Glenglassaugh Whisky Smoked Salmon

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Post in collaboration with Glenglassaugh Whisky and Sutherlands of Portsoy

Portsoy, a small fishing town on the north Aberdeenshire coast, is possibly best known for it's annual Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, it's ice cream shop and Glenglassaugh whisky distillery. Traditions hold strong in Portsoy with five generations of the Sutherland family smoking the finest salmon for over 110 years. In a neighbourly partnership, Glenglassaugh has paired with Sutherlands of Portsoy to create a luxury smoked salmon infused with Glenglassaugh Peated Torfa Single Malt Whisky. Smoky whisky and smoked salmon - the perfect Scottish pair.

The north coast of Aberdeenshire is not an area that I'm very familiar with. When travelling between Aberdeen and my folks on The Black Isle that corner gets missed out whilst driving the more direct route on the A96. Following on from my recent visit to Portsoy I have a feeling that I'm going to be making plans to explore more of what the Moray coast has to offer. I spent some wonderful childhood holidays at Findhorn, but Burghead, Lossiemouth, Buckie, Cullen, Portsoy and Banff I really don't know at all. I start to get onto more familiar ground once I reach Macduff (where my son participated in the Young Fish Pie Master competition at the marine aquarium) and Fraserburgh (where we've glamped in a Hobbit House and visited Kinnaird Head Lighthouse) however I'm now yearning for a Burghed to Banff adventure.

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Going Nuts for Hungry Squirrel Nut Butters

Meet the Aberdeenshire producer. Going nuts with Susan Yule and Hazel Farquhar of Hungry Squirrel Nut Butters. Completely natural products, vegan friendly with no refined sugars, palm oil or artificial flavourings. Their delicious and nutritious Nut Butters bring all the Squirrels to the yard.

In my biog I state that I'm partial to Cheese, Gin, Peanut Butter and Rhubarb and that I'm permanently looking for the recipe that can successfully combine them all. (The hunt continues...)  Peanut Butter is something that I have loved for as long as I can remember. As a child it always seemed rather exotic and exciting - particularly in relation to the US of A and PB&J sandwiches! I actually know when my first taste of another nut butter was as I wrote about back in April 2013 on a visit to the Scottish Crannog Centre. Turns out that in Iron Age Scotland they may well have been eating Hazelnut Butter so the whole nut butter craze of recent years has actually been around for much longer that the hipsters would have us believe. I was very excited when I first heard via a mutual friend last year that there was a producer in Deeside who had started making a range of nut butters. I was even more excited when they gave me one of their Hungry Squirrel taster packs to try out. Alas I have failed to convert my daughter from Nutella to Hazelnut & Cacao but myself and my son are both particularly big fans of Crunchy ABC Mix and Cookie Dough. 

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Talking Turkey with Barra Bronzes

Meet the Aberdeenshire producer. Talking Turkey with Craig Michie of Barra Bronzes. Great Taste award winning free range slow grown Scottish turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Last year our turkey came from Aberdeenshire's Barra Bronzes. My whole family agreed that it was the best we'd ever eaten. So succulent and flavourful and so much meat in places I've never seen meat on a bird before. Absolute 5* Quality and super quick and easy to cook. Before and since then I've been following Craig Michie and his birds on both social and traditional media. He created quite a stir with Countryfile and The Mart appearances, both Craig and the turkeys proving to be natural TV stars. 

As a foodie, cooking at Christmas is of course one of the main events. Over the years I've served up a variety of birds for the big day and tried pretty much all the methods of cooking them. The quest, particularly when it comes to turkey, is to avoid it drying out. Easier said than done. I must admit that last year when Craig told me that no basting, brining, bacon, butter or tinfoil was required for my Barra Bronze I was somewhat sceptical. However undeterred we collected our bird from the farm where it had been expertly trussed, wrapped in greaseproof paper and individually boxed. Inside the box was a pop up thermometer and a sprig of herbs. All I needed to add was an onion in the cavity and follow the cooking instructions provided. Nothing complex, season with salt and pepper and cook breast side down for all but the last 40 minutes. The upside down thing is because most of the fat is on the back of the turkey so this allows it to percolate through the breast. This self basting makes the meat juicy and also allows the bird to cook much, much quicker. 

