Monthly Archives: February 2018

English Gin – No Thanks! …. You Gotta Try These Scottish Gins…..

Posted on by

There is quite a rivalry going on amongst Gin makers here in the UK. Much like the Calcutta Cup Rugby game the other day between England and Scotland where Scottish pride was evident, the Scottish are taking great pride in their Gins. I had the opportunity to sample two more creations yesterday at a quaint little pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh called Ryries.

The first one – I am sure you have had it – was Caorrun Gin. Straight up, room temperature, I got the juniper forward aroma which then ushered me into a nice rounded mouthfeel where I thought I could detect apple. Turns out – I was correct, Caorrun contains apple in its botanical mix.I am told that a good way to navigate Caorrun is straight up, room temperature with a slice of apple in the glass.

The second one I tried was Blackwoods. Never heard of it before. It’s claim to fame is that some of its botanicals ( meadowsweet, cowslip, wild thyme, eyebright) are foraged from the Shetland Islands. Very nice, well rounded when approached straight up at room temperature. I am told that it pairs well with some (not all) of the Fevertree tonic offerings. ch

Clearly I have more research to do when I come back to school here in Edinburgh in August. Meantime, I managed to snag the last seat for a Gin Connoisseur class at Edinburgh Gin later today. But, before I head off to that, it is time to hit the books again. The McCabe-Thiel mathematics of still column plate approximations beckons…

Glengoyne Distillery – You Have to Visit Here

Posted on by

So…..21 years ago I was getting set to marry my sweetheart. In fact April 5, 2018 is our 21st Anniversary. Shortly afterwards, she advised my she was heading to Glasgow, Scotland for a Rotary International Conference. When she came home she was raving about this place called Glengoyne that she had visited. Something about tasting drams of Scotch at 10am in the morning…and I was told it was a Rotary Conference she was at! Hah!!! To this day, Jeanne still talks about her visit to Glengoyne and in fact expresses a preference for only Glengoyne Scotch. So, here I am in Edinburgh at school right now ( Heriot Watt University – Brewing & Distilling). Today is my 54th Birthday and as a treat to myself, I took the train from Edinburgh to Milngavie and a bus to the front door of Glengoyne Distillery. I was met by the beautiful and charming JoAnne who would be my tour guide. When she found out I was studying at Heriot Watt, she opened up to me and shared all sorts of excellent technical information with me. Quite the opposite from the treatment I had last October at Blair Athol Distillery…but that is another story for another day.

I had a chance to blend my own Scotch using cask strength samples of various ages from various barrel types. This was called the Malt Master Tour and I highly advise it. The tour of the Distillery was top shelf all the way. Now I know why my dear wife was so impressed 21 years ago.

If your travels take you to Scotland – you just have to visit Glengoyne Distilling. Get yourself to Glasgow. From there, either take a train or a bus to the town of Milngavie (locals call it Miln-Guy). From there take bus B10 to the front door of the Distillery. Ask if JoAnne can give you the tour and as I say – give serious thought to spending some $$$$ and doing the Master Malt Tour. You will come away with a whole new appreciation for Scotch. You will also start to understand why our Canadian Whisky distilled to 95% ABV is total piss! I dare say, after a visit to Glengoyne, your Whisky sipping will take on a whole new dimension.

My goal now…..dare I say it…..is to contact the owners of this fine location and see if I can arrange for a 3-4 month work opportunity. That would be like a dream come true……