Scottish summer is about to finish. Hurray..? Yes!!! This means lots of entertainment indoors ;) We've got plenty of that today. Quite a few football games were on telly (missed them) and F1 Grand Prix in Belgium (sort of missed that too). Lewis has done some interesting moves on the track and was gone. For good ;) However, that was not the highlight of the afternoon :) So let’s start from the beginning.
We've promised to visit our friends in Porty. Due to the typical autumnish Scottish weather we've been quite temped to stay indoors. However, being old fashioned (i.e. keeping to our promises) we managed to get there just before the first rain drops landed on our 'waterproof' jackets. Got the right place to hide from the rain, although not from the first attempt I have to admit...Apparently some places are not open till 1PM and we had to get somewhere else until it opens. We managed to find a place opened early on a Sunday morning. There were so many TV screens for footy fans and a single screen for F1 viewers. And no sound. One pint and we were off to our primary destination hoping its warm embrace was waiting to welcome us.
And it was!!! What I was interested in, was the content of the top shelve. Wide choice. So wide that another visit or more have been already planned to this place. You think 5 years is enough to get familiar with local pubs. Well... not in Edinburgh though. We still find some places with plenty of character and brilllllliant menu (whisky and ale menu to be more precise). It was quite a challenge to choose this time I have to admit. Luckily we had Darren with us, who is always a good company to have a dram with.
At this point, I must thank for your patience. And if you managed to remain reading that far- here’s your reward :)
Of course we went for a few whiskies there. Back to that top shelf then....After some discussions we went for Bladnoch 12yo and Balblair 16yo. Both happened to be a great surprise. Balblair is a wee bit sharpish as per usual. But Bladnoch....my man...proper dram for a start... full of nice lemony and flowery notes. It definitely falls into a ‘Dangerous whisky’ category, i.e. once you opened a bottle, there is a danger you will demolish it in one go. Even on a school night ;) So smooth and enjoyable. I would say the best lowlands whisky I had. Usually this region produces less complex stuff. With a pint of real ale both whiskies went really really well. Oh, and football and F1 of course were picking up the pace. We decided of continuing our exploration of the top shelf a wee bit further. And Darren noticed this Cutty Sark 12yo. I have never been a big fan of blends. Maybe because of early experience of Grants, Labels and Teachers, which to be honest with you is... well...what’s the right word here I should use...good for mixing with cola? So Darren got one 35ml and advised me to get a As You Get It 8yo (Islay). He knows that I'll go pretty much for everything from Islay (apart from Bruchladdich, but it’s a different story to be told another time). What can I say? I was truly amazed. Both whiskies were great.... The blend was soooo nice and complex and smooth, quite fresh with some I'd say butterscotch notes ... Hibiki 12 yo is one of the blends I like and this Cutty Sark 12 yo definitely falls into the same category. As for As You Get It, think of an Islay whisky. Salt, sea weed, peat and smoke. All the package is there + it’s so rich !! It covers all your mouth and lingers for quite a long time. Perfect for a wet and windy day!!
And it’s not all. Prepare to be surprised just like we all were. You know Bells? You can find 8 yo in shops these days. Reasonably priced .Yeah, it’s good with coke and that's all about it. When Sigita was working in the whisky shop she used to say that folk were asking for Bells. I was thinking - what the heck? Anyway, in this men's pub there was Bell's 12yo. You can barely get this anywhere these days. And I assume this is what folk used to ask for in the whisky shop. We got one. What can I say...unique whisky !! Never had anything like this before. Creamy, smooth but what is most interesting, there were notes of blue cheese !!!!!!!! Never ever had anything like this before!!! Next time I'll get some white grapes to compliment this brilliant whisky ;) Are we coming back? Definitely yes !! For those prices?? Yes, yes, yes!!! And it is great to find a place where you can get some whiskies, which are not available in retail any more for more than reasonable prices. Bloody brilliant!! For now- back to wind and rain. An evening of home-made burgers and hot wine is a real treat. And the latter is for medicinal purposes not to get a cold :)
Slainte, my friends !
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