After having tasted the product I wanted to find out more about what made it so special, so on a bright Autumnal day I headed to the outskirts of Inverurie to meet the Turkeys. All 2,000 of them. What an amazing sight to see - and hear. Boy are they noisy! They are also very inquisitive and quickly surrounded me and followed me around the field like the pied piper. Strangely I didn't feel at all threatened by them, they pecked at my boots but weren't in any way wild. They seemed very contented, healthy and happy with plenty of freedom and room to roam. I'm not sure how intelligent they are but they definitely all seemed to have their own personalities, not to mention looks.

The birds arrive on the farm at the end of May at a day old which by Christmas time makes them the slowest grown in the country. To begin with they need constant monitoring night and day which is hugely labour intensive. They remain penned indoors with a heat source for the first few weeks until the beginning of July when they get outdoors. Here they can sup up the scenery with views of Barra Hill to the East and Bennachie to the west. During the day they have free range to forage and are fed on a home mix of cereals all grown on the farm. Two huge mesh sided tunnels house the turkeys at night and throughout the day should they wish to shelter from the elements. These are equipped with automated feeders, fresh water and roosting platforms.

The turkeys grow slowly over a 26-27 week period to ensure optimum quality in terms of flavour and texture. This is almost 3 times as long as a standard turkey. To keep them safe throughout this time two Alpacas look after the flock and will make short work of any badgers or foxes. They scared me a lot more than the turkeys did! When it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas the Turkeys are processed onsite at the farm butchery which ensures minimum stress to them and greatly improves the quality of the meat. They are dry plucked and finished off by hand before being hung in a cold store for a fortnight which allows the meat to mature and develop even more depth in flavour. Time to say goodbye to the turkeys but as we were leaving I suddenly realised I hadn't heard any 'Gobble Gobbles'. Turns out that it's only the males that say this and they are seriously outnumbered by the girls. Every day's a school day.

Meet The Producer

What's your name and where do you come from?

Craig Michie from Lochend of Barra, Inverurie

How did you end up farming turkeys for a living?

I had a real passion to produce something special, something different and with that Barra Bronzes was formed

What's the best and worst thing about your job?

The best thing about the job is seeing happy customers leave on Christmas Eve with a Barra Bronze.

Worst is working against the clock to pluck lots of turkeys - Christmas can never be delayed!

What makes Barra Bronzes different? 

There is not one thing that makes a Barra Bronze different - there are many. Our birds are the slowest grown in the country which gives you a fuller flavour. They are all female as the eating quality is better. They have twice the space of the free range standards to ensure the best welfare and final product. We also feed them on a special diet from the cereals we grow on the farm. This ensures they grow really slowly to enrich flavour.

Where and how can people buy your products? 

People can buy our product online at www.barrabronzes.co.uk for both home delivery and farm collection

Lastly, share the love and recommend another Aberdeen/shire producer? 

Esker Gin (great choice Craig - check out my recipe for Gin & Tonic Mussels made with Esker Gin)

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Disclosure: This is not a paid post however I have been and will be compensated in Turkey! As always, all views expressed are my own. 

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.

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Comté Cheese and Potato Rosti Waffles

Post in collaboration with Comté Cheese

This quick and easy breakfast, brunch or side dish combines crispy and cheesy in a Potato Rosti Waffle. The cheese is Comté. Made in in the beautiful French mountains of the Jura Massif it's a delicious unpasteurised cheese full of passion and provenance.

Assuming you're following me on social media (if not why not?! Facebook - Twitter - Instagram) you'll no doubt have spotted that I've recently been on a #VoyageDeFromage to France with Comté Cheese. Over three days alongside five other journalists and bloggers I got a real insight into the history and heritage of this much loved unpasturised cheese which is full of passion and provenance. I've come home looking 5 months pregnant with a 'cheese baby' but despite this I couldn't wait to get stuck in and cook up a storm using Comté with some inspiration from all that we ate, saw and learned during our trip. There will of course be a much fuller post to cover all of our adventures which included wine tasting, a cookery class, visits to a cheese museum, dairy farm, salt museum, cheese producer and a cave of 100,000+ cheeses! However for now a few key facts about Comté and then onto the waffletastic recipe!

