SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE
Further adventures in whisky
We hope to have inspired you over the years to take your whisky adventures to the next level. If you’re looking for any ideas, let’s cast our mind back to when Unfiltered took us well and truly off the beaten track
PHOTOS: JONATHAN PALMER, PETER SANDGROUND AND MIKE WILKINSON
ABOVE: Tour de Speyside
ABOVE: The Tour de Islay 2015
FULL FORCE GALE
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of combining distillery visits with a bit of cycling, with the Tour de Speyside and Tour de Islay events among our two-wheeled highlights. But pedalling through the Hebrides to visit Torabhaig on Skye, then over to the Isle of Raasay distillery and then on to Harris was pretty epic – even more so when Storm Kathleen was playing havoc on the West Coast!
THE LONG WAY AROUND
In 2017 we hit the road in a campervan to experience the legendary North Coast 500 around the north of Scotland. We called it ‘the long way around’ because there’s not much distillery action on the west coast part of the route, but it’s all worthwhile when you hit Wolfburn in Thurso and then the numerous distilleries on the way back down the A9 towards Inverness.
ABOVE: Shane Fraser throws himself into his work at Wolfburn
ABOVE: A moment of peace from battling Storm Kathleen on the Hebridean cycle tour
PICTURED: A fitting Society bottle snapped on the NC500
ABOVE: Alwynne Gwilt and Fiona Russell float down the River Spey
ABOVE: Fiona's kayak alongside Cask No. 50.48: Capering on a riverbank
JUST ADD WATER
What better way to experience the wonders of Speyside than by taking to the waters of the magical River Spey? That’s what writer Fiona Russell did back in 2012, in the company of expert canoe guide and font of all Spey-related knowledge, Dave Craig.
BACK ON THE BIKES
At the time of writing in 2015 there was a total of eight distilleries to tick off on our Tour de Islay, which we captured in our Homecoming video. Nowadays you’ll have to add in another two distilleries if you want to complete your own tour, with Ardnahoe and the reopened Port Ellen joining the ranks – and more on the way.
ABOVE: Port Ellen Distillery on Islay
PICTURED: A pit-stop at Bunnahabhain Distillery on the Tour de Islay
ABOVE: The peat-fired kiln at Highland Park Distillery
ABOVE: Jim Grogan outside the gates of Glen Scotia Distillery
THE LONG WAY DOWN
Getting to Campbeltown can feel like a long haul down the Kintyre peninsula, but the Wee Toon is well worth a visit for its whisky past, present and future. We explored Springbank and Glen Scotia back in 2009, when newly installed distillery manager Iain McAlister acknowledged the need for a lick of paint. His wishes have been granted and Glen Scotia is now pristine – and there are more distilleries rising fast in this part of the world.
ORKNEY ODYSSEY
Scotland is full of surprises, and travelling to Orkney reminds you that this archipelago really does have more of a Scandinavian rather than a Scottish vibe. When we made our island odyssey in 2016 there was just Highland Park and Scapa to visit – and both locations are well worth the travel – but now Orkney Distilling is also running spirit from the waterfront in Kirkwall.
ABOVE: Highland Park's maltings
PICTURED: Scapa Distillery on Orkney
ABOVE: Fiona Russell joins Finlay Mickel for a dram on the slopes
THE WHITE STUFF
Even adventurous souls like ourselves know when to back off, and when we experienced whiteout conditions while skiing with Olympic competitor Finlay Mickel in the Cairngorms, we had to stick to the easier slopes. That left all the more time for an apres-ski tasting, to find out what Society dram Finlay preferred in his hip flask.
DEER GREEN PLACE
An island off an island always feels extra special (see Raasay) – and that’s certainly the case with Jura. With only one distillery, only one township and thousands of deer for company, it can make Islay feel positively metropolitan. It might only be a 10 minute crossing from Port Askaig, but arriving on Jura really does make you feel off the beaten track.
ABOVE: Jura Distillery
PICTURED: Fiona Russell and Finlay Mickel take a break from skiing on Cairngorm
ABOVE: Richard Goslan and Phoebe Brookes in front of their orange Ford Mustang
ABOVE: Richard Goslan, Jamie Andrew, and Craig Johnstone
SUMMIT SCHWALLY
We always practise responsible drinking, but sometimes a wee sip from a hip flask at the top of a Munro – that’s any mountain at least 3,000 feet in height – is the perfect reward before enjoying a proper dram after the decent. Our adventure and tasting in 2010 up Ben Vorlich was conducted with inspirational mountaineer Jamie Andrew, who became a quadruple amputee after an accident in the French Alps and who is now a motivational speaker.
BOURBON AND BEYOND
Of course your whisky adventures can take you all over the world – and one of our highlights was back in 2015, hitting the road in Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas in an obnoxiously bright orange Ford Mustang to learn all about bourbon and beyond. Yeehaw!
ABOVE: Richard Goslan and Phoebe Brookes cruise across the US in a Ford Mustang