A Wee Dram of Whiskey

After we got home from Italy in June, Mike and I agreed that Scotland would be our next travel destination.  We both wanted a Scottish adventure before the end of this year.  November has been a great travel month for us in the past when we hopped over the pond to Ireland in 2010 before we got married.  And what is more festive than some cozy weather, a fluffy sweater, a nice warm fireplace, a hearty meal & some delicious whiskey.  So when I found out that I had to travel to Scotland for some work on the Dewar's account, Mike and I immediately turned that into an autumnal dream vacation.

Prior to Mike and I reuniting for a Scottish adventure in Edinburgh, I spent 4 days traveling through the Highlands of Scotland exploring the wonder that is the world of Dewar's scotch whiskey.  We had some very serious (I kid) meetings in different areas across the country to ensure that we were all extremely versed in the distillery process and able to participate in many whisky tastings.

In all seriousness though, the people of the Malt Camp were taken on a once in a lifetime tour of the intricacies and the charm that makes up the Dewar's brand, and we got to experience all of the magic that can't be described in a power point presentation or in any brand summit.  When the daily grind of a tough job gets you down, it's extremely rewarding to get to be a part of a brand that has this much history and enables us to be able to take such a special trip out to the home of the brand.  I'm extremely grateful that I got to be a part of that.  Here are a few pictures from the work portion of my trip to Scotland:

View from our first stop - the MacDuff Distillery

Just a little competitive research at Macallan

My little cabin getaway for the night

Dewar's Distillery in Aberfeldy!

Happy Halloween from Aberfeldy

Bottled and sealed all by myself!

The Fellowship of the whiskey

While I was working in Scotland, Mike was on a London "mancation" with our bestie Mike Keohane.  They packed their best tweed and Barbour jackets and charmed what seemed like every lady in London before joining me in the great city of Edinburgh.  My last night with the Dewar's team was not kind to me, and I woke up in rare form, with a beast of a headache.  I was definitely caught up in a Halloween night on my first evening in Edinburgh, along with my last night with some extremely fun work colleagues.  So I MAY have had a few too many whiskeys, and I MAY have stayed out a little too late, and I MAY have forgotten to take my contacts out.  Nevertheless, I was THRILLED to see both Mikes in the lovely city of Edinburgh. I'm pretty sure that was the longest period of time I'd been away from my husband since we got married - so it was a very happy reunion - despite my hungover condition.

"Do I get to kill the English?"

There were a few highlights on our trip, and since I'm on my 3rd year of this blog, I don't feel the need to take you through the day-by-day, and I'm PRETTY sure you don't really want to read about it, so I'll once again, I'll summarize some of my favorite things about exploring one of my new favorite countries with "the Mikes'.

Edinburgh Dungeons: On our first day that the three amigos were reunited in Edinburgh, a few of us were feeling the pain from the night before, so we had a somewhat soft agenda.  But as we settled down in the Doric pub for our first meal of the day around 2p, we were staring straight into the entrance of the Edinburgh Dungeons.  While there IS a real under-ground tour (we did the real one the following day) that you can take in Edinburgh, this is more of a "theme park".  We meandered into the dungeon experience somewhat unsuspecting and rolled our eyes during the first lame acting attempt by the overly enthusiastic characters that greeted us in our first room.  But as we continued through the dungeon experience, we spent the next hour being ridiculously scared by the haunted stories and terrifying surprises that lurked around every corner.  I think this one picture just captures our experience perfectly.

Edinburgh Castle:  We had some fabulous weather while we were out there.  Expert travelers had told us that November would be crummy weather, and that it could be quite miserable, but we had some gorgeous days.  One day in particular, was the day we all decided to head up to the Edinburgh castle at the top of the hill in the city.  Once you climbed the cobblestone streets to the top, it was an unbelievable view...you can see  miles and miles of medieval excellence and rolling green hills.  We spent the better part of 3 hours up there admiring the history and the views on what was quite possibly the perfect day in Edinburgh.  Sure, my

Mike & I keep guard - don't worry!

husband took a scary tumble down 8 stairs, and Keohane had a borderline concussion when his head didn't clear the 5'6" door frame at the chapel, and sure, I feared that I might have to carry BOTH of them down steep hill - it made for some great laughs and the panoramas were worth battling the numbing wind gusts at the second highest point in the city.

