BlindTastingOnTour 2021 : Campbeltown

After 2 years stuck at home due to Covid the #BlindTasting team finally got back on tour with a visit to Campbeltown - the boys were back in town!

GIF by @JWBassman_

John @jwbassman_, Max @mgilberties, Andy @andy_watkinson and myself  last visited in 2019 just before Covid hit, you can read about it here, so we thought it was time we went back.

Note: most of the videos and the large photos are 360° photos which you can drag around with your mouse!

An early start and we joined up at Carnforth Railway Station to begin the 6+ hour trip to Campbeltown, the traffic was very light and we made it in plenty of time!

A couple of sign selfie photo opportunities before we arrived at Glen Scotia to say hello!

The distillery wasn't open for tours

but we were able to look over the fence and watch some freshly filled casks being moved to the warehouse

A quick visit to the shop to view the current distillery bottlings

Glengyle Distillery

First on our itinerary was a visit to Glengyle distillery, and on my 5th or 6th visit the first time I had actually seen them in production.

Glengyle Malt Mill

Mash Tun

The Washbacks

A full washback!

Mashing Log Book

View of the distillery

Condensers and Stills

The Spirit Safe

Distillation Log Book

Washbacks and Mash Tun from below

Interesting set of numbers chalked on these casks - can't be different ABVs?

Filled Casks

The Boys!

 And a quick visit to the Dunnage Warehouse

  

Washback Bar

After the tour we visited the new Washback Bar for a sample of Kilkerran 12yo.

Cadenhead's Warehouse Tasting

Next was a Cadenhead's Warehouse Tasting, these had only restarted this week so had a slightly different format than previously. You have to book online, logged into your account using one of the codes you are sent annually I think on your membership joining date.

The tasting are limited to 8 people, socially distanced and now held in No.6 Bond rather than No.9

We had the lovely Jenna & Jess for our first tasting and then Lewis for the 2nd.

Six casks have been pre-bottled and 10-15ml pours of each are given using the same glass, you do get a bottle of water to rinse your glad between samples and of course to keep hydrated.

Nice to see the tastings back up and running but not quite as good as they used to be.

The drams we tried were:

Caol Ila 2012 9yo Single Cask #303503

Highland Park 2009 12yo Single Cask

Glenfarclas 2003 18yo Single Cask #19-P99

Cameronbridge 1989 31yo Single Cask #31951

Glen Garioch 2012 9yo Single Cask #225

Glen Elgin 2009 12yo Single Cask

Glen Scotia

The following day we went to Glen Scotia to meet Iain!

We had a good laugh about my John Travolta impressions with my 360° camera!

My John Travolta impression... Photo: Max

Reaching up from the bottom to the top of the distillery are the two huge Malt Bins full of malted barley ready for the next batch of whisky.

We then walked through past the bottom on the Mash Tun to the Malt Mill

And then up to the Mash Room

Where Iain explained how the process worked.

Each of the plates in the floor are numbered so they can be put back in the same place after cleaning.

Then it was off through the Still Room to the Washbacks.

Past where Archie was polishing the Spirit Safe

Where we got to try some of the Wash - like sour beer!

And then through to the Still Room

Then it was outside to see the Condensers and into the old Malting Floors with Pagoda Roof

The Condensers

and into the Malting floors

with it's amazing Pagoda Roof

Then it was back to the Still Room and down the stairs to see the Spirit Safe doing it's stuff!

 

New Make Spirit coming off at 22°C and 71% ABV

Archie checking the level in the Low Wines & Feints Receiver

Then it was out to the Dunnage Warehouse

where Iain shared some Cask Samples

Photos: JWBassman_

Huge thanks to Iain, Hector, Archie, Hannah and the rest of the team!

A great end to a fantastic trip!

On our way home we stopped off to visit an old friend at his new place of employment!

Ibon at his Whisky Bar in Cameron House Hotel