Whisky Tour in Edinburgh, Scotland

Whether you are a whisky lover or a teetotaler, it’s totally worth exploring the whisky tour in Scotland. The Scotch Whisky Experience is beside the Edinburgh castle, Scotland. 

The Barrel-train ride inside a dark tunnel takes us through the whisky making process. The doctor whisky character appears on the walls of the tunnel with a husky voice explaining the types of grains used to make whisky. Malt whisky is made from malted barley, whereas grain whisky is produced from grains, such as wheat, and corn.

I didn’t know the difference between Malt and Blended whisky, until doctor explained it. Single Malt whisky is from singe distillery, like Glenfiddich. Malt whisky manufactured in Scotland is known as Scotch whisky. Blended Whisky is mix of many types of malt and grain whisky, like the popular Johnnie Walker.

The color and taste of the whisky will alter based on the wood of the barrel, and the number of years the whisky was aged. Gallons of whisky is evaporated from the barrels whilst it is aged, and this holy loss is refereed as the ghost’s share of whisky. Wine continues to age in the bottle, even after it is removed from the barrels, but whisky stops ageing once it is removed from the cask.

After the Barrel ride ended, the guests were taken to an oval-shaped whisky tasting room. The guests were given a whisky glass and an aroma paper with four partitions.  Each partition of the aroma paper has a different smell, like fruit, smoke, wood, vanilla. Based on the guest’s aroma preference, a drink which meets the aroma is poured into the glass for tasting.

Choosing whisky is apparently an art, and one needs to swirl the glass and notice the mark trail left by the liquid on the glass, as well as sniffing the aroma. The trace left by the whisky helps to determine the age of the whisky!

Each individual has a different preference whilst drinking whisky, some prefer drinking it neat, some like it on the rocks, or dilute the whisky with water. Although the staff did not insist on the correct method of drinking, most of them in the room preferred neat. At the end of the tasting session were a ‘happy’ crowd and each one got to keep the glass as souvenir.

The staff walked the guests out of the tasting room, and we ventured into the whisky museum. The place had all types of whiskeys stored in huge glass cabinets which were colorfully lit. The staff spoke about some of the key possessions in the whisky vault, and the value of these liquid, which will never be tasted!

There is also a whisky souvenir shop, and the price starts from as less as five pounds for a miniature peg bottle and goes up to million bucks for a bottle. Next time you hold a glass of whisky or see someone holding one, remember it takes ages and a lot of effort in making the liquid gold. Cheers!