October Whiskies of the Month - Halloween
October’s “whiskies of the month” come from a team of our passionate and talented visitors experience assistants. This month’s team were delighted to have the chance to uncover some spooky Halloween themed whiskies, researching stories and analysing the bottles to find the very best selection.
Some whiskies chosen for the month have a very strong connection to the theme (The Devil’s Favourite Whisky), while others are simply related to things that could be considered spooky (a spider on the bottle). We’ll let you decide which is your favourite!
Annandale Man O’ Words Single Cask Fino
Annandale distillery produces peated (smoky) and non-peated whiskies. Their non-peated expression is called Man O’ Words, named after Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. One of Burns’ most famous poems is Tam O’ Shanter, a tale of a man who is riding home after an evening in his local tavern. The poem quickly takes a spooky turn as Tam encounters a gathering of witches and warlocks partying with the devil and must flee from them.
“Inspiring bold John Barleycorn!
What dangers thou canst make us scorn!
Wi’ tippeny, we fear nae evil;
Wi’ usquabae, we’ll face the devil!”
The Man O’ Words Single Cask Fino is the perfect dram to enjoy while reading this poem, with notes of cooked apples and pears on the nose, and nutty hints of hazel and walnut, which lead to a spicy mouth feel.
Deanston Virgin Oak
Here in Edinburgh, in 1828, there was a string of sixteen murders committed by infamous grave robbers and serial murderers William Burke and William Hare. One of their accomplices was a woman named Helen McDougal, who had been in a relationship with Burke for ten years. When on trial for their crimes, Burke was sentenced to death, while McDougal was released thanks to her partners’ confession in exchange for her freedom. Following the hanging of William Burke, Helen fled Edinburgh and went to be a spinner at the Adelphi Cotton Mill in the town of Deanston, outside of Stirling. Helen only worked at the cotton mill for three days before her identity was discovered, and an angry mob attacked her.
In 1965, after nearly 200 years of trading, the Adelphi Cotton Mill closed its doors. But that was not to be the end for this historic building. In 1966 the old mill was reincarnated into the iconic Deanston Distillery.
Glen Moray 15 year old
Like Deanston, many distilleries make their homes in repurposed buildings or vacant sites. Glen Moray, in the Speyside town of Elgin, is another great example. Prior to housing the distillery, the location was home to the Elgin West Brewery, which had produced local ales since 1830, but by 1897, the first spirit was flowing from the Glen Moray stills.
Before the brewery, during the Middle Ages, the grounds were the site of the local hangman gallows. Over the years, distillery workers and visitors have reported many strange and unexplained sightings. The last execution at the site occurred in 1776 and during the distillery’s construction seven skulls were discovered, which were put on display for a short time before receiving a proper reburial. Perhaps this explains the spooky occurrences!
Bowmore 15 year old
The small Scottish Isle of Islay is famous for both its peated (smoky) whiskies and its rich history of myths and folklore. One of our favourite tales from the isle is that of the Kilarrow Church. Sat atop a hill overlooking the town of Bowmore, Kilarrow is well known for its unique structure. Constructed in 1767, the church is entirely round so that there are no corners in which the devil can hide.
While this may seem like an overly cautious architectural choice, it did come in handy for the clergy one stormy day in 1837. Legend has it that the townsfolk of Bowmore were attending service while the Devil was out doing what he does best, looking for souls to steal. He saw many people gathered inside the church, so decided to sneak in. But when he entered, he was immediately spotted by the clergy and with no corners to hide in, he had to flee the church, down to Bowmore Distillery.
Luckily the distillery workers had heard the disturbance and closed the gates, so the Devil couldn’t try his luck there. The distillery, however, had left some casks of whisky outside the gates as they were to be sold on the mainland, the Devil, seeing his opportunity, hid himself in a cask. The casks were then loaded onto the ship, and while the ship never made it to the mainland, the Devil has never been seen on Islay again and it is said that Bowmore is still his favourite whisky.
The Gauldrons
The Gauldrons, Campbeltown blended malt whisky, tells the story of the region’s dark coves and stormy west shorelines. Look a little closer at the label on the bottle and you will see a spider. We like to think that the spider is a reference to the story of Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots, who saw one in a cave after the battle of Dalrigh.
The story goes that Robert the Bruce, after his seventh defeat against the English, went into hiding. Whilst hiding in a cave, he saw a spider trying to make a web. Bruce watched as the creature tried and tried to make its web. Seven times the spider failed to spin its web, but it persisted and on its eighth attempt the tiny being was successful. Inspired, Robert the Bruce decided to fight the English one more time, and this led to his success at Bannockburn.
Now, what does Robert the Bruce really have to do with a blended malt whisky from Campbeltown? Nothing actually, in reality, the spider is on the bottle because the daughter of the founder of Douglas Laing & Co. loves Halloween and wanted something spooky on the bottle!
Royal Brackla 18 year old
On to one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines about his Scottish King. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” – The Witches Act 1, Scene Three of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Already a play full of the supernatural, within a theatre it is know only as “The Scottish Play” due to superstition that uttering the name brings bad luck!
Located on the outskirts of the highland town of Nairn, is the Cawdor Estate. The estate is best known for being home to both Cawdor Castle and Royal Brackla Distillery. The Macbeth fans amongst you will also recognise that the castle belongs to the Thane of Cawdor. Thane is a title for Scottish nobility. In the Shakespeare play, Macbeth is given this title after the previous Thane was captured and executed for treason against King Duncan.
We feel that the Royal Brackla 18-year-old is the perfect dram to enjoy while reading this truly Scottish play this October.