On the Whisky Trail, A Pilgrimage of Sorts

Wee Drams; The Glenlivet Distillery; Educational Activity

Scotch whisky contributes almost £5 billion to the British economy each year, making it bigger than the iron and steel industry, shipbuilding, textiles, and computing. It’s no wonder then that there’s an annual festival in Speyside, the heart of whisky-making country, to celebrate this top export. With more than 50 distilleries it’s hard to sample the full range of spirits in Speyside, but together with our friends John and Martha we toured two of the oldest producers: Macallan and Glenlivet. Both were started in 1824, when the government clamped down on illegal distilleries and enacted an excise tax on whisky. Today, that tax accounts for 80% of the price of scotch, which is why it costs about the same to buy a bottle in the local OLCC shop as it does at the source. Only three things go into creating single malt whiskys: water, barley, and yeast. And, it turns out that Oregon plays a supporting role, supplying the lumber for giant pine vats that hold the mash before it’s transferred to copper stills and then into bourbon or sherry casks for aging. It doesn’t take much labor to run a distillery: with 25 people, Macallan has the largest staff while Glenlivet operates with half that many workers. Another thing that doesn’t seem quite right: the French company Pernod Ricard owns most of Scotland’s distilleries and Diageo (Seagrams & Guinness) owns another big chunk. We sampled wee drams of 10, 12, and 18-year-old vintages—each helping to take the chill off a snowy day in the Highlands. More research may be needed.