Glenkinchie Distillery

A proper trip to Scotland isn't complete without developing a mature palate for single malt scotch whisky. Dan and I decided to get the ball rolling early by taking the bus to a town about an hour southeast of Edinburgh called Pencaitland. From there we walked two miles to the Glenkinchie Distillery. 

On the walk to the distillery

This particular distillery has been around for decades. We got the chance to tour the working distillery to learn how whisky is made. The process is truly a science. The ratio of ingredients, precise temperatures, and distilling times have been perfected to create an award winning single malt. A single malt comes from just one distillery and is not blended. Only 8% of their production goes toward their named single malt. The other production is used to create blends such as Johnny Walker and J&B. It was a fun first step toward learning all about scotch. As a bonus, our guide Charlie gave us a ride to our bus stop in the smallest car I've ever ridden in.  

Charlie and our taste test

Wednesday and Thursday were occupied by classes and errands. Nothing is notable besides our brief stop at a famous Scottish gun shop called John Dickinson & Son. Here they make beautiful custom shotguns. They don't come cheap either. One of the guns was listed at 46K GBP. 

Bright and early we head to Glasgow for the day.