Our Highland Road Trip: Mike and I have learned from our trips to Italy and decided that our favorite days were when we explored the countrysides with our drivers.  We scheduled a trip for the three of us that proved to be one of the most special days I've had in a long time.  Our driver, Ian, was an adorable Scottish man who was a living history book (which Mike appreciated immensely).  On our way out to the Highlands, Ian took us to Dunfermline Abbey - a quaint surprise that provided some of the most picturesque settings of the entire trip.  After an unchaperoned, self-guided tour through the Abbey (where some claim Robert the Bruce is buried),  we decided to explore the little park below the ruins.  And it was like stepping into a fairy tale.  A crystal clear brook tricked through a landscape of trees that were so beautiful it appeared as though they were lit up by fire.  There were bridges, benches and nooks covered in soft, bright green moss that could have accumulated over hundreds of years!  I wouldn't have been surprised if little glittery fairies came out of the foliage or maybe a unicorn was sipping from the stream- it was THAT whimsical.

Menzies Castle:  One of the most important things on our agenda was to visit the Menzies castle.  My husband is extremely proud of his Scottish heritage, and couldn't wait to show us the home of his family clan.  BUT, one problem - the castle was closed after 10/31.  So Mike, being a member of the Menzies clan, was able to call the castle and arrange for a private tour - for just the three of us!  That alone was extremely special - but what made the trip even more memorable was the proud Scot who actually gave us the tour!  The three of us were guided through a severely haunted castle for two hours listening to the riveting stories of the clan and their history.  Luckily, he saved the ghost stories until the end....otherwise I might have been hesitant to climb several stories of a winding stone staircase.  But the stories he told made every hair on my body stand on end...I had goosebumps all the way to my face!

Stumbling upon the MOST festive Christmas bar ever made:  As most of you know - the Mobleys live just a stone's throw away from Rolf's - arguably the most festive Christmas bar to ever open.  And one of the best things about visiting Europe in November, is the fact that there is a chance that you'll get to enjoy some early Christmas decorations as Europe doesn't wait to observe Thanksgiving. So it was like a Christmas miracle when the three of us stumbled upon a building illuminated in what seemed like millions of tiny white lights and the most beautiful wreaths you ever did see.  So what could make this experience even better?  This location was a BAR!  Not a fancy hotel, not a government building, and not a private social club.  A perfectly inviting, festively illuminated drinking establishment.  Granted, it was the most crowded place I had ever been, but the three of us appreciated the delicious pints as we watched the room change colors.  What a nice little surprise!

A Night at Monteith's:  The Mike's did a fabulous job dressing in all the festive attire that you'd arm yourself with in Scotland.  They had plenty of tweed, tartan and plaid to survive the week.  But they quickly found out on the first night that they were missing a festive accessory - so naturally they bought pipes.  However, you can't smoke anywhere in Scotland indoors, so they didn't get to enjoy their pipes until our last night, when we visited Monteiths.  This restaurant was the quintessential Scottish nook.  Complete with tartan booths, antlers mounted on the wall, lambskin throws and an arbor decorated with tiny white lights - it was the perfect setting for our last night as a trio.  AND the best part, the boys could smoke their pipes under the comfort of the twinkling arbor on the outdoor patio.  Not to mention, it was hands down the best meal we had on the entire trip.  After our meal, we all sipped some triple cask Balvenie from a tweed flask and the boys puffed on their festive pipes and it was absolute bliss.  I haven't laughed that long in a while.

Our tribute day to Mary Queen of Scots: After Keohane left us to return to the states, Mike and I woke up sad.  We missed our friend and we knew it was our last day in Scotland, but we were determined to leave Scotland on a high note and make the most of our last, gorgeous, sunny day in Edinburgh.  I had made it 8 days without stepping foot in a museum, so Mike and I headed to the National Museum of Scotland to catch the Mary Queen of Scots exhibit before it was gone!  I'm rarely blown away my museums, but this one was GOOD & it was worth the time indoors.  We continued to retrace Mary Queen of Scot's steps by walking the entire length of the Royal Mile to end up at Holyrood Palace where she spent her time while in Edinburgh.  And to top it off, we stopped in a quaint little tearoom on our way home for an afternoon tea - because that's what queens do.

We miss our friend!

Its not unusual for me to be distraught upon departing from a fabulous vacation, but this one was particularly disturbing - and that's because I fell absolutely, head-over-heels, in LOVE with Scotland - all of it.  I love the scotch, I love the tartan, I love the Highlands, I loved the autumnal breeze, I love the kilts, I love clean rain, I love the bagpipes, I love the salmon, I love those silly furry cows that are dotted across the highland farms, I love the rolling green hills, I love the tweed, I love that they have Belhaven on tap, and I love the accents.

The sun setting over our Balmoral hotel on our last night

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip that surpassed every expectation I ever had about Scotland and I would not have changed ONE THING about our trip. I'd love to get another trip out there soon, next time with some family because that country has completely stolen my heart.  Scotland - you gorgeous country - thank you for the scotch, the adventures, the fall foliage & most importantly - the memories!  We'll be seeing you soon!