Comte has been awarded both AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) and AOP Status (Protected Origin Nomenclature). This ensures that Comté follows a set of stringent rules and requirements which guarantees its quality, provenance and history. Comté can only be made in a specific region of France - the Jura Massif. There are three distinct types of artisans who collaborate in the process - farms, fruitières and maturing cellars.

Farms - The cows that produce milk to make Comte must by law be either Montbéliarde or French Simmental. In the summer they have a minimum of 1 hectare of pasture per cow and in the winter they come indoors and eat hay and cereals. No silage allowed. They are milked twice daily - 365 days a year at over 3000 family farms. The raw milk is collected daily by the Fruitière. Regulations state that it can be held for no longer than 24 hours before being turned into cheese. You need 400 litres of milk to make one wheel of cheese.

Fruitières - These are the small village dairy co-operatives where the 40kg wheels of Comté are made. There are 153 of them in the region and each one can collect only the raw milk from the farms within a 12.5km radius. The cheese is produced in copper pots with a combination of heat, rennet and starter culture creating the curds and whey. The hand of the cheesemaker is paramount in ensuring the exact moment at which the cheese is ready to be pressed into wheels. The young cheeses are kept at the fruitière for 15 days during which they are turned and brushed with salt to start the maturation process and the formation of the distinctive outer rind.

Maturing Cellars - good cheese takes time and the next stage in the process for Comte can take anything between 4 and 18 months, sometimes even longer. There are 13 cheese caves in the Jura region where the ageing or 'affinage' takes place. Here the cheeses are regularly turned and salted by none other than a cheese robot! This is one of the few part of the process where modern technology had been introduced. However when it comes to deciding when each individual Comte has reached its peak of perfection that comes down to the skill of the affineur who taps and samples the cheese to check the check the taste, colour, and texture of each wheel. Older Comte isn't necessarily better, diversity doesn't come from the age of the cheese. Every single Comte will mature at a different speed with a different aromatic profile. Quality is everything and the characteristic image of a green cow bell on a Comte assures you that it's the real thing.

Today's recipe was inspired by the final stop on our trip when we lunched at La Petite Echelle in Rochejean. If you ever find yourself in this region of France close to the Swiss border do make time to visit this restaurant as there is something very special and truly authentic about it. We dipped (and dropped!) cubes of bread and potatoes into the unctuous fondue made with a young Comté, Garlic and Vin Jaune, feasted on a giant Rosti topped with local sausage and wildflowers. Dessert - Tarte du chalet - was the most heavenly Rhubarb Tart that I have ever tasted. All of this was produced in a tiny rustic kitchen with recipes and shopping lists written on the wall tiles. It was like stepping straight into a Heidi book and was the most perfect place to end our voyage de fromage.

Comté Cheese and Potato Rosti Waffles

500g Potatoes (no need to peel if using new potatoes)

1 Small Onion

150g ComtéCheese

Salt & Pepper

Coarsley grate the potatoes, onion and Comté cheese - a food processor will make quick work of this.

Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper and mix until thoroughly combined.

Cook according to the instructions for your particular waffle maker.

I have a a No-Mess Waffle Maker from Sage by Heston Blumenthal. This quantity made 3 circular (12 triangular) waffles and they were perfectly cooked at setting 5.

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Disclosure: I traveled to France to eat cheese and drink wine as a guest of Comté.

As always, all views expressed are my own. 

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.

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A Taste of Ogilvy Vodka and The Food Life in Angus

Post in collaboration with Angus Council

The Taste of Angus Festival 2017 enjoys the taste of success. A visit to Ogilvy Potato Vodka Distillery near Glamis and The Food Life’s Spring Market and Moveable Feast in Forfar. 

After a week of well-attended food and drinks events across Angus, the Taste of Angus Festival 2017 reached a mouthwatering finale at The Food Life Market. I was delighted to be the official blogger for the week and attended both the Vodka Distillery Tour and the Spring Market & Moveable Feast. Alas I was too slow off the mark to secure one of the coveted slots for the Friday Pizza Night at Sacred Grounds. The early bird catches the pizza - however I was an early bird when it came to the quickly sold out Ogilvy Vodka tour where I joined a dozen equally intrigued others for an exclusive chance to find out about the story behind Scottish Potato Vodka.

