A Visit to Glenmorangie Distillery

Welcome to Heaven on Earth !!!

It was one of my greatest desires to visit the place where Glenmorangie, my favourite whisky brand, is made. I’d heard unsubstantiated rumours that the men and women working there are high all the time because of the unlimited amount of whisky they get to drink. Whisky literally flows around like mud there is what I had heard. And, when the opportunity presented itself in late 2010 (I was living in Edinburgh then), I set my sat-nav to take me to Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain and drove without brakes.... err, I mean breaks :-)

The Glenmorangie Range

It is one of the most serene and one horse towns and one doesn’t even realize when one enters the boundaries. I parked the car, stepped out and took several deep breaths of air. I was proceeding on the dim theory that Tonik (one of my pals) had once told me – At a distillery, even the air can get you high. Sadly, I was able to walk straight and had to conclude that Tonik had installed a dog's nose (and probably crawled on all fours in the distillery).

Distillation Process

 Apparently, the distillery owns about 650 acres of land which contains the streams whose water is used by them. I took the guided tour and learnt all about how to select malt, how to ferment it, add all ingredients, determine the sine of the angle at which everything should be poured into vats, use the ancient sun clock to determine the right time and temperature at which it should be stored, add bat wings for that extra punch, pack everything into oak casks and leave it for 12 years before I can enjoy a drop of the golden nectar. 

Whisky manufacturing vats

Storage - I had half a mind to hide in there for the rest of my lifewith nothing but a drill machine and a straw but my wife would have ensured that I’m found and handed over to the police

Fortunately for me, the fellas and Sheilas of Glenmorangie had already done that and I could enjoy some of the finest concoctions. After drinking it, I realised what Paresh Rawal meant in Hera Pheri when he asks the local liquor dealer to fill his water tank with ‘Englis daaru’ so that he can open the tap and drink whenever he pleases

I wanted to stuff all in my pockets and run :-)

Trivia: Whisky is used exclusively for whisky distilled in Scotland, or Scotch as we know it. Whiskey (extra e) is used for all others. E.g. Jack Daniels Whiskey but Glenmorangie Whisky

Best Bar in the World. This was the scene outside my door in Edinburgh...