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Monday 30 October 2006--There is something very poignant about riding the ferry out of Port Ellen's pretty half-moon bay, past
the three Kildalton distilleries, which seem to wave goodbye and say "Haste ye back". It's mostly cloudy, but a strip of
sunlight shines on the foreshore, making Ardbeg's whitewashed warehouses seem to glow.
On the mainland, I take a side trip to make a stop at Sween Castle. I need to make a phone call this morning, and the map shows a phonebox almost next to the castle. It's out of order, so I cut my visit short to run back up to the next one, some miles up the road. Happy birthday. At a petrol station outside of Lochgilphead, I stare for some moments at a familiar-looking gent across the fuel island, before realizing that he is Michael Heads, distillery manager at Jura [he has since moved on to Ardbeg]. He chats with me briefly---friendly chap. I make the obligatory stop at Loch Fyne Whiskies in Inveraray, where I address the back of Richard Joynson's head. He turns around smiling, and engages in more amiable chatter. Another nice fellow. I find a room in Glasgow (I'd originally hoped to stay in Inveraray, but the George was booked up), and spend the evening in the Pot Still. I've never been in the place before, but it is highly recommended by malt afficionados. It's a handsome pub, with a different look from the Bow Bar in Edinburgh, but a similar feel. As well as a vast array of malts, there is a very good choice of cask ales. I fall in with three local lads who are in various stages of inebriation, and we pass the time arguing good-naturedly. I discover bottlings from the Alchemist behind the bar, and oddly enough, I spend my last hours in a Scottish pub drinking their armagnac and calvados, as well as a Highland Park. I will be off to the airport in the morning, and will be glad to get home, but just now I feel as much at home as I do anywhere. It's a nice ending to another successful trip. Haste back I will, for sure. ~Fin~ 2007 |
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Farewell to Islay
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Castle Sween
2007
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