Latest / The Noble Dram / The Noble Dram | Ep. 25: Whiskies of the World (Part 8 - Scotland)

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The Noble Dram | Ep. 25: Whiskies of the World (Part 8 - Scotland) · The Noble Dram

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_02: So tonight we continue our amazing adventure together.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_02: But first, I want to say thank you to everyone who's been on this adventure with us, where we've traveled the world in search of whiskies.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: In search of whiskeys.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: So we started in America drinking single malt whiskey, which feels very Scottish.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: So we thought no more fitting place for us to end this trip than in Scotland.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: But we're not going to drink single malt scotch in Scotland.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Come see what we got for you.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining us for this, the eighth episode of Whiskeys of the World.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: What started as a mini-series kind of feels like a full season of television.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: We've we have done eight full episodes.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Seven.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: We're now starting number.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: So right.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Before we get into where we're going tonight, can you give everyone at home just a quick overview of where all we've been?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Grab a glass.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Go in below on whiskeys of the world.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: So uh where we started, uh US of A.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: The US of A.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: That was episode one.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: Where did American single malls?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: American American single malt.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: It was a twist because we started in America but didn't drink America's pastime whiskey.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Official spirit, I think.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's what I think that sounds all right.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: Sounds right.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's like it's like if not, we're nubbing it right now.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: It's like we know what we're talking about.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_02: No, it's not.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: Then we headed to Japan.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: We went across A Pond.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: The land of the rising sun.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_02: And then it set and we came back.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: We introduced everyone to Gizmo.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: That was in Ireland.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or not in Ireland, in Japan.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: But when we came back, where'd we go?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: We went to Ireland.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: Ireland.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_02: Aye.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: The luck of the earth.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: The other I.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, for sure.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: The the capital I.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: The the one quick leg of the trip is the next jaunt, though.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then you didn't come back.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: We just went on over to France.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: We just rode the channel.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_02: We we.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_02: And then we took a long haul.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: Took a long haul again to Taiwan.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Some surprising whiskies in Taiwan.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Some tropical.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Tropical flip flips.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: And we decided that was enough hot and sweaty.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And we headed to the blistering gold of Canada.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: That was fun.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: That was I was freezing the whole time.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think Canada ended up being what we expected.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Cold.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so we went someplace warm.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: So we went back to warm where?
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: India.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: India.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that brought us back to our final leg, and we find ourselves here in Scotland.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: I say here in Scotland.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: We brought Scotland to us.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: We wish we were sitting in Scotland right now.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Oh that put that on the calendar of things to do.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: We should shoot an episode in Scotland.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: We had to figure out the metric system on the camera and stuff.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: It might be more working.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: It is miles per hour.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_02: It still is?
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_02: So.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_02: Never mind.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_02: This will be easy.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: You don't have to worry about conversion on that.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: So we started episode one with this idea of trying whiskies of the world, but not necessarily things you would expect.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And in other countries, we got any whiskey was stuff we didn't expect.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: But in America, we expected bourbon.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so we specifically tasted American single malts.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: So as we sat down and began to discuss what we wanted to do in Scotland, we said, what does everybody expect about Scotland?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Single malts.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so we said, we're not doing that.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Not on this show, we're not.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we're actually going to explore kind of a, I don't know if secret is the right word for it, but certainly a hidden gem or a hidden little bit of Scott.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: I like Dirty Little Secret.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't watch the show.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: There's a song about that.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we're actually going to taste tonight two single grain whiskies.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Not single malts, single grains.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, as we sit here empty-handed, um, I need you to fix that getting it.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's do this.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, two new bottles tonight.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we're we spanking new.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Rack them open on air.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, none of this fancy pre-pour.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, wait.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: The plasticky ones don't have make the great sound.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's just gonna be an hour of this.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: The most boring episode of all time.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's just Gavin twisting a corner.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, that would be pretty funny.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: It strikes me as the kind of thing you would enjoy.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: You aggressively poured that.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, those are frothy pours.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Is that an acceptable thing to speak?
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: It can be frothy.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's everywhere.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Look, it's like a moon, a crescent moon.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I know.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm afraid I'm afraid to get it all over your tartan here.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's all right.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's all right.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: It's been whiskey weathered.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: I can't imagine a scarf and scobbling that doesn't have a little bit of a whiskey aroma to it.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_02: That's right.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, so we're starting tonight with not the classic Lottie, but the Lottie rye.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_02: This is fun.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: So this is a seven-year uh single grain scotch whiskey.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll get it a little bit more into kind of dissecting what single grain is here in just a minute.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: But this, like Aaron mentioned, it's a dirty little secret, hidden gym, or just an outlier, right?
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it rye whiskey or rye heavy whiskey is not typical in Scotland.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: So um basically bolati, which we'll kind of give a little bit more information here in just a minute.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite distilleries.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna throw that out.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I have I am a sucker for brocolati stuff.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Me, I am too.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Which makes me torn because this one's a rye.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and you don't like rye typically.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Don't typically love rice.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Typically that's enough.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't like typical rye flavors.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's a better way to do it.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's it.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Do you like rye bread?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: We found a number of rye I enjoyed.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: We did actually.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yes.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh like a Reuben.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, on rye.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: That like that that works.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Reuben on rye.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: It just needs lots of sauerkraut and pastrami and melted cheese and everything.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_02: Russian dress up, and you might just get a little bit of spice to it.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_02: You know, can't falture there.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, so what's in the glass is uh grain grown, also distilled and aged at Brooklottie.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, so even the rye is from yes, this is Isla Rye.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Interesting.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: When I first started strikes me as the kind of place that rye would grow well, I mean, given its climate.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so maybe it's too wet, though.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_02: One of the fun things that um in Scotland that they like to do is they after planting some seasons of barley, they'll put rye.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_02: They'll plant rye because what it does is it brings nutrients back into the soils.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_02: So this is actually kind of twofold, right?
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: It's something fun, unique, it's different, but also it helps the soils.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: So one of the fun things about Brocladdy is they were back in the day one of the original distilleries or Scotch whiskey distilleries that really started thinking about terroir.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: And so when you think about that, and you think about what goes into the soil and the water and all of those fun things, you think about what the rye uh grain would actually do to the soil and to uh the distillant and through the whole process.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it makes me wonder if they're planting a rye on a regular basis, or most of these distill, because you don't hear about rye um whiskey coming out of Isla.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Are they loading up on a boat and hauling rye off, or is it like all the bread in an island is just made out of rye?
