A Journey of Kilts and Drams
After my travels last year to Brazil for the World Cup, it became apparent that I need to continue to fulfill certain bucket list travel ideas that I have accumulated over my life. One of these bucket list trips is a journey to Scotland to explore its history and drink of choice, single-malt scotch. I have learned quite a bit over the years about single-malt scotch, mostly through trying out different bottles and attending tastings at various establishments. One local classic drinking spot here in Saratoga Springs, NY, called 9 Maple Avenue, has monthly whiskey-tasting sessions called the Angel’s Share Sampling Society. Not only do we try single-malt scotches, but also Irish whiskies and American bourbons. The Angel’s Share refers to the whisky that is lost to evaporation during the aging process. Since the angels watch after us, this is part of their “payment.”
Recently I met with the owner at 9 Maple about developing a group trip to Scotland to taste and visit distilleries. Well, before I knew it, we were launching the idea and it has been a lot of fun putting it all together. This trip will take our group through the heart of whisky making in Scotland, the Speyside region. Here we will be able to visit eight different distilleries and have some special tastings provided to us as well by some of the local US distributors. It is really going to be a great first introduction to Scotland!
With 3 nights in Edinburgh, 1 night in Oban and 4 nights in the Speyside region, there will be plenty of time to visit many historical and natural sites. I figure it would be best to see a castle or two in between tastings!
I will continue to share any new items about this trip and my travels as I prepare to be a trip leader with Travel Directions and 9 Maple on this great adventure to Scotland. It has been an exciting time working on this trip and planning future tours as well.
http://www.9mapleave.com/tour-of-scotland/