#exciseman

[scotianostra]

17th December 1798 saw a skirmish at Collieston, Aberdeenshire that reulted in the death of smuggler, Phillip Kennedy.

Scotland's love of gin has been long forged with smuggling of the clear spirit hitting its peak in the 18th Century as demand for cut price contraband soared.

In 1707, the excise duty on spirits was dramatically hiked in a bid to put drink out of reach of the lower classes with the tax opening up a thriving illicit trade with Holland.

So hard fought were attempts to secure the booty that excise men - known as gaugers - were in repeated running battles with the smugglers over the cargo.

Violence was regularly used to secure the liquor and, according to a 19th Century account by William Alexander, the exciseman was deemed “a fit subject for rough handling as occasion offered.”

“To tie his legs together and fasten his hands forcible behind his back and leave him lying helpless on the lone hillside was not deemed out of place by any means,” Alexander wrote.

One moonlit encounter between the exciseman and smugglers on the Aberdeenshire coastline led to the brutal death of Philip Kennedy, one of Scotland’s most notorious gin smugglers

In December 1798, the lugger Crooked Mary landed 16 ankers of gin at Cransdale with Kennedy, who also farmed in the area, among those charged with moving the alcohol ashore.

Part of the cargo was due to be shifted across land by night by cart, with the gaugers tipped off about the planned movement.

Three excise men lay in wait - fully armed with swords - near the Kirk of Slains for the passing consignment.

As a precaution, the smugglers sent several men, including Kennedy, to check the route was clear.

Alexander wrote: “One of those who first encountered the excise men was Kennedy, and being a man of feared courage as well as powerful physique, he seized and then threw down two of them, calling to his companions to secure the third.”

However, his associates fled and hid in the bushes as the violent encounter unfolded with Kennedy’s brother believed to have been among them.

Kennedy was soon struck over the head by a sword held by the third exciseman.

Alexander wrote: “The savage gauger who was still free was then observed by some of the cowards lying perdu in the adjacent bushes to hold his sword above his head as if to make certain that he was using the edge.

“With a sweeping and relentless stroke, the smuggler’s skull was laid open with a frightful bash.”

With blood streaming, Kennedy staggered around a quarter of a mile to Kirkton of Slains, where he collapsed and died.

Now encounters like this must have been quite common, what makes this a wee bit more memoravle is that it is said the death of Kennedy inspired parts of Sir Walter Scott’s novel Guy Mannering.

A simple gravestone in the Slains Kirkyard is now the only visible reminder of the smuggling run that went disastrously wrong.

According to Duncan Harley in the A-Z of Curious Aberdeenshire, the skull of Philip Kennedy has been occasionally dug up during later internments at the graveyard.

“Gravediggers can easily identify it by the deep cut of the exciseman’s cutlass,” Harley wrote.

The stretch of coastline between Aberdeen and Peterhead was a smugglers’ paradise during the 18th Century given the never ending network of caves that can be found here.

According to accounts from the early part of the century, more than 1,000 ankers of foreign spirits were landed here every month.

Contraband as also hidden on the beaches with pits dug deep into the sand.

Dry sand and wet sand were used to cover the booty to conceal any changes to the ground caused by digging.

According to accounts, the pit was lined with bricks or timber, and the roof was always at least six feet underground in a bid to defy the probes used to locate hidden caches on the beach, which were six feet long.

[clan-carruthers]

CLAN CARRUTHERS: Rabbie Burns the Excise man.

As we approach the 25th of January, historically and traditionally, the day in which we celebrate the life and works of Rabbie Burns, Scotland’s National Bard, his time as an Exciseman springs to mind. Although he is described as the ploughman’s poet, he was never really that successful in farming and therefore chose another career path to augment his earnings. It is recorded that in the year…

[singlemaltsamples-blog]

Arran The Exciseman (Smuggler Series Vol.3) Kom deze fantastische en uiterst gelimiteerde whisky proeven bij www.singlemaltsamples.be Slechts €13,95 voor 2 glazen! Of in ons Superior Pakket samen met nog 5 andere topwhisky's... #singlemaltsamples #whiskyspecialist #vaderdagcadeau #ikzoekeencadeau #whiskycadeau #whiskyproeverij #whiskyproeven #whiskyvoorbeginners #whiskyvoorexperts #arranwhisky #exciseman #twitter (bij Single Malt Samples) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxw0vA5H6bP/?igshid=kzahmhz0jzln

[oeillade]

Misses Walker sightings, but probably not Ann.

