Tag: Whisky guide
Whisky Afternoon Tea with a masculine touch
Any whisky lovers out there who fancy an afternoon tea? Well, then Scotland is the place to be.
Cameron House on Loch Lomond is now launching Whisky Afternoon Tea, with whisky from nearby Glengoyne Distillery.
This is a more masculine alternative to the traditional Champagne afternoon tea, and is designed to appeal to men especially, with a selection of savoury, carnivorous Scottish favourites served with Glengoyne whisky and a mug of tea on a slate spread.
Glengoyne Distillery is within easy reach from Glasgow (approx 30 minutes by car) and Edinburgh, so perfect location if you want to combine a whisky tuor with your city short break.
It’s really close to Loch Lomond and Cameron House too, so after the tour you can easily continue to the five-star resort and the Whisky Afternoon Tea. A perfect day out in the autumn I would say, sitting in the whisky bar at the hotel, in the beautful settings of Loch Lomond. Or perhaps you end up stay overnight?
Useful links:
www.cameronhouse.co.uk
www.glengoyne.com
-Helene-
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland – part seven
Here is the seventh – and the very last part – of Hanna Tunberg’s whisky diary from Scotland! Hope you’ve all enjoyed it!
Day 7
The Green Grocer cafe, Stirling
We’ve got an extra day to spend in Sterling. A little shopping for gifts after an inspiring visit to Stirling Castle. An unexpected highlight is todays lunch. We are, I have to admit, a bit tired of bar food and finds an organic/fair trade/locally produced coffee shop in a courtyard at the Upper Craig. A narrow port opens onto a coffee shop and delicatessen. Local cheeses and hams rubbing shoulders with luxury variants from the rest of Europe. We point and thick slices of ham and cheese are mixed with locally grown fresh vegetables on our sandwiches. So simple and so good. After stacking up on provisions we get in the car and drive the short half-hour to Edinburgh.
The whisky trip is largely complete, and after a late and happy evening at Dirty Dick’s pub on Rose Street, Edinburgh airport looks pale and a bit tired in the morning mist – or is it just me?
-Hanna Tunberg-
Hanna’s trip was arranged by Scotland Tours, VisitScotland and VisitBritain.
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland – part six
Highland Cattle - Oban
The last day of distillery-visits starts in Oban. In a persistent heavy rain, we stand at the closed gates 20 minutes before opening. What to do? Across the street we are served the best coffee of the week.
- Oban distillery
- Blenders room Oban distillery
- Highland Cattle – Oban
-Hanna Tunberg
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland – part five
Here is part five of Hanna Tunberg’s whisky diary from Scotland!
Day 5
From Inverness we took a detour to Glenmorangie Distillery outside Tain. Since we missed the motorway slip road (how on earth anyone can miss a highway) the trip there took two hours, but returning not more than 45 minutes. Amazingly charming Glenmorangie is worth the trip if not for the sake of good whisky so for their fantastic pot stills. Going into “the still room” at Glenmorangie can only be likened to walking into a cathedral. Several meters high stands the gleaming copper boiler necks in parallel rows like columns from days of the past.
The trip to the Southwest and Oban runs along Loch Ness. No monsters in the water this dull and cloudy day but the lake is still beautiful, despite the heavy rain clouds over it.
-Hanna-
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland – part four
Here is part four of Hanna Tunberg’s whisky diary from Scotland!
Day 4
From Ballater small roads meanders up the mountains towards Speyside. One thing we’ve learned after only a few days in Scotland is that if someone tells you it takes one hour to drive, it actually takes two. Partly because the Scots drive like maniacs (nice maniacs but still…) and partly because you’ll want to stop to look at things on the way.
Today we wanted to stop and look at Kildrummy Castle. I am childishly fascinated by ruins. And this is a ruin of rank! One that brings my imagination to life and surrounds me with kitchen maids and beer-makers, errand boys and blacksmiths. Major battles and daily life. After this short break from reality we set of to close-by Dufftown and family owned Glenfiddish, the only visit booked for today. It is just as expected. Big.
We are very hungry after our visit and look forward to a late lunch in one of the world’s most famous whisky cities. To our great disappointment Dufftown is closed for the season, there is actually not one single pub or restaurant that serves lunch. Half starved to death, we arrive several hours later in Inverness. Food-wise perfect “The Room” at the intersection of Queensgate/Frasierstreet saved the day by serving the best ‘bangers & mash” I’ve ever eaten. The homemade sausages sent pleasant shivers down my spine and the mash landed like a fluffy, soft pillow in the stomach.
- Hanna Tunberg -
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland – part three
Our Swedish guest blogger Hanna Tunberg continues her exciting whisky tour in Scotland!