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's a good question.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_02: I don't actually know that.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I don't know how many uh growers are actually doing this.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: I just know that rye does help provide more nutrients or new nutrients back into the soil after many seasons of barley.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_02: And what Brooklati has stated is that they have some of their best barley after that off season into the rye.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_02: Interesting.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: So take that as you I didn't know we were getting a horticulture.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't either until I but I like this.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_02: So one of the things I I think is this whole process for Brooklotty very on brand for them, right?
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so I I just think that um them capitalizing on this process is just really fun, unique, and on brand for them.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: So um Brooklottie started back in um let me rem uh look at my notes, 1881.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_02: I was I was a month.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: You were a we lad.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: I was we.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: You were a we lad.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: I was fresh out of the army, yeah.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um by the Harvey brothers, and um as we stated, on Isla and the shores of Isla, I guess you could say.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so um so when we went to visit Isla, we stayed in a little town called Bamor, and there's an for those who don't know, Isla is kind of a U-shaped island with a bay in the middle, right?
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: And Bamor is literally straight across.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: So when I got up in the morning and looked out my window, I looked out across the bay, and there was Brook Lottie on the other side of the bay.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like it was perfect, picturesque, as yeah as one would say.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: For sure.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: The uh I the distillery, though, if my memory serves right, the distillery has not been running continuously since 1881, right?
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: It correct.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I I think of Brooklotte as a much newer distillery, even though it really is much older.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_02: So um, before we get there, one of the fun things about Brooklottie is that their distillery was purpose built.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: So are you implying that other distilleries are accidentally built?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, a lot of distilleries like oops, we built a distillery, which we'll probably get to a bit when Mr.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: Professor comes into class.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_02: But um there was once a time where taxation was a really big deal, and so there was a lot of illicit distilling going on, and then once um the excise tax came into play, uh that's where more legit distillery started um coming out of the woodworks, if you will.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: Gotcha.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_02: So a lot of those distilleries uh were like farms and barns and those kind of things where Brooklotty was actually purpose-built to be a distillery, which I think is really fun and unique for them.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, great makes more sense.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now that you explained what you meant by purpose built, this actually makes I understand exactly why you said it that way, but at first it was like what's the we keep accidentally building distilleries.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: We've tried to build three hotels, and we just keep showing up those distilleries.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that's all that Dave knows how to build.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_02: So as you mentioned, uh, this distillery was not has not been running continuously since 1881.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it has been mothballed, it's gone through several people's hands over the years.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then back in 2000, um, a few folks got together, Master Distiller, uh, and um some other folks got together, and it's basically like the Renaissance.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: So the Master Distiller, Jim uh McEwen and Mark Rainier, um, basically restored uh Brooklotty.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: And not just brought them back, but brought them back with a vengeance.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, they I mean they skyrocketed uh out of the gate.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: So I think to put the numbers to it, I think they bought it for like six million dollars or something, and then they sold it for like fifty-three million dollars or something.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: It's not a bad return on your like I mean uh it was a massive jump.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: I still have a couple of Brook Lottie bottles that have Jim McEwan's name on the side, and I am hesitant to finish drinking those because I I thought what he did with whiskey was just absolutely incredible.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: So uh one of the other fun things as we're kind of wrapping this part of it up is I think it was back in 2012, is when um the French camp comes into play with this.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so Remy Quant uh Quantro ended up purchasing this distillery, and with that kind of brought about a more I wouldn't say maybe modernization, but a little bit more oomph into uh kind of modern bringing it up to modern times.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and so much so, you know, in the worlds that we work in, uh sustainability became really big for them.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: And so back in 2020, Brooklyn became the first Scotch distillery to become um uh be corporate certified.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_02: So uh basically really being more conscious and self-responsible for the environment.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: You even see that in packaging material now, uh the way in which they handle stuff.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um almost almost every brook lottie has some level of local farmer straight to the distillery with their grains, right?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like trying to minimize the amount of transportation of materials and goods, like all of that stuff is really played in.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um I and I'll say for me, I'm not suggesting that being sustainable makes your whiskey better, but being that meticulous about everything does make your whiskey better.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Agreed.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that maybe that's how I'd put it.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Agreed.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_02: So as we kind of continue to sit here, or as I get a little bit of time to sniff it up and savour, would you mind giving us a little bit of history of Scotland and Scotch?
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll say my professor role for this episode I did a little different than we've done in episodes past.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: In episodes past, I thought it was pretty reasonable that you didn't know much about whiskey in from those countries.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: But I think you'd be hard-pressed to find somebody that doesn't know Scotland makes whiskey, right?
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Truth is, that's been around for a while.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: And we've talked about the history of different distilleries and the processes and stuff, the notion of taxation and and how all that played out from the crown.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't focus there here.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Here, what I wanted to focus on was we talked a lot about how much we drink whiskey in places and what goes into them.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to take that backwards.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Everything we've talked about is how much whiskey gets imported in to supplement their own local production, right?
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: How much, how big of whiskey market it is that Scotland aggressively exports to them.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: So the question now is we'll look at this from Scotland's perspective.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Where does all their whiskey go?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: So let's start with the fact that we've had a couple episodes where we talked about the number of distilleries in the country being in the single digits.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Scotland, not the case.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, at last count, I showed a hundred and thirty foisteries actively working in Scotland.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Understand some of them are changing production, and there's there's distilleries still in construction that are coming online.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: That number continually fluctuates.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: But just given the sheer size of the island, it's an immense number of distilleries.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I started thinking, well, where does the UK, right?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: Because Scotland's part of the UK, where does that rank amongst whiskey consumers?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh okay.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Do you care to guess per capita whiskey consumption?
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Where does the UK, because Scotland isn't its own category in these studies, do you know where the UK falls?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_02: I would have no idea what those numbers are.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'll say the number was lower.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Higher number lower on the on the scale than I thought it would be.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: They came in at seventh.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: Seventh at 1.25 liters per person per year.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: This room, we've got a massive leg up.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: We actually run about 28 people in England per year, is what I drink.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_02: So giving you You made fun of me for talking about a sailor, uh scratch tasting like a sailor, and you just said something about drinking English people.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Drinking English people.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: No, I outdrink 28 English people.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, all right.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so to give you a frame of reference at 1.25 liters per person per year, that puts them behind UAE at six, Spain at five, Australia at four, USA, USA at three, Uruguay at two.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: What?
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: And do you remember this?
