01:28:21...
01:28:23...
01:28:25...
01:28:27...
01:28:29...
01:28:31...
01:28:33...
01:28:35...
01:28:37...
01:28:39...
01:28:41...
01:28:43...
01:28:45...
01:28:47...
01:28:49...
01:28:51...
01:28:53...
01:28:55...
01:28:57...
01:28:59...