2014年，我和朋友们踏上了第一次威士忌之旅，十年后的今天，我们仍然怀着同样的热情和好奇心探索威士忌世界。尽管疫情期间短暂中断，但我们发现蒸馏厂之美、深化威士忌知识的决心从未动摇。为了庆祝第十次旅行，我们回到了苏格兰——威士忌生产的心脏地带。苏格兰与爱尔兰不仅拥有丰富的历史，对我们捷克人来说也是相对容易到达的目的地。在六天内，我们计划参观12家蒸馏厂，并有机会与威士忌行业最受尊敬的两位人物——David Stewart和Alan Winchester见面。
本文目录
GlenDronach Distillery
Saturday began with an early start as we headed towards GlenDronach Distillery. Thanks to our friends at Brown-Forman, we enjoyed a private tour before the visitor center even opened. Our guide led us through the history and future of the distillery, teasing some upcoming renovations and expansions set to take place by 2025. It's always exciting to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at such developments!
The tasting at GlenDronach didn't disappoint. We sampled several core expressions, including the GlenDronach Portwood and the latest release of Cask Strength Batch 12. We were also treated to hand-filled samples from casks aging in PX and Oloroso sherry butts, and while both were fantastic, the PX stood out as particularly rich and full-bodied. Although I opted to take home an Oloroso hand-fill, GlenDronach's consistent quality made every drop a pleasure.
BenRiach Distillery
From GlenDronach, we headed to BenRiach Distillery, where we embarked on another private tour, courtesy of Darren. Though the distillery was in its "silent season," Darren still gave us an engaging walkthrough, sharing interesting tidbits about BenRiach's unique production process. BenRiach produces three styles of whisky—classic, peated, and triple-distilled—which is rare among Speyside distilleries. Our tasting here included the Malting Season Second Edition, an 18-year-old distillery cask, and several other gems. It was a memorable experience, and it's clear BenRiach's reputation is well-earned.
Benromach Distillery
Our final stop of the day was Benromach Distillery, located just outside Forres. Like BenRiach, Benromach was also in silent season, but that didn't take away from the tour's charm. Benromach is known for its light peat profile, a throwback to the traditional Speyside style, and the tour offered great insights into how they've revived this once-closed distillery.
But it was the tasting at the end that stole the show. Benromach surprised us with two 40-year-old whiskies, which were absolute showstoppers. Rich, elegant, and packed with complex layers, these whiskies were a treat beyond words. To taste not just one but two 40-year-old drams was a rare privilege, and we savored every sip.
After a long day, we wrapped up our Saturday in Forres with a cozy dinner at Mosset Tavern, reflecting on the day's extraordinary experiences.
Stay tuned for the final part of our journey, where we'll dive into more distilleries and share even more unforgettable memories from our whisky-filled adventure!
Slàinte mhath!
Pavel, The Whisky Game