Lisa's Trip: Whisky Tasting

Another great thing about Glasgow are the day tours which take you out of Glasgow. I decided to do a whisky tasting day-trip to the highlands, just out of Glasgow. I went with a small tour group (there were 11 of us plus the bus driver, Billy). Billy took us north out of Glasgow and our first stop was Aberfoyle, where we stopped for a light refreshment and quick look around. There was a wool centre here where I had a cup of tea. Out the front of the wool centre was a falconry where there were about 10 birds of prey tied up to small posts. Apparently they are all hand-reared birds and you can get your photo taken with them for a small fee, the proceeds of which go to help in the rehabilitation of birds of prey which have been injured and can be re-released.

I know that they have never been wild birds and that it really isn't any different from keeping a budgie in a cage, but even still, I found it a bit sad to see all of them tethered to their tree stumps.

From Aberfoyle, we drove along The Duke's Pass to Loch Lomond, alongside of which is an old Victorian hotel. The Loch was made famous by Sir Walter Scott's story Lady of The Lake, and there were so many visitors to the Loch after that that they had to build the hotel to cater for them.

Our next stop on the tour was to Strathyre, where in a graveyard by a small church, Rob Roy MacGregor is buried.

We had a quick stop to view Rob Roy's grave (where the inscription on the head stone declares: MacGregor Despite Them), before heading to Crief and Scotland's oldest whisky distillery. We had lunch first, and as Billy had talked up the Haggis so much along the way, I decided to give it another try. It was quite tasty, a little less peppery than the one I had in Edinburgh, and I think a little more fatty. The taste did grow on me a little more, but still not something that I will rave about.

After lunch, we had a tour of the Glenturret distillery, where they have been making whisky (legally) since 1775. On the tour, the process of making single-malt whisky was described, then the process of how a blended whisky (such as The Famous Grouse) was explained. Glenturret produces one of the whiskies which goes into The Famous Grouse.

Then came the important part: The tasting. Actually, I'm yet to aquire a taste for whisky. Especially the straight stuff! We were given a "nosing" card, on which there were 4 smells which contribute to the final whisky product: citrus, smoke (peat), vanilla and chocolate. After guessing which each smell was, we were then permitted to taste the whisky. After our first dram, we then went onto "The Famous Grouse Experience", which was an interactive video introducing us to Gilbert the Grouse, and basically brainwashing us to drink The Famous Grouse! Then we got to taste another whisky, and that was the end of the whisky tasting tour.

We got back on the bus after that, and headed to Doune Castle which was the setting for Monty Python and The Holy Grail. We didn't go inside though, just stopped long enough to take a photo.

Back on the bus, we headed to our final destination, Stirling Castle. Here there were fantastic views of The William Wallace Monument. There is also a statue of Robert The Bruce. Again, we didn't go inside the castle, although we did have longer to walk around and admire the castle from the outside.