Meng's Travels: Whisky, Loch Ness and Inverness

We left Skye in the mid-afternoon driving across a bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Our first stop is the Eileen Donan Castle, built around the 13th century to defend against the Vikings. It is a beautiful castle but we did not go in because of the tight schedule.

We got into Inverness in the late afternoon and were dropped off at our B&Bs'. We had the evening free to wander around town. I found a small Turkish restaurant selling kebabs, similarly to many that you find all over Europe. The Turks were first brought to Germany as low-cost laborers for the automotive industry in the 60s' and have since spread all over Europe. The food is usually very tasty and the prices low. They are very popular among the locals.

Now we come to the most exciting part of our tour - visiting a whisky distillery. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the distillery. The Glen Ord Distillery is about 30 minutes outside Inverness. It is located in an area where there is abundant water suitable for making into whisky. We were introduced to the basics of making whisky, starting with barley: soaking, germinating, drying and finally fermenting it with yeast. Then the alcohol is extracted at the right flavor. Finally, they age in oak barrels for 12 years before they are ready for the market. This distillery produces single-malt whisky for the Asian market. Single-malt whisky means that it comes from a single distillery as opposed to blended whisky, which means it comes from more than one distillery and then blended together. Johnny Walker, the highest exporting Scotch whisky is a blended whisky. Bourbon, or American whiskey (Americans even spell whiskey differently), is made from mostly corn but may also contain wheat, rye or barley in it. They usually age for much shorter time than Scotch whisky. We were rewarded at the end of the tour with a dram (or shot) of whisky.

Right after the whisky tour, we drove to the Urquhart Castle, sitting on the banks of Loch Ness. It was believed to be built in the 13th century and was the site of many battles between the different Scottish clans and between the Scots and the English. Today it is a popular tourist stop, either because it's on the banks of Loch Ness or its deceptively beautiful night-scene (see picture below, taken from one of the internet sites) as seen in many tourist brochures. Seeing the castle during the day and approaching it from land is a big disappointment. It is nothing more than a ruin. Most of its walls have been knocked down and one has to imagine, through the commentary, of what the rooms or inside of the castle looked like in its glory days.

If visiting Urquhart Castle was a disappointment, the cruise or boat ride on Loch Ness was a total let-down. For about 12 pounds or almost $20, we took a 30-minute cruise from one tourist trap to another. The cruise was very ordinary; we could have been on any loch in Scotland. Conveniently, we ended the cruise in a (viola!) gift shop that sells 100% authentic Scottish and Loch Ness souvenirs, except most of them were made in China. Anything they can think of to make you part with your hard-earned money, it's there. How about a Loch Ness refrigerator magnet for Uncle John? More postcards? Need a stuff animal for your girlfriend? You've got it. Just give me your money.

We spent 2 nights in Inverness. Inverness is capital to the Scottish Highlands. It's probably the biggest town or city (population about 60,000) in this part of Scotland. The town is beautifully laid out on both sides of the River Ness with many restaurants, pubs, churches, and residences spread over a beautiful wooded area of the highlands. There is a pedestrian mall running through the city centre and a big shopping mall at the end of this street. Traditionally, it's been a distillery town but now has a high-tech industry. I did not know much about Inverness before coming to Scotland but I was surprised to see many hotels and B&Bs' all over town. I guess many tourists come here as part of the Scottish Highlands tour or to see Loch Ness.