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Highland Spirits
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BMW Rockster
Peter Starr
Summer 2004
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Photography by Chris Close
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Reminders of bygone eras abound in the Scottish Highlands. (Click image to enlarge) |
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Malt whiskies can
only be designated Scotch whisky when the spirit has matured in oak casks for a
minimum of three years. Dalgarno further explained that, when you drink a
10-year-old Macallan, the whisky could be a combination of several older years,
but by law it is labeled according to the youngest whisky in the blend.
Much
of the finest single-malt whisky spends between 10 and 25 years maturing in
casks before it is bottled. The Macallan matures its spirits in oak casks that
are first used to house sherry in Jerez, Spain. This “sherrying” of the oak
allows some of the sherry to be absorbed by the porous oak fibers, and later
assimilated into the maturing whisky spirit, adding various flavor elements.
Whisky, as it leaves the still, is perfectly clear. It gets its color from the
oak and whatever elements are contained within the oak fibers.
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The passing of time may have introduced modernity to the process, but the end result is still a perfect single malt. (Click image to enlarge) |
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Dalgarno
patiently explained nosing and the specialized terminology employed by the
cognoscenti to describe a particular whisky. Terms like smoky, medicinal, winey,
nutty and floral all have very specific meanings to connoisseurs. They serve as
agreed-upon descriptions to establish standard frames of reference by which
whisky drinkers can compare whiskies from different casks, years and
distilleries.
My head aswim with newfound information rather than whisky
(thankfully), I rode 25 miles southeastward to the Minmore House in Glenlivet.
Few vehicles of any kind traveled the roads, which—other than the main
north/south A9—were very narrow and wet from the day’s showers. Pheasants
scampered across the road or, if particularly brave, stood still in the center
and gazed as I sped by them. As dusk approached, I found myself in a pleasant
rhythm. The narrow blacktop rose and dipped, leaning into left and right bends
of ever-varying radii.
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