My route to Hatton of Ogilvy Farm near Glamis was almost thwarted by the AWPR roadworks however with pedal to the metal I managed to arrive only a fashionable 5 minutes late. We were hosted by husband and wife team Graeme and Caroline Jarron, owners and farmers at Ogilvy Farm who gave us a fascinating tour and a no holds barred insight into the trials and tribulations of creating Scotland's first potato vodka. In a shed stacked high with tattie boxes we learned how the need for diversification and the desire to try something new led to a seed of an idea being planted. Working with boffins from Herriot Watt University, trials began using outsized but outstanding Maris Piper tatties to produce Ogilvy Vodka with production proper beginning in 2014 using tatties grown just a stone's throw from the distillery. We're talking food meters rather than food miles. Everything is done onsite, including the bottling.

The first step in the process sees skin on tatties being washed before heading to Mr Mincer. Mincing them makes the starch more accessible to the enzymes which are added at the next stage. The whole of the production process prior to 'Spud the Still', takes place in what can best be described as a Willy Wonka/Heath Robinson-esque setup. Much of this was bought from eBay and includes tanks that were previously used in the Cadbury's Chocolate factory. In addition to Vodka the production process also generates a by product known as Pot Ale. This contains proteins, sugars and minerals originating from the potatoes, yeast and enzymes used in the distilling process. Some is recycled back into the next batch but the majority is fed to the farm's cattle as 'Coos Booze'. A highly nutritious feed which doesn't get them tipsy!

Once minced, the tatties head to Mr Whistler - champion potato cooker - where they are pressure-cooked to gelatinise the starch. Next enzymes, yeast and nutrients are added to the mash, which is fermented for four to five days during which temperature and pH are constantly monitored. I was delighted to spot that one of the four fermentation tanks was called 'Lady Claire'. The final step of the process is undertaken by Spud - a specially designed 32 plate Carter-head Mk.II distillation column with 7m high methanol removal column. Two distillations over a relatively short 12 hour period result in an 96% ABV product. The final stage prior to bottling is charcoal filtration to produce a smooth, mellow vodka with maximum taste integrity. 

The tour concluded with a sampling of vodka and a new premixed cocktail rang. Alas being my own designated driver mean only nosing on this occasion. As the granddaughter of a potato farmer I'd been fascinated to learn the Ogilvy tale of Spud, Sweat and Cheers. There are plans a foot for a Distillery Visitor Centre in the not too distant future which will make a fantastic addition to food & drink tourism in Angus.

Nose: Warm aromas tinged with fresh apricots and citrus fruit, green grass and walnuts.
Taste: Smooth warmth of potato spirit, a sweet, creamy character with fruity esters, a hint of toffee and green pasture notes. Clean, balanced, a rich mouthfeel imbued with the mineral wealth of local land and water.
Aftertaste: A long, lush finish with black pepper, earthy charcoal and a wee whisper of citrus.

Mother's Day saw 4,000+ people from all over Angus and further afield making their way to Strathmore Hall in Forfar for The Food Life’s Spring Market and Moveable Feast. Over 40 local food and drink producers showcased their wares at the foodie extravaganza covering everything from honey, cheese, beer, fruit juice, chocolate, gin, vodka and coffee to the iconic local delicacies of Arbroath Smokies and Forfar Brides. There really was something for everyone at the event with entertainment for the whole family provided by incredibly cute baby farm animals, story-tellers, face-painters, crafts, street food, yoga, gin bar, prosecco tuk tuk and a combine harvester simulator.

Bearing in mind that the clocks had sprung forward and she'd lost an hours sleep my daughter hadn't exactly bounced out of bed to wish me a Happy Mothers Day and wasn't overly enthused about being dragged along to yet another food thing for Mum's work. However her attitude immediately changed when she spotted the oh so cute piglets, kids and lambs. The chance to cuddle a lamb was the 'best thing ever' and the donation to do so went to a namesake who was raising funds for her World Challenge expedition so it was a win win situation. 

