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prE-pistle #1 - The Islay Pilgrimage 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 Lagavulin 16yo 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 my prE-pistle 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 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 will be to Orkney by the end of August 2000 - and you can probably guess the "temple"! Krishna Prasad Nukala
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #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".
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - prE-pistle #4 - Unleashing the Clynelish You have to take A9 towards north from Inverness to proceed for Brora in Sutherland where the distillery of Clynelish is situated.
The route is one of the most exciting of the eastern landscapes of Scotland meandering over cliffs whose base is washed constantly by the waters of the North Sea. Just after the Dornoch Firth if one looks carefully into the sea,
the water enters through two vast hills and it is said that Alistair MacLean drew his inspiration from this dramatic setting to write 'The Guns of Navorone'. Shortly you will be at Carn Laith where you will encounter one of the
largest and well- preserved Brochs of Scotland. A bit of Scottish history here. Brochs are the tall defensive towers found only in Scotland built over 2500 years ago and were meant to be watch towers to signal any invasions from
invaders attacking from the North Sea. The distillery, now owned by United Distilleries goes back to 1819 and it was sad to know that no whisky is
being produced in the old Victorian building. A new construction has been made right next to it and one can see the shining copper stills of the new distillery through the huge glass panes. Clynelish claims to have the distinction
of inducting first lady manager in the industry in the form of Ms. Kay Fleming. Unfortunately she was off on the day I visited the distillery. Nevertheless, a charming lady took me to a tour of both the buildings.
Traditionally, the distillery produced Brora and since some time (probably from 1983) it stopped producing the whisky in this name and all whisky produced now is only Clynelish. Clynelish does the malting from outside. It has its
own springs coming down from high above the mountains running at the back of the distillery. There are eight wash backs and six stills. All the stills are oil heated. After the desired strength of alcohol had been arrived at, the
casks are stored (thankfully) in the cellars of the old Victorian building. The cellars contain mostly Clynelish although I could spot three vintage casks of 1972 Brora. The distillery has also kept six casks separate for its 2019
bi-centenary celebrations! The bottling is done outside at Leven, Pfife. Back in the Clynelish office the standard 14-year Clynelish is offered for the tasting. The liquid was of pale gold and I approach the stuff with
my usual reverence. The first sip was surprisingly fruity. I close my eyes to unravel the other secrets of this wonderful whisky with my second and subsequent sips. It has a full body with a hint of peat and the taste lingered long
after my exit from the distillery. A big whisky, and I can vouch that even beginners could fall for it.
prE-pistle #5 - Kentucky Bourbon October 2001; Woodford Reserve from Labrot & Graham, Kentucky A visit to Kentucky can never be complete without a visit to a Bourbon
distillery. My last visit here was to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. This time, after having tasted a Woodford Reserve bought from the gigantic "Liquor Barn" in Lexington I had no second thought not to visit
Labrot & Graham in Versailles, Ky. I goaded my brother to drive me next day to Versailles. You follow Route 60 from Lexington towards Frankfort and at intersection of state road 1685 you turn left on to route 3360.
Just follow this and you will not miss L&G. Kentucky is called the Blue Grass State and the unending rolling meadows reminded me of my experiences in Scotland. On either side of the road you see horses grazing lazily on the
horse farms and the intense myriad of colors highlighted the peak autumn season in the woods. The distillery is situated in an idyllic valley where a lazy stream meanders slowly past a group of old lime stone buildings. This is
Bourbon country with a Scottish setting Labrot & Graham, established in 1812, chose the site to distil spirits from the local produce - Corn. The distillery is situated on a 42-acre site and strangely one has to
enter it from the small graveyard in the entrance. The distillery is very compact with little human intervention at any stage. Hardly anybody seemed to be working at the site. The tour of the distillery however was very detailed
and the tour guide took great pains to explain each and every aspect of bourbon making in minute details. The tour begins with cypress fermenting tanks where the sour mash takes full 7 days - longer than most other bourbon making
distilleries. The sour mash is made of 70% of corn and the rest malted barley and rye. The three gas fired stills are from the Forsyths of Scotland. The alcohol is triple distilled and the master distiller extracts the right cut
through the spirit box. Just as in the Buffalo Trace Distillery the casks are made of brand new oak casks that are fired from inside forming at least a millimeter of charcoal wall. For the first time in my whiskey
experiences I could really see the release of various natural ingredients from the wood. Herein takes place the marriage of wood with alcohol and the out come after seven long years is – The magnificent Labrot & Graham's
Woodford Reserve. A Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey. The whisky is honey colored and the nose is distinctly woody and little bit spicy. Taste – sweet like a toffee. Finish - long and very satisfying. Without any
doubt this is a real thoroughbred whiskey coming from the thoroughbred capital of the world – Kentucky. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Check out
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