Scottish Highland Whisky

DAY 4 – After St. Andrews, it was time to visit Edradour, a whisky distillery where the local water, the finest malt and age-old skills combine to produce a ‘wee dram’.  Edradour is nestled in a pocket glen in the hills above Pitlochry in the Southern Highlands.  It is the smallest distillery in Scotland and also the last original ‘farm’ distillery in Perthshire.  Erdradour produces just twelve casks of whisky a week during production times.

Before we were taken on a tour around the Distillery, we were shown into a room and provided a history of the place, as well as to sample their various grades of whisky.  Apart from being a bit early in the day, I’ve never developed a liking for whisky and it was all wasted on me.  Luckily, there were others there to save the day.

  The Distillery was built in the early nineteenth century and still uses the same wooden equipment which is used to mash and ferment the whisky in the same time-honoured ways.  John Reid and his two assistants hand-craft Edradour without automation, using skills handed down through generations.  The three men use standards and skills handed down over generations. 

Highland malts enjoy a unique depth of flavour and quality that’s the result of a fine blend of altitude and mountain water.  These are laid down to mature for 10 years until the whisky reaches the peak quality.  With such limited production, Edradour can be quite hard to find.  If you are in the region it’s worthwhile stopping at the Distillery to sample some.  Tony’s mum is a whisky drinker so we took the opportunity to buy some for her.

Helen