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: We talked about this during the episode.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: France, number one.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Fronte.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: At 2.15 liters, almost twice the consumption of whiskey per person as they have in the UK, which blew my mind.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: I had no idea the French people were drinking so much.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: So the other interesting tidbit that I thought was really fun, in 2022, whiskey became the number one tourist attraction in Scotland.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Bigger than golf, bigger than hiking castles, all the other stuff you do and go see when you're in Scotland.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: Whiskey became the the largest tourist attraction at two million visitors to distillery visitor centers in 2022.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Which is a staggering number of people.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: It makes sense.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Considering we've talked about this, how few people actually work at distilleries.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of these distilleries that you know of as what we know of as big distilleries.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe the average person walking around the streets of Houston may or may not know much about Oban or Gwen Maranji or some of these other ones.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: But they they often have like seven, ten, twelve, fourteen people working at the entire distillery, right?
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's just not a labor-intensive.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: And to think that they had two million visitors at all these distilleries is quite impressive.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_02: They probably have more tour guides than they or they pull double rolls.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: I almost every place we toured, it was some guy whose job was to move barrels, and then between moving barrels, his job was to run give tours.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how fun is that?
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I would do that.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: I would absolutely give tours all day.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know about rolling barrels around.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: That sure seems like a lot of work.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'd roll barrels if it was free whisking.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know if that works.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that math works out, but I like where your head's at.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: So we've talked a lot um over the past several months, both part of the series and and out of the series, about the reduction in whiskey consumption and alcohol consumption in general.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: So numbers show that during 2025, exports from Scotland were down almost 20% from previous years.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: To give you an idea of what that means, they only export 36 bottles of scotch per second in 2025.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Down from 40.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: But 36 bottles of scotch leave the country every second for the entire year.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's staggering the kinds of numbers we're talking about.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: But what I wanted to talk about was single grain whiskey.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that's kind of all whiskeys, what we've been talking about.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: So the question is how much of the whiskey we just talked about is single malt versus single grain.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Because we think of single malts, right?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's where my head goes to when we talk about scotch.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not gonna put the math up on the screen.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: You're just gonna have to trust my numbers.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: 90% of all whiskey sold from Scotland is blended whiskey.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: Only 10% is single malts.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, so of that 90%, the average ratio for most distilleries between single grain whiskeys and single malt whiskeys that get blended together to be blended malts, it's about a 70-30 split.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so about 70% is single grain, only 30% is single malt.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: That means 63% of all whiskey made in Scotland is actually single grain, not single malt.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: So when you run that down, you go compare to the amount of single grain bottled whiskeys you get out of Scotland.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: They represent less than 1% of all whiskey made.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: So that means a massive amount of single grain whiskey is being made, but we don't ever see it labeled as single grain.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: It gets labeled as blend because it gets blended with other stuff, right?
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it is important to understand exactly what the terminology on the side of a bottle means.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: So there are, well, three words that matter.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: Any single malt whiskey, there's three words, single grain whiskey, right?
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we're we're not gonna talk about whiskey because we know what whiskey is.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: The question is what does single mean?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: And what does malt versus grain?
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if not single, it's blended.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: So the word single in all of this means it comes from a single distillery.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: You often read it a single grain, you think, oh, one grain.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's so confusing.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: But it's not.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: But it's not, it's not not even a single malt.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: When they talk about a malt, it's not one malted whiskey, right?
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's multiple malted whiskies from a single distillery that they blend to create that perfect flavor and taste, right?
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: So the single at the beginning or the word blended.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: Blended just means I'm blending from multiple distilleries.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: The word malt in the second means that all of the grains were malted, all of it malted barley.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: If it just says grain, it just means it's some other than malted barley.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: That could be unmalted barley, that could be corn, um, or what they often refer to in Scotland as maize, right?
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it could be wheat, it could be rye, it could be a variety of things.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: Oats are another thing that they sometimes will distill.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or that word may disappear entirely.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if I'm blending and I'm blending both single grain or I'm blending grain whiskeys and malt whiskeys, there's no term for that.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Then it would be blended, blended whiskey, which doesn't make sense.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you just call that blended whiskey.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: You will find from time to time a reference to a blended malt whiskey.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: I guess in theory, you could have a blended grain whiskey, but I've never seen a bottle that was labeled blended grain whiskey.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: But that's really just saying what was the grain type that was in it?
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: Was it from a single distillery or not?
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the first word.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then ultimately whiskey at the end, right?
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that defines this.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna kind of go back a little bit more and talk a little bit about the production of single grains.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: We talked in the Irish episode.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: Do you recall us talking about the invention of the coffee still?
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I do.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, has nothing to do with roasted coffee beans.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: Dang it.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Anayas Coffee?
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Anais.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: Is the guy's name?
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: Green Mile.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Not John Coffee.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, not John.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a John Coffee I don't know about?
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a movie reference.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_02: It's the Green Mile.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's right.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I do I do remember that now.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: I just need help.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: I need coaxing sometimes.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, most all single grain whiskies or grain whiskies are distilled in column stills, predominantly coffee stills.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: These are far more prevalent in lowlands than they are in some of the outer lying areas, although we do see grain malt or grain distilleries in the highlands as well.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: If a single malt distillery has to use a pot still, right, it creates this small kind of boutique production method.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: You have to make a batch, clean the machines, make a batch, clean the machines.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's not nearly as efficient at production.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas a column still, we run mash in on one side and we pull whiskey and water out of the other side.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: And those can run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: So by comparison, a malt whiskey distillery has this very boutique and small fit and feel about it.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Even the big ones still feel a bit small.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: The grain whiskey distilleries look like industrial superplants, right?
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like it is a full-fledged chemical process.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: Just go into town.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: So, to give you an idea, the largest grain distillery in Scotland is Cameron Bridge, that has an annual production capacity of 110 to 120 million liters.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: The number two is one called Gervin.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: They're at 110 million or 110, yeah, 110 million.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: While by comparison, the largest single malt distillery is Glenfedic at 20 million.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: And McCallan, which we all know as being a huge producer, is at 15.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: So in the top four grain distilleries, not a single one of them is under 50 million.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so you can begin to see the sheer volume of grain production that they're making.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: So that being said, that kind of breaks down what's the difference between a single malt and a single grain.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: But their production methods are different.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: Quite often you're seeing a higher proof coming off the off the column stills and single grains, which produce a lighter distillate, a little bit easier for it to take flavor from the barrels.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: You don't carry over any of the potentially off-putting flavors from the beginning.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: Column stills are much more accurate at cutting out unpleasant compounds like methanol or some of the heavier, oilier phenols that you want to be able to pull off.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: So you can really dial in exactly what you want your whiskey to taste like.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a very reproducible system that runs a huge volume.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it's no wonder that that makes the base whiskey for so much of what Scotland makes.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: So take a breath.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: I got through all my notes.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_02: The Professor, this has been another segment of final episode.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Professor Whiskeys of the World, Professor.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: So do you have a little bit more breath and opinion?
