The Speyside Golf and Whisky Trail

The Speyside Golf and Whisky Trail

 

The busier parts of the Home of Golf get gazillions of golfers. There's nothing wrong with that except you sometimes feel you're on a conveyor belt. "Hey, there's the guys we saw in Dornoch (Callaway RAZR X Irons). Yeah, I saw them in Carnoustie and they're heading for Gleneagles next – just like us!" Sometimes it pays to get off the beaten track!

Speyside is a serene and secluded part of the Scottish Highlands, punctuated with spectacular scenery, superb golf and 28 of the world's most famous whisky distilleries. The fast flowing River Spey has the purest water in the entire British Isles, ideal for the creation of single malt whisky.

"Golf & Whisky… what an ideal combination!" I mused as I sat in the bar at the Knockomie Hotel in the delightful wee town of Forres nursing a 10-year-old Benromach with the flavours of dark chocolate (Taylormade R9 Max Irons), melted butter and sticky toffee pudding tickling my taste buds.

As if by magic this mouth-watering mélange transformed into a finish of sweet fruit – or was it California raisins with a hint of Reggae Reggae Barbeque Sauce? Wow! I was really getting the hang of this whisky-tasting business.

If you're a neophyte whisky acolyte like me, you need a spirit-guide to help you appreciate the subtleties of Uisge-Beatha, Scots Gaelic for the ‘Water of Life'. I was being ‘led by the nose' by Penny Ellis, Knockomie's ‘Honorary Still Person' and general whisky buff.

"Nosing is probably the most important aspect of discerning the nuances of single malt whisky," Penny informed me. "Your nose can detect around 35,000 different subtle aromas while your taste buds only appreciate the basic flavours of sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Get your nose working with your taste buds and you'll soon appreciate the uniqueness of each malt."

I could tell my whisky-tasting apprenticeship could take many more hours of practical study.

So what else did she recommend?.

She poured me a 12-year old Glenlivet; honeyed, biscuit-sweet with a malty edge, TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Iron Set,  its tawny smoothness and elderberry after-taste adding an ever-more romantic glow to the prospect of exploring this fascinating part of Scotland as well as sampling its produce.