May 31 -last day of the month. Departing Aberdeen we wound our way north west through some of thehamlets where Linda's ancestors were known to have lived. We hit up several kirk graveyards on the off chance that we'd find some of their graves and were rewarded with one 'Eureka' moment in the village of Kemnay. Took a number of other photos as well on the off chance that one day they will all fit in. Lovely countryside and the first really sunny day we've had. Along one small road was a lay-by where we found a Pictish stone called the Maiden Stone which hails from the 9th century.
The Maiden Stone, a Pictish monument.
Next stop was the Glen Garioch distillery where we lucked into having the tour guide to ourselves to answer our questions. The process of making whisky is becoming clearer as we attempt to educate ourselves. We didn't realize how much the shape of the still affected the flavour of the final product. Almost as much as the cask.
Distilling the "Water of Life"
North again to meet up with another of Linda's cousins. This time in Elgin, the heart of the Speyside\whiskey area. We spent the remainder of the afternoon and early evening having a lovely visit as Linda hadn't seen the couple for about 32 years. We had booked into a Victorian hotel in nearby Lossiemouth for the night and it proved to be a delight as well. It was like walking into an Agatha Christie novel.
We expected to run into Miss Marple at any time, in our hotel in LossieMouth.
The town has a yachting harbour so of course we did a walk about to check out the boats followed by retiring to the in-house pub to test 4 more whiskies. We are trying to be diligent about our search for the ideal whiskeys to bring home.
June 1 – a new month! Lots to do today so must run.......
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