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: I do.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: Let me let me take it, let me take a couple sips and then be ready.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_02: Take a breather.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: Because I want to know, going back to your notes, you know, several minutes ago, before the professor came out, what are you getting on the nose on this guy?
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: So this one was intriguing.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_00: On this weed line.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um it doesn't smell like rye whiskey.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's uh it doesn't smell like scotch.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's this this weird kind of in-between.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'll say probably the whiskey scotch.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: No, so I again rice, you tend to get mints, you tend to get dills, you get stuff.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: I get I don't get that on the nose at all.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I get more of I wrote down Woody initially, but I don't I think Woody is too harsh.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like I don't think it's a Toy Story Woody or like it smells like a plush cowboy.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's going back and kind of re re um approaching it.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: I I think it's more like hay than wood.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I get a a leatheriness to the nose as well.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um not bold, they're still relatively mild flavors.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think it gets, I think it ramps up as you move into the palette and the finish, but I think the nose is not dusty old barn, but like hay bales.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean dry dry hay bales for sure, um, is what I was getting.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_02: I put um to go with your hay bales, I put earthy.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um I didn't segment it out to hay, but I I think earthy can capture that kind of grassy um dirt kind of aroma.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um I also put um uh I do get obviously a bit of that rice spice uh or a black pepper.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um I also put um there's a bit of a like citrus kind of note to it.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um there's a saltiness to the nose.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_02: Is that is that a way to put it?
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I think I think that's perfect, really, because it being on Isla.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: It kind of re like buttered bread, but so my wife, my wife likes to get bougie with her butter, right?
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so she puts bougie bougie and butter sprinkles salt on top of the butter.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: And oh my lord, is that good stuff?
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that kind of reminds me of that.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: Slap them, yeah.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: Slap some butter on me.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is this is like not not white bread, but not even wheat bread.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is more like this is rye bread.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's a rye bread, but um I'll say the nose isn't as heavy on the rye.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think the rye shows up more on the on the palate and the finish.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: Certainly on the finish.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_02: So on the palate, besides rye, what were you talking about?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I wrote down spice because it it kind of comes on, but it's it's enough going on that I was having a hard time kind of clearly identifying it.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think the finish parcels it out just a little bit.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_00: And you kind of run through waves on the finish.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but on the palate, this will sound stupid, but it tastes brown.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: It tastes brown.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like it you said earthy.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a good way to describe it.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's got all of those, like it's got a bit of dirt, it's got a bit of hay, it's got a bit of um dusty wood notes, it's got a bit of that pepper spice from rye grain.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you've like the crust on the bread, not so much the middle.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: I like that.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, that that's what to me the but it's it's very well balanced on the palate.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: That none of that stands out and kind of is a a front or too bold.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I I really love that.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_02: I put that I think it's it's oily.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think there it's there's a viscosity to it.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um I don't have so much in my glass anymore, but uh when I had more in there, we talk about legs sometimes, like long legs, and I felt like this had long legs.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think that um just visually seeing that um fisk has kind of come into life.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_02: And then um I I wrote citrus again.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: I think there's um a bit of a honeyness to it.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_02: And then of course the rye spice.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you can't deny, can't deny the rye.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then on the finish, I put that it was like uh, I mean, you said it, but it's like there's waves to it.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's it's medium to long.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_02: There's a dry oakiness to it.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_02: I put it's warm and fuzzy.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I got I got that kind of bold, spicy, kind of rye grain um thing that hit on the front end that was black pepper kind of spice.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there is this wave that occurs about five to ten seconds after you finish a sip that I'm just flooded with black licorice shows up all over it.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: And then it turns, it fades to me into you said you said citrus.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like this is zest.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, or pith, not juice.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, right?
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: Correct distinctly shows up on the finish.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I I'd say almost, or maybe on the palate it was more zest.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: I think the it's more pith, like the white.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's just it doesn't taste bitter, but it reminds me of the smell of the pith of an orange or a lemon.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: I like it.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: All right, we gotta give no- Oh, sorry, I don't want to steal.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, what else did you have on the finish?
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: Then I gotta give a number.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh no, I I I I think that that wrapped it up.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I liked it.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think that it was warm and fuzzy.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's something Warm and Fuzzy.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Warm and fuzzy.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: Is that is that what oh I gotta give numbers first.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: I was gonna ask, what is what what number does warm and fuzzy translate to?
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but I guess this is my bottle of you have.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so I'll say um it didn't have any of the things about rye that I don't like.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_00: I enjoyed the rye part of this.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'll say for me, the struggle I had is I I have a hard time categorizing this bottle, right?
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't this isn't scotch, this isn't rye with American rye whiskey.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: That that this is kind of this somewhere in between.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_00: There's hints of malted barley, but not.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um so the curiosity of this bottle alone puts it in the collection.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't know is if I go so far as to say, in a room full of bottles, I'm drawn to this one.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm in the low 80s, I'm in an 82.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think this is a this is a fun one to have on the on the shelf.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody comes over and they're like, hey, give me give me one of the weird ones.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh man, I got a I got a weird one for you.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not that it tastes weird, it just doesn't taste like any other category that you could place it in.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's not on profile.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I like I like that, I like that kind of quirk to the whole thing.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I do too.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um I agree with everything you said.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_02: I think um as we've kind of ventured through the show, we know that um I've been on a bit of a rye journey.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_02: We've had a lot of rye.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_02: We've had a lot of rye action recently.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I put this at an 89.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like I put it in the high 80s.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um because it is fun and unique and there's some funkiness to it.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_02: I just think that um I want this bottle on my shelf and I want to drink it, and I want to um I didn't write down the notes.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: I was just curious the ABV.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh oh, I didn't actually say it.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's 50.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: 50.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: So we're 100 proof.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I was sitting here as I took a sip of water.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, man, the finish really changes with a little bit of water on my palate.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I kind of now I'm wondering like, should I put a put a driblet of water in there or not?