1821 Tuesday September 18

7 40/60

1 20/60

Wrote a few lines more to Mariana  —  Came upstairs at 11 — Finished my letter 3 pages the ends and under the seal, so very small and close, they took me rather more than 1/2 hour reading over — I had done a little after one afterwards till three musing and reading over squeezing in on the first side an additional line or two I am well satisfied with the letter and long to know its result I have not an exact copy the rough draught having deviated so considerably from but still will do for me and I have had no time to write it all over again which would have cost me at least four or perhaps five hours — In the afternoon at 3 3/4 sent off my letter to Mariana Lawton.  At 4 1/4 set off to walk to Cliff Hill my aunt went with me as far as Hardcastle’s which was to be all covered in tonight.  Found Mrs. Mary and Miss Walker at home  — Dined there on cold beef took coffee with them  — Spent a pleasant evening stayed till 8 25/60 and got home at 9 — Miss Walker of Crownest was there for about 1/2 hour after I arrived — Mr. William Priestly came in for a little while at tea-time —  Speaking of salt as manure, what is called foul salt, (which pays no duty and is mined with about 1 third ashes), you can have delivered to you at the Causeway (Sowerby-bridge) at £ 2.5.0, a ton — Mr. John Priestley of Thorpe has had a good deal of it — Mr. William P_ Priestly meaning to give it to his cattle, got some rock-salt, delivered to him at his own door by Gregory of Halifax who imports it, at £ 7 a ton — it pays a duty of £ 5 a ton, but Mr. William P_ Priestley finding that he must have a regular permit for it from an exciseman and at the 13 months end give an account of what he had done with it how it had answered etc. besides having some other trouble about it — to avoid all this directly put part of it among his hay which the cattle seem to eat the better for it, and the other part on his land — Talking of the quantity of foul salt sufficient for an acre he thought 16 loads too much for they would be about a ton — Damp rainy day morning when I first got up; but fair by 9 and continued so, in spite of many threatening clouds, during the day — with wind which had gradually increased to highish in the evening — Came upstairs at 11 20/60 wrote the afternoon part of today — [notes on venereal complaint]

[ranchgirlca]

Black lager... yum!! @societebrewing #exciseman @hopgrenade #hopgrenade #hoppyfriday #tgif #ilovebeer #craftbeer #cheers #drinkup #brew #beerstagram #brewtographer #beerlife #beersofinstagram #gotbeer #beeradventures #beercommunity #hoppylife (at The Hop Grenade Taproom & Bottleshop)

[therunawayscamp]

Yet another trick Vilayn picked up from his smuggler cohorts in his youth: hollowing out the inside of a potato, inserting the smuggle, wedging the hollowed-out chunk back into place with fishing wire, then smearing the whole thing with dirt and throwing it in a sack full of normal potatoes.

He declines to comment on whether this ruse has ever been employed by the Runaway Scamp, and they prefer good old-fashioned booty over smuggling for their profits. Then again, it should be noted that they occasionally ship a load of Casethar’s home-grown ash yams, which mysteriously disappear before they can be sold in the markets overseas (or inspected by an exciseman).

[danjaley]

Rory: IF YE TREAT ME LIKE A BLOODY EXCISEMAN YE CAN SURE AS HELL MANAGE YER ROTTEN ESTATE ALANE!

Graham: ‘TWAS YOU THAT WENT AWAY ON A BLOODY STUPID ADVENTURE; YOU OUGHTER BE BLOODY GRATEFUL I TOOK YE BACK IN!

[Downstairs]

Roseanne: Now, Andrew, be sure you never employ such language when you grow up.

Andrew: Did ye tell that to Father and Uncle when they were wee lads?

