When one plans to visit Scotland, one admittedly might not first think of paying a visit to the large distilleries scattered across the country. You might think of visiting Edinburgh Castle first, or even paying the Loch Ness monster a visit before your mind goes towards the distilleries. But for a budding whisky aficionado such as myself, stepping foot into the Strathisla Distillery in Keith, Scotland was pretty much a dream come true.
For those unfamiliar with the distillery landscape in Scotland, Strathisla is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the Scottish Highlands. The Highland area in Scotland is famous for being one of the top regions for whisky production in the world, and it’s not hard to see why. Strathisla, for one, has been around since 1786 and has been the home of fine and rare casks of whisky for over 200 years. The precious amber liquid momentarily faced a setback (in the form of prohibition in the 1920s), but now is one of the world’s most-consumed spirits.
For someone whose spirit of choice is whisky, there is just too much to be said about the rich flavours of Scotch whisky. (On this note, Scotch whiskies refer exclusively to whiskies that have been distilled, matured and bottled in Scotland.) The distillation and maturation processes have such significant impact on the final flavours of the end product. Take, for example, 24-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finish from Royal Salute. Being fully finished in French oak casks delivers flavours of dark cherry, toasted oak and peaches in syrup, as opposed to the vanilla- and citrus-heavy notes from the label’s The Signature Blend.
That’s why a visit to the distillery was all the more eye-opening. From the get-go on the Royal Salute Experience, you are guided by whisky experts—whose palettes and noses are adept at picking up on particular notes in the liquor—as they bring you around the expansive area. You’ll not only be able to take a look at the different steps of whisky production, such as mashing and fermentation but also get a closer look at the distillation processes that take place in large wash and spirit stills.
One of the key benefits of visiting Strathisla is the bonded warehouse by the distillery, which allows guests to step in and see rows upon rows of still-maturing whisky. Personally, this section of the tour was beyond exciting: getting close to the different casks, with some going back decades before I was even born. Royal Salute whiskies, in particular, draw from more mature casks—all their blends are aged for 21 years at the minimum, and this flavour is thoroughly pronounced in each dram I sampled. You can even step into the Royal Salute Vault, where you will get the opportunity to taste rare drams of maturing casks. It’s quite an experience, trust me.
The last stop on the tour is The Kingdom Room. In the warm embrace of the tasting room, you’ll get the chance to taste three different blends from the Royal Salute suite. The trio consists of a classic blend, an old, rare blend and a limited edition blend. This way, you can truly appreciate the range of flavour profiles that have been put together by Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and the blenders before him.
If you’re newer to the world of whisky, fret not. Your tour guide will walk you through the steps of whisky tasting, through the different blends, helping you identify the notes on the nose and palette. For example, in the tasting process, adding a couple of drops of water gives clarity to certain notes, allowing the flavours to sing more clearly on the tongue. When used in this manner, water does not dilute the flavours of the liquor but instead helps to reduce the spicy, peppery notes from the intense spirit. The more you know, huh?
So next time you visit the United Kingdom, why not add the Strathisla Distillery to your itinerary? Not only will you learn a lot about the art of whisky production and consumption at one of the most renowned distilleries in the world, but you will also get the exclusive opportunity to try rare blends that you won’t be able to find elsewhere in the world.
More information on visiting the Strathisla Distillery in Scotland can be found here.
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