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm not going to ruin it.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: There's a there's a foreshadowing hint.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: There's a reason I'm leaving a splash in that glass.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um not like we couldn't pour another if we needed to.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: 82 for me, 89 for Gavin.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's a shelf keeper for both of us.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, that was tasty.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_00: For the last couple weeks, we've been teasing a big announcement coming.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: The Noble Dram as a barrel pick.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_02: But we don't have asked anything here.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_02: Not just one barrel pick, we got two.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: Larseny, barrel-proof, and Elijah Craig, barrel-proof.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: We want to give a special thanks to the guys at M and R Liquor here in Northwest Houston that helped make these barrel picks possible.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_01: With them, we've reserved a limited number of each barrel pick for you, our noble listeners.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: For everyone who goes online, reserves a bottle before they go on sale to the general public, you get$10 off per bottle.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: Follow the link down below in the comments to reserve each one of these bottles.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_00: And don't miss a chance to enjoy two delicious drinks.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_02: Cheers.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what time it is now?
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: Your favorite part is when I pour whiskey.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, pour me some whiskey.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so I'm gonna put this on the outside so you don't accidentally get my leftover bricolati remnants.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so our next bottle is a bottle from Invergordon.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: Invergordon?
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: Invergordon.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: You say it way better than I do.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: All right, I'm gonna set the box out of the way.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_02: There's reasons for that.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_02: Man, look at that wrap.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_02: I know.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_02: Very art deco-y.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_02: I I like that you knew that.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_02: I it was a blind guess.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_02: I was hoping that you would agree with this.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_02: There's some art deco-ness to it.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_02: Art deco-ness?
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_02: Art deco-ness.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if that's a no, it's a real word.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: It is now, it's a whole architecture theme.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: No squeaky quirt for me.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_00: Goes straight to it.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so pitter patter.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get at her.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_00: Pitter patter.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so Invergordon 14.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: 14.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: As the name would suggest.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: So we're doubling in years.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is twice as old.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: Twice as old.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_00: The uh the visuals would not suggest that.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: No, it not at all.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is a distinctly lighter looking whiskey.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_02: So um distinctly different nose.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_00: Let me let me talk bottle first, then I'll and then I want to come back and touch a little bit on the on the distillery itself.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so 43% ABV for those who cling to the American standard, 86 proof.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, an undisclosed mash bill.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_00: However, research suggests that Invergordon uses predominantly corn with some wheat and some malted and unmalted barley.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_00: But I do not know exactly what is in this bottle.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_00: I found a couple of different places online that suggested that they knew.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then you went and read it, and it was just the description of what they use at the distillery.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, I can't imagine that's exactly how this plays out.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_00: So aged 14 years in first fill X bourbon casks.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, solely bourbon-aged.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_00: So as we delve into this one, um, the Invergordon Distillery was built in 1961.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_00: Really new.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, owned by White McKay.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_00: For those who aren't big budget-driven Scotch blended scotch drinkers and don't know the name White McKay, they actually really say White McKay blended scotch.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_00: But you'll probably know a couple of their single malt brands that they also own.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe one called the Dalmore.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_00: The the or the I always say the Dalmore.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_00: The Dalmore.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_00: The Balvini and the Dalmore.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_00: I heard um Roger Patterson in the in the radio commercials I've listened to, he refers to it as the Dalmor.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna, if he said, if the master blender says the, I'm gonna, I'm gonna trust his word on it.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the other single malt that probably everyone recognizes is Jura.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they've got a number of others.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: Tom Navoulin is another one that I've got a couple bottles of.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then the other blended offering that I think a lot of people know, um, John Barr.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_00: John Barr, yeah.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: John Barr is a very common one.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_00: So their claim to fame at the Invergordon Distillery is it is the northernmost grain distillery in Scotland.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_00: So this is located about halfway between Inverness and Tain.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: The reason I mentioned Taine, Taine is the home of Glen Marangi, right?
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: So uh you leave Inverness and you can't go straight up the coast.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: There's a big inlet.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_00: You gotta go around the inlet.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: On the other side of the inlet, Invergore.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: So you can almost see, almost see Inverness from Invergordon.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: Invergordon also happens to be literally a stone's throw from the Dalmor.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like they literally set on the coast, just not too far apart.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you ever look at an aerial photo, you'll know which one's which.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_00: The Dalmor is teeny tiny, and Invergordon is absolutely enormous.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: So their production last year was 36 million liters, but they have a total capacity.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: They could get as high as 40 million, which is an incredibly high number.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I had to be Mr.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: Professor, which took a lot of research.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I felt it was only fitting that the question I posed to you require you to have done some research.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: The good news is you didn't know what to research.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna go with personal anecdotal research.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, anecdotal.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_00: So we talked earlier about Scotch whiskey becoming the number one tourist attraction in Scotland.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_00: You were a man who lived in Scotland.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_00: What I would love for you to give us, both me and the people at home.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_00: Let's exclude golf.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_00: Golf's too easy.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you were telling people reasons to come to Scotland, things you can't miss if you come, you get four because we're playing Mount Rushmore.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_00: Dang it.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what the equivalent of Mount Rushmore in Scotland would be.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_02: The standing stones.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: The standing stones, uh, the kelpies.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_00: But then there's only two, and that doesn't work.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna call it Mount Rushmore.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: The Mount Rushmore of your personal Gavin's recommendations for Scottish tourist attractions, and you can't say whiskey, and you can't say golf.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_00: This should be fun.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_02: So in no particular order.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: Nope.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's the that's number one rule of my rushmore.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_00: Four in any order.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_02: Four in any order.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, should I be writing these down in case I go?
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_02: Uh well, you can just rewatch.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_02: Get another view.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I would say um my number one thing that I tell people to do is get out of the big cities.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like we all love going to the cities, um, specifically because of the work that I do on a daily basis.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_02: I want to go see the big pretty buildings and the castles and all the architecture.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_02: But some of my favorite things to do is get out in the countryside.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um there's a few fishing villages that we like to go to, and they are small fishing villages.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_02: There's nothing to do except for go to the pub.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know if there is such a thing as a big fishing village.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_00: Let's just start with village alone.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_02: Is there a such thing as a big village?
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_02: But going to a fishing village uh to me is one of the favorite things I love uh, you know, kind of directing people to do or recommending people to do.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_02: Come.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um fishing village.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_02: Go.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, fishing village.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think um when you were in the big cities, go to the markets.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_02: I think going to um local markets, you get to meet local people and the purveyors and the you know people providing crafts, and you can always pick you up a nice thing of haggis and a cup of coffee.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: Get you a haggis roll?
