6 Things About Whiskey I Learned on a Bus in Scotland
As my opening act of complete confession (and possibly buzzkill)… I don’t drink whiskey. I’m more of a beer and wine gal. So, in planning a trip to Scotland I anticipated self educating on the array of beer and ale… however whiskey was not on my radar.
No whisky tours were included in my advance trip planning, instead my head swam with thoughts of countrysides, castles, highlands, a medieval city, a bit of shopping, plus pubs and beer. I knew I'd taste their whiskey but it was more of a ‘why not?’ to check it off of the list. So, I wasn't prepared to be interested in whiskey, but once the stories began to roll... I was.
Looking out of a window wall from a comfy Mercedes van, watching the Highland scenery roll by while listening to a Scotsman tell stories has a bit of hypnotic effect in itself. And when that Scottish voice is sharing heartfelt opinions and views on whiskey drinking culture, the effects of globalization, and the pending single malt whiskey shortage...well, now that makes whiskey interesting beyond just what I tasted in my glass that day.
Below are 6 interesting things I learned about whisky while riding in a bus in Scotland. Behind each of these points there is a voice and a story that you can listen to for yourself when The Scottish Whiskey Series audio is posted soon... stay tuned for that...
The Scottish Whiskey Series: Prelude
6 Things I Learned about Whiskey on a Bus in Scotland
How whiskey can be a powerful time machine & importance of bottling dates
Why globalizing Scottish distilleries has some negative impact back in Scotland
What? Japan won The Best Single Malt Whiskey in the World competition?
A shortage of single malt whisky is coming… and the Scots might not take it well
How drinker demographics are changing, it's not just for old guys anymore
How NOT to order whiskey in a bar in Scotland
Conclusions?
First, I think you'll dig listening to these stories and I promise to post them for all to enjoy.
Second, it's an interesting world out there, whether you expect it be that way or not. Until a few months ago I'd never bothered thinking about whiskey, had never tasted single malt whiskey, and had never seen a man wearing a kilt. Now after one short visit to a new country, I can happily say that I've had the experience of tasting single malt Scottish whiskey while standing next to a man in a kilt… and in the midst of the Highlands. Unplanned interesting moments = awesomeness.
Third, exploring new places in this world may seem like a pain to plan when we're all at home in the midst of our busy lives. But we should try to do it anyway. Because who ever regretted going on a vacation? Seriously, who?
Distillery visited: Tomatin
Love the brand personality of Tomatin... check out their parking lot sign... Rogue highland cows in boots cuddling with cars? I'd like to see that.
CONSIDERING A TRIP TO SCOTLAND? RESOURCES FOR YOU:
Viator: Viator is a FANTASTIC planning resource with the best assortment of things to do for small tours ranging from a couple of hours to a couple of days. Scotland has ghost tours, whiskey tours, walking tours, pub crawls, literary tours, Hop-on Hop-off Bus tours, a variety of tourist attraction passes, plus day tours highland tours, Isle of Sky, castle tours, coastal tours, day tours, week-long tours... so many Scotland options on Viator! Search for Scotland tour options on Viator here.
Heart of Scotland Tours Highly recommend! Lots of info here, but you can also find and book them through TripAdvisor. You can find full details on the tours I took below:
2 Day Tour, Inverness & the Highlands
1 Day Tour: The Viking Coast & Alnwick Castle TripAdvisor: This is a good single resource for you to find and compare many Scotland tour options, including Heart of Scotland. TripAdvisor also has robust flight search and different option for lodging ranging from hotels to vacation rentals (similar to Airbnb).