[battleforgodstruth]

Answers to Prayer, from George Müller's Narratives (1 of 4) / Christian audiobook

Answers to Prayer, from George Müller’s Narratives (1 of 4) / Christian audiobook

“I know of no way in which the principal truths of God’s word in regard to prayer can be more effectually illustrated and established than a short review of his life” – Andrew Murray George Müller (1805-1898), English preacher and philanthropist, was born near Halberstadt, Germany, on the 27th of September 1805, the son of an exciseman [formerly, a government agent who collects excise tax on…

[yellowfeather84]

“Here, Sassenach. Drink this; your teeth are chattering so, you’re like to bite through your tongue.”

Jamie had reappeared by my seal hole like a St. Bernard dog, bearing a firkin of brandy. 

“Th-thanks.” I had to drop the washcloth and use both hands to steady the wooden cup so it wouldn’t clack against my teeth, but the brandy helped; it dropped like a flaming coal into the pit of my stomach and sent small curling tendrils of warmth through my frigid extremities as I sipped. 

“Oh, God, that’s better,” I said, stopping long enough to gasp for breath. “Is this the uncut version?” 

“No, that would likely kill ye. This is maybe a little stronger than what we sell, though. Finish up and put something on; then ye can have a bit more.” Jamie took the cup from my hand and gave me back the handkerchief washcloth. As I hurriedly finished my chilly ablutions, I watched him from the corner of my eye. He was frowning as he gazed at me, clearly deep in thought. I had imagined that his life was complicated; it hadn’t escaped me that my presence was undoubtedly complicating it a good bit more. I would have given a lot to know what he was thinking. 

“What are you thinking about, Jamie?” I said, watching him sidelong as I swabbed the last of the smudges from my thighs. The water swirled around my calves, disturbed by my movements, and the candlelight lit the waves with sparks, as though the dark blood I had washed from my body now glowed once more live and red in the water. 

The frown vanished momentarily as his eyes cleared and fixed on my face. 

“I am thinking that you’re verra beautiful, Sassenach,” he said softly. 

“Maybe if one has a taste for gooseflesh on a large scale,” I said tartly, stepping out of the tub and reaching for the cup. 

He grinned suddenly at me, teeth flashing white in the dimness of the cellar. 

“Oh, aye,” he said. “Well, you’re speaking to the only man in Scotland who has a terrible cockstand at sight of a plucked chicken.” 

I spluttered in my brandy and choked, half-hysterical from tension and terror. 

Jamie quickly shrugged out of his coat and wrapped the garment around me, hugging me close against him as I shivered and coughed and gasped. 

“Makes it hard to pass a poulterer’s stall and stay decent,” he murmured in my ear, briskly rubbing my back through the fabric. “Hush, Sassenach, hush now. It’ll be fine.” 

I clung to him, shaking. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m all right. It’s my fault, though. Mr. Willoughby shot the exciseman because he thought he was making indecent advances to me.” 

Jamie snorted. “That doesna make it your fault, Sassenach,” he said dryly. “And for what it’s worth, it’s no the first time the Chinaman’s done something foolish, either. When he’s drink taken, he’ll do anything, and never mind how mad it is.”

-Voyager

[justjoan213]

Ep 7

Hated it.

Spoilers -

I generally can keep book story vs. show story cometely separate and enjoy the show for what it is - an adaptation. But ugh. Claire saving the life of the exciseman who wanted to get Jamie arrested? She helped kill Dougal last season because he was going to kill Jamie. But a complete stranger who just tried to rape her she's all set to help? I don't buy it. I found Claire to be a massive bitch to Jamie in this episode. Who WAS that?!! Real Claire never really cared where she lived with Jamie as long as she was with him. But she's nagging him about moving??

And if the show goes on for a few years, they are going to have an issue as the printing press burnt as well as the print type (I assume). That plays into future books. It's Laoghaire issues all over again that they will have to fix.

John and Cesar totally made the show. They were adorable and Fergus' "one moi" with that grin was funny. But they changed too much re: the print shop and wasted too much time on trying to save the exciseman. Blech.

(I see how they are trying to tie the thing that is to come in the Indies with the Campbells, but didn't like how they changed that either.)

Overall, two thumbs way down. I hope the season redeems itself because it started off on such a high.