The variety of street food stalls and their bounty of gastronomic treats excited my son as much if not moreso that the cute baby animals did my daughter. Queues throughout the day were longest at Cav & Co but we got in early for a portion of Loaded Chips with Pulled Aberdeen Angus beef, homemade cherry barbecue sauce and melted cheese. Oh so good - as was the pot of Truffled Mac 'n' Cheese from Fresh Revolution. Margarita Pizza from Wild Fire Pizza followed for girl and whilst waiting for it to cook I provided details of a Scottish Mozzarella supplier.  Sharing knowledge is what it's all about. Baby Back Pork Ribs were enjoyed by my son at Wild & Smoky Barbecue and as a bit of a BBQ geek he was delighted to get a wee behind the scenes tour of their Texan style reverse flow offset smoker barbecue set up.

There was plenty to chose from in terms of drinks to accompany the food. Being Mother's Day it would have been rude not to have indulged in a Tipple from the Tuk Tuk. This was one of the vendors I'd been most excited about seeing. She's a gorgeous wee vehicle and I enjoyed my Fizz Cocktail so much that I came back for a second glass of Bubbles. Next stop was a delicious Strawberry Cocktail at Gin Bothy and before it all got too boozy I went next door to Procaffeinate for the best Salted Caramel Latte ever. Homemade coffee syrups are now firmly on my must make list.

With full bellies, yoga stretched limbs, beer, cheese and plant purchases and a selfie with a Forfar Bridie it was time to head home. (Alas my daughter did not manage to kidnap a lamb) We'd also picked up a copy of the 3rd edition of the popular Angus Larder. This publication written and published by The List in partnership with Taste of Angus focuses on a list of 52 great foods from Angus. There are suggestions from local chefs of dishes which can be prepared using the featured ingredients and listings of where to eat, and where to buy the very best of Angus food and drink. Each item is accompanied by an interesting story so readers really get to know the local producers, and appreciate the work that goes into growing, making, cooking and selling the products. Free copies of the Angus Larder will be available from a wide range of outlets across Angus, Dundee, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and Fife. It is also available online. 

As the Spring Market drew to a close, Hilary Tasker of Taste of Angus revealed that the day – and the week-long Taste of Angus Festival 2017 – had been a great success. “The Spring Market was the best possible way to finish this year’s Taste of Angus Festival. Over the last seven days, people from Angus and beyond have discovered just how good local food and drink can be. Angus has some of the best food and drink producers in Scotland, who are not afraid to embrace the old traditions or introduce new innovations. When this ethos is combined with the pick of fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, the Taste of Angus truly becomes something to celebrate and that’s what this festival is all about!”

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Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for Angus Council. As always, all views expressed are my own.

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to continue to share my Edible Scottish Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to only ever bring you the cream of the crop.

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BrewDog DogWalk and Glen Garioch Distillery VIP Tasting

Post in collaboration with Visit Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen Festivals

Craft Beer and Malt Whisky in Aberdeenshire visiting Brewdog's DogTap and DogWalk Brewery Tour in Ellon plus a VIP Whisky Tasting at Old Meldrum's Glen Garioch Distillery. 

For three days last weekend I was a tourist in my own back yard. I must admit that when I received an invitation to a press trip in Aberdeen, initially I wasn't exactly jumping up and down with enthusiasm. However once I saw the full itinerary my attention was grabbed by what was on offer in terms of food (LOTS), drink (Craft Beer & Malt Whisky), accommodation (luxury) and entertainment (the suave and sophisticated Curtis Stigers). The trip took place during the Aberdeen Jazz Festival and profiled the city and shire's food, drink and cultural/music scene. Whilst I was familiar with all of the eateries we were visiting - all establishments that showcase the area particularly well - I'd never visited either Brewdog or Glen Garioch. Why is it that you never seem to get around to visiting places on your own home turf? Our base for the weekend was the Skene House Apartment Hotel on Rosemount Viaduct. I lived in Rosemount for almost 10 years before moving from the City to the Shire and it's location was a fantastic base. An abundance of food was consumed at Eat On The Green, Foodstory, Meldrum House, Musa and Rye and Soda but for this post I'll concentrate on the booze. The eats deserve their own 15 minutes of fame. But what about the Jazz I hear you cry? For that I refer you to my blogging colleague Elizabeth who flew down from Shetland for the trip and has written a fantastic Aberdeen Jazz Festival 2017 roundup piece on her blog. (I hereby confess to being the person who was shushed by serious Jazz fans at the Lampie and likewise also wish I'd asked for a selfie with Curtis)

I am absolutely by no means an expert in either Craft Beer or Whisky so this post is very much a tourist eye view of both operations rather than a connoisseurs and I apologise now for anything I've got factually incorrect! By the fifth nip of whisky I was struggling to remember my own name let alone what we were drinking!

