We landed in Glasgow early Saturday morning, arriving from separate continents (Brian was in Poland for work). Once we reunited, we fueled up with coffee and quickly headed out on a walking tour of Old Glasgow, learning about the rise and fall of the Glasgow Tobacco Lords.
In the afternoon, we headed by bus to Glengoyne Distillery, a scotch malt whisky distillery about 45 mins northeast of Glasgow. We were greeted with a tasting of their 10-year-old malt and then took a 1 hour tour. We learned all about how malt whisky is made and what distinguishes malt from blended whisky (e.g. Johnny Walker).
We finished up in their tasting room to sample drams of their 12, 17, 21-year-old whisky (note, in Scotland whisky is spelled without the “e” as in Ireland or the U.S.). The 12-year-old was “cask-strength” meaning it was bottled straight out of the cask rather than being slightly diluted with water first. This meant it was 57% alcohol, and I had a hard time getting this one down.
Other whisky facts:
• There are only three ingredients in scotch malt whisky: water, barley, and yeast. Some people consider the oak from the barrels the fourth ingredient.
• Approximately 2% of the volume of a barrel of whisky evaporates every year. They call this the “Angel’s Share.”
• When they ferment the barley, it produces a frothy head called the “barm.” Apparently this is where the Scottish phrase “barmey” (i.e. crazy) comes from, because when you get a whiff of the barm, it is strong stuff that will mess with your head.
After arriving back in Glasgow, we stumbled upon Brian’s (unconfirmed) namesake, Robert Burns.
Other things to note:
• Even though Scots speak English, sometimes it can be very hard to understand them. Brian seems to have an especially hard time, and when people ask him a question, he just nods and smiles.
• People really wear kilts in Scotland (most often with big work boots and wool socks). They’re everywhere!
• Statues have uncommon accessories. This bird did some major damage.
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