As I have asserted in a number of other posts, it was piddling it down when I visited. Consequently, I took my photos from the door of the VC. The gable end you see is for the still house, where my laundry was drying at the time.
Oldmeldrum, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, AB51 0ES, 01651 873450. Morrison Bowmore (Suntory). www.glengarioch.com
APPEARANCE AND LOCATION: *** This area of Aberdeenshire is rural and rugged, despite being mostly flat. It feels a little wilder. The distillery is very much in the outer suburbs of the town, with a very busy main road at the top of the lane to the distillery. The buildings are lovely, however, even when wet which is rarely said about architecture anywhere near a damp Aberdeen.
TOURS PROVIDED:
‘Standard Tour’: £4. See ‘My Tour’ below.
‘VIP Tour’: £22. The distillery manager takes you round on this tour. It is a more in-depth experience again, lasting about 2 hours. You go into the warehouses and taste four whiskies from the Morrison Bowmore stable, including output from Bowmore and Auchentoshan distilleries.
DISTILLERY-EXCLUSIVE BOTTLINGS: N/A
My Tour – 23/04/2010
THE RUNNING COMMENTARY: ***
THE PROCESS AND EQUIPMENT: *
Notes: I got a good look up inside the kiln and around the maltings, which it is rumoured may start up again. They haven’t been converted into anything else, unlike the old cooperage which is now the superb VC. However, the way Fiona described the place of traditional maltings in the modern whisky industry – how with the consistency of commercial maltsters the industry as a whole is now producing consistently better whisky – I don’t think the staff believe this re-instatement is an imminent one. They have had problems with water, and hedge their bets with two sources. There are three stills in the still room, but only two make whisky and dry soaked cycling gear.
GENEROSITY: (1 dram)
VALUE FOR MONEY: *
SCORE: 5/10 *s
COMMENT: A fairly standard 5/10 stars, so why would I recommend everyone to go, and why, if I manage to finish this journey, will I mark the achievement with a bottle of the 1990 vintage? The people, is the simple answer. Jane and Fiona lifted my spirits to untold heights: seriously impressive considering my hellish experiences in the rain and muck on the A96, one of the busiest roads in the Highlands. Their humour and hospitality are two things I shall never forget, and thinking of their enthusiasm for my trip was what ensured I made it back to Huntly. It is a nice whisky, though: dry, cerealy, but with toffee richness. The tour is equally good. You take a peak in the maltings and there is a very thorough explanation of why they are no longer used. You also get to look into the kiln from the grate where all that peat would have gone. The Visitor’s Centre is top class, also; they converted it from the old cooperage. Jane: that was a lovely cup of tea; and Fiona: you get that gold star. Thank you.
The kiln above the maltings. Will it come to life again and supply the peatier Glen Garioch malt of old?