Mumbai, India
India has almost 1.000.000.000
inhabitants - but only a few of
them are into single malts.
One of them is Krishna from the
busy and exotic city of Mumbai
(previously known as Bombay)
See Krishna's factsheet for details.
2000
Subject: E-Report #3 - Pilgrimage to Orkney Friends around often ask me why I am so mad about this stuff called single malt. Frankly, I have no reasonable reason. The possible reasons could be
that when I drink any aged dram I feel that I am drinking history, I am drinking culture and above all I am drinking the adventurous Scottish spirit with which this wonderful stuff is made. They say people who visit Scotland have
certain deliberate reasons. For the love of the highland country-side, for Scottish history, for the sound of the bagpipe or for the Scottish down to earth hospitability that beckons a traveler to visit the country again and again
and again. The outer Islands are for adventurers and Orkney is one of them. My last visit to a Scottish distillery was to the southernmost of the Hebrides. Lagavulin in the
Isle of Islay. This time I chose to visit the most Northerly distillery in the world - The Highland Park at Kirkwall. The base point has to be at Inverness. To reach Orkney one has to travel to John O Groats, which happens to be
the most northerly point of mainland Scotland from where the ferry takes you to Orkney. The Orkney is a group of islands. The main Islands are Burwick, Kirkwall, Stromenss, Hoy, Shapinsay and several others. The ferry from John O
Groats (this funny name, named after a Dutch fellow who a couple of hundred years ago tried to establish the place as an important port town) takes about 45 minutes to reach the Island of Burwick. The voyage is made through the
path where the Atlantic waters meet the North Sea and the effect is so dramatic that you actually see the turbulence in the sea and feel the wind blowing at 50 –60 mph. If you have a pair of binoculars you can see gray seals
sunning themselves on the shores of small isles, the puffins, skuas and the cormorants diving in and out of the turbulent waters. The vessel is escorted by schools of porpoises most of the journey.
The Orkney bus is waiting for the ship's passengers to take in to the island. The bus takes a full hour to cross across several islands which have been connected by man made roads. History has
it that the Orkney served as an important submarine base for the British during the Second World War. Churchill saw this potential and closed the entry to the enemy vessels by putting huge boulders ( each weighing 2-3 tons) to
connect the isles with the help of Italian Prisoners of war! Finally we are in Kirkwall and I checked into a small B& B hotel. I can see the chimneys of The Highland Park from the window of my hotel room. Before I made a
visit to the temple I wanted to explore the island. The entire surface of the island is like a bald fellow's head. With winds blowing constantly at such high speeds through time immemorial there is no possibility of any vegetation
save its lush green grass. With plenty of Highland cattle, Shetland ponies, lakes with rainbow trout and mute swans, the Orkney is a traveller's delight seeking solitude with adventure.
Despite its sparseness, Orkney has a fearce sense past with strong allegiance to Viking culture. Nobody knows why the 5,000 year old ring of Brodgar was built (dates back even before
pyramids). The magnificent St Magnus Cathedral dating back to 14th century is a masterly work of Romanesque and Transitional styles. A walk on the sea shore with craggy high mountain slopes bring you to the seabird colonies
and you must be an ornithologist to identify the different species. Simply sit there and watch the sun sink in to the ocean. The setting is stunningly peaceful.
Visit to The Highland Park is only by prior appointment. The 1798 built distillery
looks more like a Prison with the two Pagoda like chimneys looking like gallows. The tour of the distillery begins with the floor maltings. You see the malted barley strewn on the
floors of the distillery for natural drying. The floor mating is a speciality of Highland Park. The peat is digged from Hobbister, a nearby Moor. The peat offers its heathery
taste typical to Highland Park and it is a wonder how the distillery consistently maintains the true character of the whisky. The distillery has four stills and surprisingly
80% of the distilled alcohol goes for blending of "Famous Grouse' at Glasgow. The rest is bottled for the connoisseurs of " The Highland Park". There is a small gift shop in the
distillery where one can buy Highland Park of different ages. The 12 year old is the standard one followed by 18 year, 25 year, a bicentenary 1977 vintage reserve and a
35 year old cask strength. To mark my visit to the distillery I pick up an 18 year old which is the best I could afford.
