Today we visited 4 whiskey distilleries: Abelour, Cardhu, Glenfarclas and Macallan. We tried to fit in another (Glen Grant) but it was too late. We hired a driver for the day so we all could all enjoy the experience.

There are over 120 active distilleries spread across Scotland, which are split into five whisky-producing regions; Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland and Speyside. Where a whisky is made can have a huge bearing on its flavour, everything from the source of the water to the presence of peat in the local area will come through in the taste.

We’re in Speyside. Speyside is whisky heaven! By far the largest (by number of distilleries) and arguably the most famous of Scotland's whisky regions, this area sits in a fertile valley of rivers and secluded glens and is home to over half of Scotland's distilleries. Speyside is arguably the driest and warmest part of Scotland and the fertile farmlands in and around the region are ideal for growing barley, which when combined with soft local water tumbling down off the mountains, produces some of Scotland's best-loved malt whiskies.

We took a tour at Abelour and sampled 2-4 drams (a wee bit - like 15 ml) at each distillery. Dalwhinnie (not a Speyside whiskey) is still my favourite.

Each distillery has its own unique recipes and specifications but to make whiskey you need 3 ingredients: water, barley and yeast. Basically, you let the barley germinate until the starch of the grain has become malt sugar. The malt is then dried and coarsely ground. The sugar is extracted by adding hot water, and the resulting liquid is then left to ferment, producing a beer without the addition of hops. This beer is then distilled twice in copper pot stills. The configuration of the stills is what gives each brand it’s unique taste. The spirit is then matured in oak casks (with or without flavourings from other spirits like bourbon or sherry that were made in the casks before) for at least three years. High-class single malt whiskies are sometimes matured for decades.unfortunately, no distilleries allow pictures in the production area so I can’t share that with you.

We got back at about 5:00 and had a powwow about our plans to drive to Edinburgh tomorrow. The guys have decided to golf here and then make their way to Edinburgh, leaving us girls to drive to Edinburgh on our own and get to the Airbnb after dropping off their car at the airport.