Saturday, April 22, 2017

In Scotland

I'm on holiday (much needed and anticipated) in Scotland for the next week, starting in Inverness, heading to Mull for a few days, and then finishing up in Edinburgh next weekend. I bought my first bottle of whisky at Birmingham airport, and despite only having 5 minutes to stick our heads round the door of Leakey's (legendary second hand bookshop) I found a book to buy (by then there was also a second bottle of whisky). In short the holiday has got off to a reasonably good start.


I don't intend to spend the entire week buying whisky (though that has been the pattern of some previous Scottish road trips) but in the past picking up a couple of bottles at the airport was one of the  holiday rituals I really looked forward to. It was certainly one of the best things, from my point of view, about being in an airport. Sadly it's not as exciting as it used to be.

At some point I'd like to do a books and booze series about whisky, but the band of whisky's which I consider affordable and interesting keeps contracting. Something I had plenty of time to think about in Birmingham's duty free this morning. Just a couple of years ago any reasonably large airport would be a great place to buy whisky, including a smattering of travel retail exclusives. Now it's almost all exclusives which amongst other things means you don't really know what you're buying (though to be fair there's generally a good range of tasting samples available and they're good about sharing them). They're also generally no age statement whisky's (nas) which I have mixed feelings about too.

The marketing line on these is that it frees distilleries to produce more exciting drams, they don't talk so much about demand outstripping supply, or that this is a cheaper way of making whisky. Prices reflect demand, and are rising accordingly. The bright spot in this is a resurgence in blended whisky, and blended malts. For years people were a bit sniffy about these, but they're coming back and they're doing it in premium style. At least the accompanying premium prices are less eye watering than the ones their single malt cousins sport.

So today's airport buy was a Mackinlay's based on the whisky that Shackleton took to the Antarctic. It's a blend of highland malts, has a pleasing sweetness to it, and will make a fine companion to Henry Harland's 'The Cardinal's Snuff Box'. I don't know anything about it, or him, other than that he was the editor of 'The Yellow Book' and seems to have been a suitably colourful character to do so.

5 comments:

  1. Looking forward to hearing about the trip to Mull. It's somewhere I've wanted to visit for many years. Was hoping to go camping there this year, but as main holiday is scheduled for early May (because of work issues), I'm suspecting it may still be a little too Antarctic there, except possibly for Shackleton!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It wasn't bad, not exactly balmy, but I didn't need a coat (iPad keeps trying to change that to goat) all the time. We didn't need a goat at all. Scotland for camping is iffy any time though, unless you're much hardier than I am...

      Delete
    2. Ha! Only just seen this comment. Doesn't everyone need a goat sometimes? Avoided Scotland camping this year - went to West Wales which was breezy but also very hot, off to the Scillies for the first time in September sans goat (they don't like the ferry crossing)

      Delete
  2. Have a happy holiday! I hope you'll write about the Henry Harland, it looks interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a great holiday. I'm hoping to get to the Harland soon, but as part of the big book clear out I'm making a pile of books I'm not sure about and haven't read with the intention of going through them - it may take some time.

      Delete