Day three
Another glorious morning to wake up to. The Scottish weather has yet to live up to it’s bad reputation. The Royal Lochnagar distillery lies just a fifteen minutes drive by car from Ballater where we spent the night, and a short stone’s throw away from the Queens hunting residence Balmoral. The castle, it turns out, is closed for members of the public during the autumn and winter but can be visited during the spring and summer. The distillery, on the other hand, is open all year round and offers guided tours for those who wish. The atmosphere here is surprisingly generous and welcoming as are their Destillers Edition – another bottle in the bag. Well worth the visit.
- Hanna Tunberg-
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland – part two
The whisky winter warmer saga continues – here is Hanna Tunberg’s diary from Scotland, part two for all of you to enjoy!
Day two
No ghosts at all this night, which is a bit disappointing. Early morning visit to little Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry. Nice, professional reception and a good story. Before lunch we also squeezed in a visit to Edradour, Scotland’s smallest distillery. Again whitewashed charming little buildings, but this time for real. The distillery produces an average of only three casks a day. Had to bring home a bottle of 12-year-old with final maturing on sassicaia cask. A late lunch on the combined hotel/brewery/restaurant in Pitlochry. The rabbit stew was good but the local beer is better left unmentioned. After too many closed roads and diversions we crossed the Grampian Mountains in pitch-darkness, I think we might have missed some magnificent sights here.
Please click on the pictures to see them in full size.
- Hanna Tunberg -
To learn more about Hanna: www.matkaravan.nu, www.smakverkstan.blogspot.com
Useful links:
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland, part 1.
A whisky lover’s guide to Scotland
Some time ago we had a Whisky Guide competition and the winner Hanna Tunberg went to Scotland to write a whisky guide for us! Besides the guide, we will also be presenting her day-to-day diary here on our blog, where she tells us about her great experiences in Scotland.
We proudly present the first part of Hanna’s whisky tour below – the theme will continue for the 7 weeks to come. Think we all need a whisky winter warmer in the coldest of seasons! Cheers and enjoy!
Day 1
Sunday morning and we left the hotel before nine. After crossing the Firth of Forth on the impressive Forth Bridge, we left the highway and drove on small roads to Crieff and The Famous Grouse Experience and Glenturret. A row of cute little houses in a small hollow. A tour through the distillery (that makes The Glenturret and nothing else) was followed by an interactive multi-media-show.
On even smaller roads, so small that they hardly should have been marked on my map, we then went south again for a night on the lovely Hotel Glenfarg. An old castle-like hotel with clear vibes of The Shining. The surprisingly young staff provided us with intuitively friendly service and fantastic food. Surely, this night we ought to be awakened by one of the ghosts that must be haunting the hotel?
- Hanna Tunberg
Getting inspired now? The tour was booked through Scotland Tours so if you feel like doing the same trip as Hanna did, they can tell you all about it!
Whisky Guide Competition Winner
Hanna Tunberg, winner
We’re happy to announce the winner of our whisky guide competition. The jury with Bosse “Bildoktorn” Andersson agreed in appointing Hanna Tunberg from Malmö to be our whisky guide in Scotland this fall. Congratulations Hanna!
Hanna is an educated sommelier with a Professional Certificate in Spirits, she has a vast knowledge in food and she’s also a whisky judge. The jury liked the combination of a deep knowledge in food and drink together with the fact that she’s a skilled blogger, writer and photographer. Among other projects she’s involved in the following: www.matkaravan.nu, www.smakverkstan.blogspot.com.
We had a large number of contestants in this competition and many of you wrote excellent applications, there’s really a vast knowledge of whisky amongst the Swedish population. Here are some examples:
Robert Van Hal, Malmö: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Anders Bizzozero, Ronneby: www.ronnebywhiskysallskap.se
Peter Sjögren, Västra Frölunda: www.whiskyflaskan.se
Andreas Wennblom, Huskvarna: www.studiomalt.se
Would you be interested in visit Scotland yourself, don’t hesitate to pay a visit to VisitScotland’s homepage, there’s even one in Swedish.
//Johannes
Become our Whisky Guide
Do you have a strong interest in whisky and like to travel? Are you Swedish and good with words in both Swedish and English? If your answer is ‘yes’, then we have a proposition for you – write our whisky guide and spend a week in Scotland for research and inspiration!
As some of you may have seen in our newsletter a few weeks ago, we are looking for someone to write our guide to the world of whisky. Therefore we are now, together with VisitScotland, hosting a competition to become VisitBritain’s Swedish whisky guide. Together with a friend, the winner gets to go to Scotland for a packed seven day trip with visits to distilleries, museums and private collections on the agenda. The prize also includes flights, accommodation and a rental car.
The competition is open to all Swedes until 31st of May. Click here to enter:
http://www.visitbritain.se/whiskyguiden
Good luck!
/Carl
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