When in Scotland, One Must Whisky

The genesis for our trip was the idea of a whisky tour of Scotland with friends.  At initial conception it would have been reasonable to think of 10 days with 15 distillery tours and a couple of castles thrown in.  Over the course of planning it occurred to us that the sights and sounds of Scotland could be experienced along with tasting some of it's 100's of whisky's. 

We find the price of whisky in the pubs and restaurants to be quite reasonable - with low prices at £3.50 for a shot of 10 year old single malts to £10 for 18-21 year olds.  Most 15 year whisky's are £5 ($7.60 USD).  Of course, more can be spent on unique brands and longer aged malts.  This compares to the outrageous $30 William paid for Oban 15 year in a casino in Las Vegas and the typical $15 at a bar in Chicago.

In the course of our travels on this trip William and I have tried 12-15 single malt whisky's.  Oban was our joint favorite whisky prior to the trip, admittedly slightly influenced by our previous good experience at the distillery. It was there a couple of years ago that we learned that most Scottish distilleries have been purchased by a handful of conglomerates, most with the foresight to consolidate back-office functions but allow the distinctive age-old production to continue largely unchanged.

Along our trip we found that William can enjoy a stronger peaty flavor (such as Laphroaig or Caol Ila) and Anne can enjoy a sweeter taste (such as Belvenie Double Wood).  But there are several (in addition to Oban) which we both enjoy, including Springbank and Dalwhinnie 15 year.