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like there's just something about going and meeting those people.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um the wallet that I carry every single day, I picked up out of market in Edinburgh, and like I've had it for the last you know eight years or nine years or so.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's still going strong.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like, does it made does it hold dollars or just euros?
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_00: Quid quid, the English pound?
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it holds quid, which means cash.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_00: But oh really?
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I thought quid was a unit of money.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's like five quid, ten quid.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's just five cash.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it'd be like walking in, going, how much is that?
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_00: Five cash.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: Five cash.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_00: Five bills.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_00: You figure it out.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_02: Five bills.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so we're gonna go to the fishing villages when we're in the country.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna go uh to markets when we're in the big cities.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um when we're in the big cities, we're also gonna do a walking tour and a food tour.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: I can't I could not imagine you go all the way through this list and not mention go look at architecture.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like that just absolutely feels like a gavany thing to do.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_02: You gotta go.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot of times, if you play your cards right and do your research, you can find some tours that are actually free.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so you can you just find a tour where they're speaking with a lot enough volume, and you just can just follow them down the street.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_00: Fair, fair.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can definitely do that.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_00: I figured if you tip the guide really well at the end, they're not gonna be able to do that.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's the thing.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's like they they actually make more money when they don't give up put a price to it because you'll end up tipping them more than what they would typically charge.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_02: So, and we do that even in the States, like we try to any big city we go to or on vacation, we we try to find some walking tours or some food tours.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_02: My wife and I, we love to what we what we say is eat our way through a city.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_02: So um I've been doing that in Houston for 20 something years now.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I get it.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_02: And then so those three, my fourth for Scotland, surfing, surfing, yeah, surfing.
• 49:55
  SPEAKER_02: I noticed your surf hat behind you, yes, and my Bothy, my Bothy board riders.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um that is not one I would have seen coming.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah online.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a hidden gym.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh certainly hidden.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_00: Dirty little secret.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_00: I get the feeling once you get in the water, that's not the only thing.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_00: That one even in a wetsuit.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: That one tickle the funny.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_02: I like it.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, I didn't realize it when we moved over there that there's a pretty big surfing scene.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_02: Or I wouldn't say big, it's not like in your face, but being right off on the North Sea, um, Aberdeen, where we lived, uh, very big in the in the surfing um realm.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_02: So it's super cold, but super fun.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna point out to you, what are you gonna point that you didn't specifically mention anything that needs to be visited to?
• 50:56
  unknown: Okay.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_00: There was no reference to the you gotta go out and check out the Isle of Sky.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_00: There was no go, you gotta go wander through Clink.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_00: There was no um, you only gave me four Jacobite Train didn't make the list.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, for Harry Potter fans, you'll know what I'm talking about.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you didn't mention go explore Kessel.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: Like in my head, I'm going hiking everywhere in Scotland.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then when I get tired, I'm gonna drink whiskey and then I'm gonna keep hiking some more.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it will be a vicious cycle until I find myself back into a into a town where I can spend the night.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_01: So what I would say I like that.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_00: I like that.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_00: So you mentioned, I'm gonna I'm gonna throw a monkey wrench into this and add breaking the rules.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_00: An adder.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, there's no real rules.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um you mentioned a walking and tasting tour, like go around eating.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_00: Is there what you would consider to be can't leave Scotland if you don't go get a I mean, I think Haggis is the one that comes to everyone's mind.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_00: But would you say Haggis is like the like not saying it's the quintessential Scottish thing, but like, uh, there is there is a place.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_00: And man, like you gotta go there and get the toasted almonds, or you gotta get the fish and chips at the the place and wherever.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_00: Is there is there a spot like if if you were still living there and I came to visit, you're like, before you leave, we're going to dinner here.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's a couple places.
• 52:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I'm gonna break the rules, I'm gonna tell a couple.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_02: So Asheville's, which um was our go-to fish and chip shop that we would where is that?
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_02: That's in Aberdeen.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_02: Aberdeen, yeah.
• 52:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um we would, I mean, you go pick it up on takeout.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um is is fish and chips so readily available everywhere.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_00: And would you say that it is a high quality fish and chips everywhere, or is it kind of hit or miss?
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_02: No, kind of like getting a burger in the States.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's probably hit and hit or miss, but um most places that we get fish and chips from on point.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, right.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_00: All right, um, and I would say Are you a malt vinegar guy on your fish and chips?
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_00: I am.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_00: All right, I am.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think my my exposure to fish and chips with the with the with a few exceptions long John Silver.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_00: Long John Silvers, Captain D's.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you get Captain D's.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_00: Getting an extra tray of crunchies and and splicing some malt vinegar on your crunchies.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 53:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's probably why I have heart disease now.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_00: I get it.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um worth it.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_00: Worth it, definitely worth it.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_00: The chicken tastes like fish, like is the best.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, Asheville's in Aberdeen, and then um there's a little restaurant um off the North Sea at, you know, right.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you don't know.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's right.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_02: Just like right um Aberdeen Beach on the North Sea.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_02: There's a little um cafe called the Sand Dollar, and uh great breakfast, great lunch, um, dinner, all that fun stuff.
• 54:12
  SPEAKER_02: That's one of the places that we hit every time we go back.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, an interesting story when we were back there in 2019, just real quick, we walked in and the um the eating area was a mess, and we were like, what's going on?
• 54:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's been a few years, but what the heck?
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_02: Place wonderfully went to hell in a handbasket without you there.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_02: What happened is they actually um plucked somebody out of the North Sea and saved the person's life, and the sand dollar is right on the beach, and so they brought him in the sand dollar to warm up.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_00: I need you to understand that you just got done telling us that we should go surfing.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then you tell the story about how they had to save a man with rescue squad.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think he was surfing.
• 54:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm nervous.
• 54:58
  SPEAKER_00: I'm nervous.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think he was surfing, I think he fell off the boat.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_00: So but so when dad and I were in town or in Scotland, um, one of the things I was amazed by is the sheer whiskey selection at every restaurant.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_00: Every restaurant had a massive whiskey selection, and price of pours were far more reasonable than I think we get here in the States.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then the other thing we were told when we left that you have to try is a fried Mars bar.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 55:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it is as absolutely ridiculously decadent.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_00: Everything about it screams the county fair in the States, right?