In the distillery shop, a standard dram is offered for tasting. Cautiously I approach the glass. The nose is very heathery. For an island whisky, The Highland Park
appears exceptionally sherry (although half of the resting period of Highland Park is in bourbon casks) there is no bourbon trace at all. The whisky is very smooth and has a
delicious taste with touch of honey. The whisky is exceptional and no wonder why the experts call it "An Orcadian Delight". My rating: 88. ------------------ Subject: E-Report #2 - Buffalo Trace Distillery
Our (my self, my brother and sister) drive from New York to Lexington KY took nearly 15 hours and as we entered the town, exhausted, we needed something to pick up to call
it a day. So, we headed direct to the "Liquor Barn" and picked up Ancient Age - a local bourbon and I was surprised to pay only USD 7.53 for a 75cl bottle. The bottle was
opened without much fanfare and I took the first swig, expecting it to be a normal, cheap stuff. To my utter surprise, I found it be very smooth (even without water) and
the distinct flavor of a brand new oak cask hit my palate. The taste was very sweet which lingered for quite some time. More importantly the stuff agreed with our spicy
Indian food and I decided to look more deeply into the label of the bottle. Ancient Age is produced by Buffalo Trace Distillery at Frankfort, KY and I learnt that it is only 45 minutes drive from Lexington.
The next morning we headed straight for Frankfort. The distillery claims to be the oldest in North America dating back to 1787 although the
modern distillery started operating since 1857. The water is tapped from the Kentucky river running through the limestone fields. The bourbon is made from the sour mash
extracted from corn (80%), malted barley and rye. The distillery manufactures its own casks and it was very interesting to note the charring of the inside of the casks. The alcohol is stored in these barrels for aging. After the tour of the distillery, the official poured us the samples of " Buffalo Trace"
bourbon which is supposed to be the company's main product. It is called "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey" aged 10 years. It was smooth and had a distinct taste of
toffee and is being offered at USD 22.- for a 75cl bottle at the distillery's gift shop. I think it had 50% abv. I am not very sure. I did not much fancy the stuff.
For a price of USD 7.53 for a 75cl bottle, I thought Ancient Age was a far better bourbon than Buffalo Trace. I bought instead three bourbon cigars from the shop. I
sure recommend Ancient Age for any bourbon novice although I doubt it may be available for that price outside Kentucky. P.S: Mr. Elmer T Lee still visits the distillery and it was unfortunate that he was not
there on the day I visited the distillery. Later, in one of the book shops in London I saw this month's Whisky Magazine featuring an article on Buffalo Trace distillery.
------------------------------- Subject: Malt Madness E-Report from India #1 Single malt whisk(e)y is practically not known in India and I fell in love with this elixir in 1994 in NY and since then I was not the same man. I am so obsssed with single malts
that, I not only taste these "thoroughbreds" but make it a point to visit the "temples" from where they are distilled. After drinking a dram of Lag. 16 accidentally in London in
1998, I was so moved that the next thing I did was to make a pilgrimage to Islay the next day. I met Mike Nicholson in the distillery and it was an education to be in the
man's company. Here's the article on my above pilgrimage: Having completed my official programme during my recent sojourn to Europe I was
contemplating whether to pursue a long standing dream of mine or return home quietly. The idea of returning home appeared too unadventurous and so I decided on the idea
of pursuing my long standing dream - the dream of making a pilgrimage to the land where the ultimate elixir is produced. Yes, make a pilgrimage to the home of single
malts - Scotland. With idyllic settings of rolling meadows, countless number of lochs, crystal clear streams, green valleys and above all warm, friendly people, Scotland has
enough attractions to offer. Having decided to go on a trail in pursuit of uisge beatha - I was a little confused which part of the country I should visit, whether the Northern
Highlands, Speyside, Lowlands or the Islands. All these are the home of finest single malts each offering its unique style and taste. My instinct lead my finger on the
Scottish map to the southernmost island of Hebrides - The Isle of Islay. Islay is the home of eight single malts each characterising its own style with no
compromises. The eight jewels of the island are Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, Laphroig ( Prince Charles' favourite ) and Port Ellen.