First stop BrewDog DogTap and Brewery Tour. Located on the outskirts of Ellon, BrewDog is undoubtedly Scotland's most infamous beer. As well known for its stunts, provocative marketing and general controversy as its brews. Whatever your opinion of them, at the end of the day there's no denying they are a huge success story. I'm not quite sure what exactly I was expecting but suffice to say the whole operation was bigger, bolder and brasher than I could ever have imagined. Founded in Fraserburgh in 2007 by 2 men and one dog it has grown to a multinational company with 55,000 Equity Punks worldwide - and I'm one of them! 

There are 250 people (plus 50 office dogs) employed at the Ellon site which operates 24/7. Our tour was led by the affable Sydney Paulsen who was as informative as she was passionate. You don't have to be a hipster to work at Brewdog but it helps. There's almost a cult like indoctrination going on amongst the staff. If you cut them I expect they would bleed IPA. The proudly displayed brewdog charter is taken as read rather than taken as ironic. Their most recent press has on one hand been about their planned expansion to include a BrewDog Hotel being thwarted by a deluded council and on the other about the introduction of Puppy Parental Leave. When quizzed about the Paw-ternity leave Sydney couldn't confirm if a litter of eight pups would get 1 week off on full pay or 8. Either way my 12 year old now wants to go and work for BrewDog if it means I will buy her a puppy.

One we had signed a disclaimer and donned safety glasses and hi-vis vests the DogWalk could begin. First stop on the tour once you pass a rather impressive giant lego model of BrewDog HQ is the epic Site 3 Brewhouse. This is craft brewing on a truly industrial scale. Can it still actually be craft beer? Sydney assures us that it is. Moving on we see the malt room, fermentation, dry hop infuser and the quality labs full of scientific beer geeks. Time to stop for a taster in the staff canteen and learn more about the perks of working at Brewdog. In addition to puppy dog leave, staff get a case of beer a month, profit share, a gym and a subsidised canteen with rather delicious sounding food, a fridge stocked with other breweries beer and an enormous table shuffleboard on which I was desperate to have a game. Alas before you could say shuffleboard cheese we moved on past more funky artwork and four legged friends to the most recent addition to the BrewDog empire.

It was pretty much inevitable that BrewDog would at some point expand into spirits. Step forward Lone Wolf Distilling. The somewhat surreal copper still setup looks like a cross between a chemistry set and a brass band. A section of the brewhouse roof had to be removed to allow the installation of a colossal 19m high rectification column - to get the purest, cleanest spirit possible. The ESP of BrewDog distilling is that it's the only craft distillery in Scotland to also make its base spirit grain under the same roof (others buy in neutral spirit in bulk). Lone Wolf Gin is currently on V3 release (which is actually the 181st prototype) Time will tell if the final version merits a place on my Gin Shelf.

The penultimate part of the tour was the original Site 1 Brewhouse which also houses the packaging plant. Rolling off the production line at a rate of knots were dead ponies on their way to those who love hops and live the dream. Back to the DogTap for some final tasters and a peek at the Pilot Brewery. By this time stomachs were beginning to rumble and although the Pizza on offer looked rather tempting we had a date with Kilted Chef Craig. Only time will tell if my next visit to BrewDog HQ will include a night at a Beer Hotel.