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it was, yeah, a deep fried, battered deep fried Mars bar served with ice cream and whipped cream on top.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like it was an absolute diabetic coma on a plate.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_00: Very tasty.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_00: Don't get me wrong.
• 55:50
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, like it so where we lived in Aberdeen, there's a ridiculous.
• 55:55
  SPEAKER_02: There's a city called Stonehaven, and they are credited as being kind of the home of the deep fried Mars bar.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_00: That's where it started?
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, we need to, we're we're right here on the north the North Sea shore.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_00: We need to fatten up a couple of things.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_00: Why don't we eat Mars bars?
• 56:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 56:13
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_00: You talked, I talked.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_00: The question is, did you actually taste?
• 56:19
  SPEAKER_00: Did you take notes?
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel ready?
• 56:21
  SPEAKER_00: You're feel ready to talk about it?
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, sorry, let's start with the nose.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_00: On the nose?
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because the color is obvious, even to people on the camera.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have to mention it.
• 56:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's very you can you can turn this sideways and you could read the newspaper through one of these.
• 56:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you could not read the newspaper through the other.
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_02: And it's crazy to think seven-year, fourteen-year, this one has a much deeper, richer color than this one.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that shows up on the nose too.
• 56:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think I think the nose on the Embergordon is light.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_02: It's there's some floralness to it.
• 56:59
  SPEAKER_02: I think that there's a honey note.
• 57:03
  SPEAKER_02: I even put, it's not like a hay grass, but there's a bit of a grass note to it.
• 57:11
  SPEAKER_02: I would say earth, but minus the dirt.
• 57:14
  SPEAKER_02: Like there's just a very light.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um I like the way you got that sniff on on camera.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_00: That was good.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_02: Pungent almost.
• 57:25
  unknown: What?
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 57:27
  SPEAKER_00: That pause and then that big sniff.
• 57:30
  SPEAKER_00: When I'm when I'm editing, I'm like, there's there's the ASMR crow.
• 57:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, for me, I actually got like sweet lemon on the nose.
• 57:42
  SPEAKER_00: And when you said honey, I was like, that's exactly what it is.
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a a lemon honey, like cough drop.
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_00: Lozenge.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'll say a lot of my notes from the nose become the palate, become the finish, right?
• 57:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is linear.
• 58:00
  SPEAKER_00: I won't say monotone because monotone would imply one note.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is one chord that's just played three times, right?
• 58:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, so I think the other thing that jumped out to me was like buttercream.
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_00: Buttercream icing shows up on the nose, shows up on the palate, shows up on the finish.
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I all the way through.
• 58:23
  SPEAKER_02: On the palate, I even put there's a buttery, like you said, buttercream.
• 58:28
  SPEAKER_02: I just put buttery.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's like um um a fresh slice of bread and you slap the butter on it, and you might lick the knife.
• 58:38
  SPEAKER_00: God, no.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_00: This is this is exactly why you live by the North Sea.
• 58:43
  SPEAKER_00: No, so I I'm I don't know.
• 58:45
  SPEAKER_00: Salted butter.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I'm gonna make it any better.
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_00: No, it does.
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_00: It does.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: That way my heart has to keep up.
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, no, I expected with it being first filled bourbon, I expected more vanilla than I think I got.
• 59:00
  SPEAKER_00: So at first I started to write vanilla down.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, no, I think it's more butter than vanilla, right?
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's where I settled to buttercream because I wanted to say like vanilla ice cream or vanilla um vanilla cupcake frosting.
• 59:15
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 59:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think it's a little I think maybe you ever had a good cream cheese icing on a carrot cake?
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's that cream cheesy kind of thing.
• 59:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I get it.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_00: But on the finish, the finish, I actually get a little bit more of a grain note.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like I get a bit of right before I talked about like toasted rye bread.
• 59:39
  SPEAKER_00: This this has a little bit more of like white bread.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, like I'm gonna make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of it.
• 59:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_00: I get that.
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's yeah, everything about this screams it would be delicious with peanuts and some sort of preserve.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like on a charcuterie board.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_02: I I see that.
• 59:58
  SPEAKER_02: I see that.
• 59:59
  SPEAKER_02: I think it this one was like a medium to long.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_02: This is fast.
• 1:00:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, much shorter.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's short, it doesn't linger.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um I getting apple on the finish.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_02: It's so fast and fleeting that I I gotta go back.
• 1:00:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's a there's a fruitiness on the finish that comes with it that isn't just citrus to me.
• 1:00:27
  SPEAKER_02: Or pear, like in pear.
• 1:00:29
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe soft, the soft end of apple, end of pear, kind of yeah, moving.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, agree.
• 1:00:36
  SPEAKER_00: All right, we come to that part where you gotta put a number to it, my friend.
• 1:00:40
  SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
• 1:00:43
  SPEAKER_00: All right, these are the tough ones where there's things about it I like it and things about it I don't like.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, which one wins?
• 1:00:50
  SPEAKER_00: I get it.
• 1:00:52
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_02: I gave it an 80.
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_02: It's there's some funkiness to it a little bit, but it's to me, it's the it's too light.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um the finish is fast and fleeting, and I just think that um I like it to linger a bit.
• 1:01:16
  SPEAKER_02: I like to pick it apart, and um this is hard to pick apart on the finish.
• 1:01:24
  SPEAKER_00: I I cannot disagree with your rationale.
• 1:01:28
  SPEAKER_00: I my number was 78.
• 1:01:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not because there was anything that was off-putting about it, there just wasn't enough that makes me wanted to put it into the 80s, yeah.
• 1:01:37
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_00: I I think you I think you put it well, it's just so soft, so light, so uninspiring.
• 1:01:48
  SPEAKER_00: I want there to be more.
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you're leaning into the citrusy fruit notes, like I want more of the citrusy fruit.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 1:01:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, I I wonder, I wonder what it would be at a slightly higher proof, right?
• 1:02:03
  SPEAKER_00: Would that bring a little bit more punch?
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um now, that being said, I absolutely could see this being in a cocktail, right?
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um as your base whiskey that you then flavor with other things going on into a glass, totally makes sense.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's when you go back and take sips of blended whiskeys.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_00: My complaint with blended whiskies is it's got a lot of that same thing.
• 1:02:29
  SPEAKER_00: It just doesn't have I I want there to be more, but there's just not.
• 1:02:33
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_00: 78 for me, 80 for Gavin.
• 1:02:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_00: So dancing dancing with the edge of being on the shelf.
