Aberfeldy

I never thought I'd get up at 6:30 AM to go and get whisky, but that's exactly what I did yesterday.

We were instructed to meet outside the ISC office promptly at 8:00, and I thought I'd be smart and leave early, so I could grab coffee and something to eat on the way there. Unfortunately, I got about halfway to the ISC office when I realized that I'd forgotten my camera, so I had to race back to my flat and forgo coffee and food. Consequently, single-malt Scotch was my breakfast (don't worry, it was followed, not long after, by a sandwich).

We visited the Dewar's distillery in Aberfeldy/"Dewar's World of Whisky", which houses both a functional distillery, where they make the Aberfeldy single malt (which, according to their ad copy, is the "heart of the Dewar's blends", and is also delicious), and the tourist attraction dedicated to the history of Dewar's whisky.

We first watched a film about the company's history, then got to visit the museum, which contained interactive exhibits explaining the company's history and the whisky-making process, and had a guided audio tour component.

After the museum, we each got to try a dram of whisky! We got to choose between the White Label (a blended whisky, which is their most popular and least expensive), the 12 (another blend, but somewhat more "deluxe", as I think they put it; the 12 refers to the age of the whiskies blended), and the Aberfeldy (the single malt that they make there). I opted for the Aberfeldy, seeing as how we were at the Aberfeldy distillery, and wow, that was some tasty stuff! I'm not enough of a connoisseur to say what it was I liked about it, but it tasted good, and was much less harsh than any whisky I've consumed.

After that, we had our tour of the distillery itself. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the distillery, due to "health and safety" reasons. It was neat seeing how the whisky was made, though, and I learned a few interesting facts.

• Peat is what gives whisky a smoky flavor
• Because new casks contain a much higher level of tannin, which is undesirable in Scotch, Scotch whisky makers buy used casks from American bourbon makers (bourbon is always made in a new cask, which is used once and then sold). These casks are used three time before they're discarded.
• The casks are charred on the inside before each use. The extend to which it is charred can vary. The more deeply charred the cask is, the more the whisky will taste like vanilla.

I learned some other things that I can't remember at the moment, but it was interesting learning about how different variables in production are reflected in the taste of the whisky itself.

Afterwards, we had a few hours to explore the town of Aberfeldy. I wandered around the town for a bit, then took a walk in the Birks of Aberfeldy ("birk" means "birch" in Scots). Here's a ton of pictures (the order got a little screwed with when I uploaded them).

Rock apparently carved by Neolithic people in the area.

Bonie lassie, will ye go,

Will ye go, will ye go,

Bonie lassie, will ye go

To the birks of Aberfeldy!

Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes,

And o'er the crystal streamlets plays;

Come let us spend the lightsome days,

In the birks of Aberfeldy!

"The Birks of Aberfeldy", Robert Burns

Upcoming Whisky Trip and Impending Burns Night

For everyone who's been waiting to hear about the whisky situation over here, I have good news! I'm going to whisky distillery this Saturday!  

The International Student Centre (ISC) organizes these trips every weekend, to different places around Scotland. This weekend is a trip to a whisky distillery in Aberfeldy. I had to wait in line for about an hour and a half to get my ticket. There were only 98 spots available, and demand was high (as you'd expect), so people started queueing at least an hour before the office even opened. But I waited stoically, and managed to successfully purchase a ticket, so this weekend I'll be able to report back on whisky (the making and consumption) as well as the town of Aberfeldy. Since arriving, I have not tried any whisky, nor have I left Edinburgh, so this trip will be an exciting adventure!

Speaking of Scottish things, tomorrow is Burns Night! Burns Night, if you're unfamiliar (and if you are familiar, please pardon any gross inaccuracies) is a national celebration (and something of an unofficial national day) in honor of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, observed on Burns' birthday (January 25).

I don't know a whole lot about Robert Burns or his poetry, except that he was an 18th century Romantic poet, he wrote in Scots, he's a Scottish national icon, and he wrote Auld Lang Syne (you know, that song that always gets played at New Year's). However, from what I can tell, Burns Night seems to be almost as much a celebration of Scottish cuisine as it is of Robert Burns. Haggis features prominently, and Burns' poem titled Address to Haggis is recited.

However, this is all secondhand information, based on what I've been told and what I've read (thanks, Wikipedia!). I'm hoping to gain some firsthand knowledge of the event tomorrow. I neglected to make any plans in advance (the 25th seemed so far off until today), but I'm going to try to figure something out within the next 24 hours or so. I know a number of the pubs around here are doing something for Burns Night, so that's one option. Anyway, I'll figure out something!

This is just going to be a quick update, since I need to go to bed soon (9:00 AM class. Ack.), but I've got some more pictures, this time of New College (the School of Divinity), which I took after class yesterday.

New College is located on The Mound, which is a neat little manmade hill (if you couldn't guess that from the word "mound") between Old Town and New Town.

View from The Mound. I actually have no idea what I'm photographing here (apart from the National Gallery of Scotland and a fence) because I have yet to actually venture into New Town. I'm hoping to make it over there this weekend. But in the meantime let's just admire the nice view from The Mound.

Ooh!

Ahh!

Okay, enough of that. Let's see New College.

Yeah, I go to school in that. *smugface*

This is what you see when you enter the courtyard.

You also see John Knox.

A few shots of the building from inside the courtyard.

How many crenellations does YOUR college have?

So yeah, that's New College. And now some miscellaneous pictures I took on the way home.

I don't know what this building is, but I like it.

St. Giles Cathedral

Urban seagulls at Hunter Square. They always seem to convene here.

And with that, it is most definitely bedtime.