If Brewdog is the irreverent young pup of the Aberdeenshire drinks industry, Glen Garioch (pronounced Geery) Distillery is the auld master. Located in Oldmeldrum only 10 miles from BrewDog, it is one of the oldest (and the most easterly) operating distilleries in Scotland. Official records state that whisky was first made in 1797, but there’s belief in some quarters that it’s even older. Our tour guide was Jane Cattanach who has worked at the distillery for longer than I suspect our Brewdog tour guide has been alive. Her warmth, genuine passion and knowledge really shone through and was enhanced by her doric tongue. Being a Foodie Quine (Quine is doric for a young woman, girl or daughter. A female person from Aberdeen/shire) I loved how doric translations and phrases were used on signage and display boards throughout the tour. My particular favourite was 'Ca canny fin yur crossin e road!'

There have been a lot of twists and turns in the distillery's 200 year history. It has changed hands on numerous occasions, been part of an innovative greenhouse project utilising waste heat to grow tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers in polytunnels and witnessed periods of closure and changes of style. The most recent reopening was in 1997. Prior to mothballing in 1995 the distillery’s own floor maltings were in operation. As part of our VIP tour we got to visit the the spacious malting floors where you really could feel the history surrounding you. Glen Garioch now uses unpeated malt, which is a big contributor to its unique Highland style. 

Glen Garioch is a rare find indeed, but warmly appreciated by those who like a hearty Highland malt, non chill-filtered as nature intended, with a wholesome maltiness, honeyed sweetness and delicious creamy texture to savour.

There was no production taking place on the day of our visit but Jane took us through the whole process and answered questions and explained the history throughout our tour. It was a fascinating part museum, part working distillery experience which took us through the mash tun and washback culminating with the gorgeous copper stills in the still house. The final stop was the bonded warehouse viewing gallery. For me the most fascinating part of our tour and something that I haven't experience elsewhere was the opportunity to use a rather wild looking mallet to unbung a cask of whisky. We all got to have an attempt to remove the bung and nose the contents. This forms part of the Glen Garioch Distillery Cask Bottling experience where visitors can hand fill a bottle of Highland Single Malt from one of the specially selected casks and label their own bottle. The experience carries a rather hefty price tag but I can totally see its appeal if Whisky is your thing. 

Final stop on the tour was the recently refurbished bothy tasting room. This was formerly the excise hut but is now beautifully decked out complete with a roaring fire. Confession time. I'm really not much of a whisky drinker, which I always feel a wee bitty guilty about. I love the smell of it and the flavour it gives when used in cooking. But a dram of whisky would be far from my first choice of tipple. Could Glen Garioch convert me? Apparently there is a whisky out there for everyone. Was I about to find mine?!

First to be tried was 'The Rare Pair' cheese and whisky matching with water and oatcakes if you wanted them. The cheese was from Aberdeenshire's Devenick Dairy.

15 Year Old The Renaissance 2nd Chapter paired with The Reeds Aricht

15 Year Sherry Cask Matured paired with The Coos R Oot

To follow we tried the three variations that are currently available as the Cask Bottling experience. Glen Garioch 1997, Cask number 8 (Sherry cask matured), Glen Garioch 1991, Cask number 4557 (Bourbon cask matured) and Glen Garioch 1978, Cask 11001 (Bourbon cask matured). My favourite was the final one costing a rather eye watering £495. However this was the fifth whisky I had tasted which may have more to do me choosing it than my refined palate! Despite my reservations I very much enjoyed the whole tasting experience and came to realise that drinking whisky is as much about the people you are with and where you are. Perhaps you can never fully enjoy a dram of Glen Garioch until you have seen how and where it's made.

Tours & Prices (current as of 03/17)

BrewDog DogWalk

Monday - Friday at 4pm and 6pm.

Saturday & Sunday at 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm

£15 per person, book 48hrs in advance

Glen Garioch
Founders Tour £7.50
Wee Tasting Tour £15
A Rare Pair - Whisky & Cheese Tasting £50
VIP Tour £50

To book call the distillery on +44 (0)1651 873450 or email [email protected]

Whilst the Aberdeen Jazz Festival is all over for another year there are still eight further festivals to come in the Granite City's line up for 2017. Next up is Look Again which runs from April 27th - May 1st. Surely the perfect excuse for a visit to Aberdeen for some food, drink and cultural adventures. 

www.aberdeenfestivals.com

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Disclosure: I stayed, jazzed, ate and drank as a guest of Visit Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen Festivals. All views expressed are my own.

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