A tiny island situated about 60 kilometres into the Atlantic from the main land, Islay is well accessible by Caledonian Macbrayne shipping and ferry services.
The journey from Glasgow by bus takes one through one of the most beautiful terrain of Scotland along Loch Lomond, the largest of the country's lochs by surface area. It took
me three hours before reaching Kennercraig, the starting point of the ferry. M.V. Isle of Arran, the ship which shuttles between Kennercraig and Islay has already berthed and
awaiting for the passengers. When I sat on the bench on the open deck of the ship and looked around the idyllic surrounding, certain peace descended upon me and for a
moment I thought my decision to make this pilgrimage was not bad after all. The ship reached Islay a full two and half hours later and berthed at Port Askaig, the
northernmost of the three small ports on the island. Most of the passengers left by their cars and a few were left at the ferry terminus waiting for the bus to take them
into the island. My destination was Port Ellen which was 15 kilometres from Port Askaig and I wrongly took a bus to Port Charlotte situated at the other corner of the island. I
got down from the bus and suddenly found that the wind was getting colder and not a soul to be seen anywhere. The only creatures around were the cows and sheep grazing
on the meadows around. I felt as though I was at the end of the world and time stood still. Suddenly a car approached from nowhere and I took courage to thumb it down. A
couple were travelling and as luck would have it, they were going to Port Ellen and offered me a lift. I checked in to "The Trout Fly" bread and breakfast hotel owned by a
cheerful couple. Since my stay was short I requested Mr. Hedley, the owner of the hotel to fix for an appointment to visit the Lagavulin distillery for the next day. There
was no chance that I could visit all the distilleries in a short time. Then came the shock. The distilleries are not opened to public on weekends. I reached the island on
a Friday evening and my return ferry was on Sunday afternoon. I felt as though my whole effort was wasted. I requested Mr. Hedley whether he could arrange my visit to
the distillery at once. The time was 5.30 P.M. Mr. Hedley contacted the distillery and after explaining that a person from India came all the way to see the distillery, the
manager of the distillery , who was calling it a day agreed to wait for me. The distillery was 4 kilometres away and Mr. Hedley was kind enough to take me in his car. Mr. Mike
Nicholson , the manager of the distillery was waiting for me. A man around the age of 55 years, Mr. Nicholson has been in the business of whisky distillation for about 30
years and is in charge of Lagavulin distillery for the last three years. Incidentally, Lagavulin is the premier brand among the single malts of United Distilleries which also produces the famous White Horse. Mr. Nicholson took me for the guided tour of the distillery for the next one hour and it was an education to be in this man's company. Any layman knows that whisky is
produced by a combination of water, barley (maize or rye) and yeast. Only connoisseurs or mad men go into further details of whisky making. The secrets of single
malts slowly started unravelling to me as Mr. Nicholson explained how the water is sourced, the barley malted with the help of island's peat, the alcohol separated and
finally, the most intriguing of all, how the whisky is matured. The whisky is matured in Oak casks which were previously used for maturing wines. The cask imparts the colour
and its own flavour to whisky. The casks rest in the warehouses breathing the air from the Atlantic for full sixteen years! May be it is the island's mystic nature of water, peat
and ocean wind that makes this whisky so special. In his office Mr. Nicholson pours a dram and offers me the glass.
On my way back to India, when I was window shopping in the liquor section of the Duty Free shop at Heathrow airport, the sales girl was showing several makes of single
malts and was trying to sell me a bottle of Lagavulin. I showed her my 16 year old bought at the very source. It had the autograph of Mike Nicholson.
My next pilgrimage is to Orkney some time in end of August 2000 and you know the "temple" ! Krishna Prasad Nukala |
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