• 1:02:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, dancing with the edge.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_00: So um tonight, let's do our treat.
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_00: Let's do our treat.
• 1:02:48
  SPEAKER_02: We kept a pour for a reason, yes, and it's time to talk about that reason.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_02: So um I'm gonna let you grab a piece here.
• 1:02:55
  SPEAKER_02: Just set it out right here.
• 1:02:57
  SPEAKER_02: Well, then people can't see it.
• 1:02:58
  SPEAKER_02: We'll do this.
• 1:02:59
  SPEAKER_02: Look at there.
• 1:03:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there we go.
• 1:03:01
  SPEAKER_02: There we go.
• 1:03:01
  SPEAKER_02: Get this out.
• 1:03:03
  SPEAKER_02: We got it, we got it.
• 1:03:04
  SPEAKER_02: So, as we mentioned multiple times, um, if you bring us a treat, mostly whiskey, but if you bring us other treats, uh, we'll try them on air.
• 1:03:17
  SPEAKER_00: We we didn't clarify the rule.
• 1:03:21
  SPEAKER_00: We said if you bring us something, we'll try it on air.
• 1:03:25
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't clarify what something meant.
• 1:03:27
  SPEAKER_00: So our friend Sandra brought us her favorite chocolate that she likes to snack on when she drinks whiskey.
• 1:03:38
  SPEAKER_02: So we did a whiskey tasting a few weeks ago, and um, after that, as a thank you, yeah.
• 1:03:44
  SPEAKER_02: She brought us some chocolate.
• 1:03:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like very, from what I understand, a very tasty chocolate.
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_00: Now, it's not fair for us to do a chocolate tasting.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have other chocolates to benchmark it against, but we do have whiskey, and what she said was this chocolate goes really good with whiskey.
• 1:04:06
  SPEAKER_00: So we figured why don't we taste the chocolate with both whiskeys tonight and then ultimately decide which whiskey we thought paired better with delicious chocolate.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_00: So drag your other glass back out, so you got it.
• 1:04:20
  SPEAKER_00: I I flirted with not having any flirted a lot.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think I think I'm there though.
• 1:04:27
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 1:04:27
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 1:04:28
  SPEAKER_00: Chocolate up.
• 1:04:29
  SPEAKER_00: You're not allergic, are you?
• 1:04:34
  SPEAKER_00: Got an epi pen?
• 1:04:35
  SPEAKER_00: No, we'll figure out.
• 1:04:37
  SPEAKER_00: I got a hammer.
• 1:04:45
  SPEAKER_00: I get distinctly more leathery notes on the nose with the chocolate.
• 1:04:52
  SPEAKER_02: I see that more woodiness.
• 1:04:55
  SPEAKER_02: Oakiness.
• 1:04:59
  SPEAKER_00: I get mint on the rye now.
• 1:05:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-oh.
• 1:05:02
  SPEAKER_00: Dang it.
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's it's it's pleasant because it goes with the chocolate.
• 1:05:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, my chocolate's melting my finger.
• 1:05:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:05:08
  SPEAKER_00: Alright.
• 1:05:13
  SPEAKER_02: That's a base taste.
• 1:05:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yep, not remember.
• 1:05:19
  SPEAKER_00: Don't wipe it on your scarf.
• 1:05:21
  SPEAKER_00: Thought about it.
• 1:05:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, you did.
• 1:05:23
  SPEAKER_00: I can see it in your body language.
• 1:05:30
  SPEAKER_00: Dean.
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_00: I actually like those two together as well.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_00: For completely different reasons.
• 1:05:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think the Invergarden actually marries with the the chocolate without overpowering the chocolate.
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_00: The chocolate still is the star of that set.
• 1:05:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's.
• 1:05:51
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas with the bricolotti, I think the bricolotti showed up in a different way that maybe overshadowed the chocolate, just a smidge.
• 1:05:58
  SPEAKER_00: I agree with that.
• 1:05:59
  SPEAKER_00: Is that a fair?
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_00: Everything you just said, I agree.
• 1:06:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Brooke Lottie's a bit of a prima donna, kind of sucks the air out of the room.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_00: I get it.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_00: I get it.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_02: They're a Scotch with an attitude.
• 1:06:10
  SPEAKER_02: Saucy little tart that we're.
• 1:06:12
  SPEAKER_02: Saucy little tart.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_02: So, how about we uh say thank you?
• 1:06:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so for everyone who joined us, at any point, or all the points, all the stops along this, not a journey, an adventure.
• 1:06:26
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much for joining us.
• 1:06:28
  SPEAKER_00: As we move into the next few weeks, we're going to we've dubbed it get back to bourbon.
• 1:06:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're not doing a series, but what we realized is we've spent the last two months away from bourbon.
• 1:06:39
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a whole bunch of people out here who are jonesing for a sweet corn liquor.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, join us next week as we delve back into American-made bourbons.
• 1:06:50
  SPEAKER_00: But in the interim, enjoy your evenings, y'all.
• 1:06:53
  SPEAKER_00: Cheers.
• 1:06:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's Fa J Vah.
• 1:06:57
  SPEAKER_00: God, I love it when we do that.
• 1:06:59
  SPEAKER_00: This works so perfect.
• 1:07:02
  SPEAKER_03: We want to thank you, our noble listener, for joining us.
• 1:07:05
  SPEAKER_03: We believe each whiskey has a story, and so do you.
• 1:07:07
  SPEAKER_03: So give us your thoughts by leaving a comment.
• 1:07:09
  SPEAKER_03: And if you have a whiskey you'd like to see us share, let us know.
• 1:07:12
  SPEAKER_03: You don't want to miss a single episode.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_03: So subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• 1:07:15
  SPEAKER_03: And make sure to like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to stay up to date on the Noble Dream.
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_04: And if you find watching us difficult, you can always listen to each episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• 1:07:25
  SPEAKER_00: As always, be noble.
• 1:07:27
  SPEAKER_04: Enjoy your dream responsibly.
• 1:07:39
  SPEAKER_00: Never mind, I might.
• 1:07:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now I want to restart the physical.
• 1:07:43
  SPEAKER_00: Dang.
• 1:07:44
  SPEAKER_00: All right, here we go.
• 1:07:46
  SPEAKER_00: One minute behind.
• 1:07:47
  SPEAKER_00: Starting over.
• 1:07:48
  SPEAKER_00: And we can't talk about not wearing pants.
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 1:07:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sure we can't.