An Edinburgh Overnight with a trip to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Leith
It has been a wee while since I (together with Whisky Boy wife Jacqueline) had an overnight stay in Edinburgh. Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital is such a beautiful historic city with wonderful buildings that evoke a real sense of times long gone. The city, as always, was exceptionally busy, with the native folks from the Lothian area probably in the minority. It was fascinating, people watching so many tourists from across the globe all trying to soak in a bit of historic Scotland.
The choice of where to eat and have a drink is fantastic as are the range of prices. For lunch we visited Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street in St Andrews Square. I have to say the food was excellent, but the drinks were a bit pricey, but pricey drinks are not unusual for a major city.
I personally feel that the high end prices will deter many visitors from sampling, in my opinion, the best Scottish product, a fine single malt. For example, I saw on a drinks menu a Bowmore 15 year old 25 cl with a price of £23 – shocking, although have to say a very desirable dram.
As you can imagine, whilst in this magical city atmosphere, I had to sample a few drams.
On analysis I have to say the best value in my opinion, where you are in a pleasant, tasteful environment with probably the best quality of drams and spirits I have ever enjoyed was in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) So it was time to visit there ancestral home at The Vaults in Leith. It’s not just the Whisky, as my wife loves the GN1 (a Glasgow Distillery) Society gin (to the extent that she opened a bottle when we came home).
I think enjoying a dram is not just about what is in the glass, (although that is pretty high on the priority list), for me I want a comfortable seat, a calm tasteful environment that is not too noisy, where I can close my eyes, take a sip and let my dram of choice transport me to wherever it hailed from (my favourite is distillery 53 Caol Ila) and for those who know Islay you will be aware of those beautiful views over the sound of Jura. I cannot recommend becoming a member of the Society enough, their range of Whiskies and other spirits are exceptional, some are quite rare, and prices can vary, but I always get a sense that each bottle from a single cask is a privilege to savour as they will be limited to a specific number so you know that each dram you pour you are getting closer to saying goodbye to this specific cask of amber gold.
