Food & Drink
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Islay, Scotland
Laphroaig-Kettles Ishga Baugh, the water of life. The Island of Islay, it may not be the birthplace of Whisky, but it sure is the best place for peated whisky. With a choice of many proud names still active on Islay such as Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Coal Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, and my favourite, Laphroaig. There are a few new names joining the scene here, but there are plenty of names that are no longer in operation. On this trip we visited Laphroaig, Ardbeg and, Lagavulin, as well as doing a small hike in the afternoon. Laphroaig Distillers Tour Laphroaig was the first stop, and I had signed us up for the…
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Yoichi Distillery, Hokkaido
Pot stills with Shide blessing Yoichi distillery was founded by Taketsuru Masataka, who learnt his skills and technique in Scotland. Before selecting a location for his distillery he wanted an environment that closely resembled Scotland, the north-west town of Yoichi in Hokkaido met his requirements. There is free entry to this open air museum and the tour is self-guided. As you meander through the property you can enter various disused buildings that Nikka long out grew. The signage is in Japanese and English, there are some videos at each building, but I only recall these being in Japanese. Buildings cover topics such as the barrels, the malt, the fermentation, the…