Scotland Road Trip 2018 - Day Seven (Loch Ness)
The seventh day of our trip began with a delicious, full Scottish breakfast at Creag Mhor Lodge. That meant plenty of scrambled eggs, fatty bacon, sausage, black pudding, baked beans, and tattie (i.e., potato) scones. I wasn't bold enough to try the black pudding, skipped the beans and sausage, and found the tattie scone a little doughy. So, I suppose at the end of the day I ended up having a very American breakfast of two helpings of eggs and bacon.
The decorations at the Creag Mhor Lodge were exactly my style!
A blackface sheep and its lamb
Our first stop after hitting the road for an hour or two was Drumnadrochit, a small town with a few charming shops and a kitschy center devoted to the Loch Ness Monster. After grabbing some photos and a souvenir or two at the that visitor center, we killed an hour or so around the small stretch of town. We ate fish and chips at a restaurant called Fiddlers Highland, which featured empty whisky bottles as one of its main decorations, including some impressive and notable bottles from closed distilleries like Brora and Rosebank. And, when we came out, we heard the haunting and melancholic strains of a bagpiper playing in the center of the town. It could not have been a more Scottish experience!
The day's main event was an hour-long cruise across Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle, where we spent an hour wandering the castle's ruins. Urquhart has an interesting history, with various forts and castles built on the site for hundreds of years, before the last lord blew up the castle with gunpowder to prevent it from being captured by Jacobite rebels against the crown. A highlight of the experience was enjoying drams of Laphroaig Cairdeas Fino, the 2018 Feis Ile special edition, on the ship. We're still combing through our photographs for any signs of Nessie, I'm convinced we've captured her.
The view from a tower window at Urquhart Castle
After a brief interlude exploring the town of Inverness, mainly to pick up a few souvenirs, we wrapped up the day with whiskies outside on the back lawn of our next small country house hotel, Kinkell House Hotel. We also enjoyed dinner that night at the hotel's excellent associated restaurant, Chanterelle Kinkell, which introduced us to the parfait-like dessert known as the Eton Mess. Since I can't have a trip report without a few whisky reviews, though, I'll wrap up with some thoughts on a few more Laphroaig drams.
Laphroaig 25, 2015 Edition (46.8% ABV) - Laphroaig 25 is a cask-strength expression, although its long years of maturation ended up driving the ABV down pretty much to the standard, diluted alcohol content of most whiskies. The nose is defined by vanilla, caramel, guava, floral, and oak, with just hints of maritime brine. It's a complex and pleasant nose, albeit not the powerhouse notes one typically associates with Laphroaig. This is a gentle, mature dram whose smokiness is part of a chorus of flavors rather than a solo act. The palate demands attention on every sip, with unexpected flavors each time: oak, coffee, chocolate, peat smoke, and grapefruit. The texture is oily and thicker than one would expect at 46%. The finish has nutty components, like almond or macadamia, along with more oak, chilis, and peat smoke. At roughly $500 a bottle, it's not likely to find a spot on my shelf anytime soon, but it is a lovely and refined accomplishment. A
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2011 Ileach (50.5%) - This is the most floral Laphroaig that I've tried, which is odd given that it's apparently an 8-year old whisky drawn from first-fill Maker's Mark bourbon barrels. Where are these unusual notes coming from? Vanilla is expected, but I also get some Crunch bar (rice and chocolate), lavender, and pine. The palate is more conventional, medicinal Laphroaig, honey, peat, and creosote. Mild smoke, barley, oil and tar wrap up the show. This is another solid Cairdeas expression, and the floral notes on the nose make it a memorable one. A-