[contemplatingoutlander]

First Thoughts About Episode 3x07 “Creme De Menthe”

The title describes the essence of the episode. An exciseman is accidentally killed and his body is hidden in a barrel of sweet tasting liquor. Jamie has tried to cover over the criminal life he has been leading under the sweet facade of the print shop. But Claire can see how easily he lies now--and not just for a “noble cause” like trying to stop Culloden from happening. Jamie has changed. He has been “living in the shadows.” And the light that is Claire is shining on him now but what is being revealed (though understandable given all he has been through) is not exaclty the Jamie that Claire left 20 years before. Both Jamie and Claire have paid huge prices for their long separation. All of this is starting to come to a head as they get to know each other again. This episode brilliantly encapsulates the turmoil they both experience as they start to see what is underneath the sweet facades they initially showed each other. 

More thoughts can be found under the cut.

Despite the problems that Claire had with her marriage, we learn that Claire has led an honorable life during the separation devoted to “healing people without judgment.” The essence of Claire was clearly delineated in this episode.

Jamie has changed more than Claire but then again his life was far worse than Claire’s after their separation. After, the cave, prison, working as a groom (while not being able to acknowledge his own son), returning to the estate he no longer owns and is no longer needed to run, not to mention suffering a disasterous second marriage, it makes sense that he turned to smuggling as one of the few ways he could help his family and tenants. But in the process, Jamie has learned how to lie much too easily. He wants Claire to just let the exciseman die. Although that is understandable, it isn’t honorable. He risks Young Ian’s neck by allowing him to work for him in the smuggling business (something Jamie did not do to that extent in the book). Claire sees these changes and is not too pleased with them.

FINALLY we see a clash of cultural mores as Jamie declaires he cannot understand why Claire and Frank allowed  Bree wear a BIKINI!!!! 😱

And FINALLY Claire talks about some of the sexism of the 18th century, including the whole “Madonna--whore” dichotomy! The show and the book had both focused so much on the sexism of the mid-20th century that sometimes both the show and book seemed to be suggesting that the 18th century was a more tolerant time--it was not. Glad Claire reminded us that it wasn’t.

Jamie’s jealousy that Frank raised Bree finally comes to the surface as well as his fear that Claire learned to love Frank again. At least Claire could reassure Jamie that she never fell back in love with Frank.

When Claire said: “You’re not the boy’s father Jamie,” she may have inadvertently wounded Jamie not just about Bree (and Willie) but also about Young Ian. Based on the book we know that Jamie feels more like a father to Young Ian than an uncle. Ian’s temperament is more like Jamie’s than his parents;. Jamie sees a younger version of himself in Ian and perhaps hopes he can father him the way he can’t father Willie.

Speaking of sons, Jamie calls Fergus “mon fils” (my son) towards the end of the episode. So we can seel that Jamie does consider Fergus to be a son as well.

Thank goodness they made Young Ian 16 and not barely 14 as he was in the book! He is far more involved in Jamie’s smuggling business than any adolescent has a right to be. Although I loved Young Ian’s business sense, Jamie’s using him as a negotiator is irresponsible because it puts him potentially in harm’s way. We also know that Fergus is silver tongued and cunning. Having him stand aside while an adolescent did the negotiations did not make sense. I guess they wanted to show how clever Ian is but at the expense of Jamie’s responsibility to protect Ian? Nope.

Poor Ian! First time out with sex and he is interrupted by an exciseman breaking into the print shop! It just isn’t fair!

Like uncle, like nephew. Ian has also seen the horses mate and he has the same idea about how things should be done--until the more experienced woman he is with shows him otherwise.

The plot that Jamie has to leave the city because Sir Percival now knows he was printing seditious pamphlets is much tighter than the way things played out in the book. However, it sets Jamie up for treason again and that might make it hard for him in the future when he has to return to Edinburgh to get his printing press.

Taling about the printing press, yes Jamie saw that Ian was alive but why risk both their lives trying to move the printing press? I’m glad he got the miniature of Willie but still...But of course Jamie manages to pull it all off. He is also more of a lone hero in the show--in the book others joined him to try to save the printing press, so he was not the only one who went into the building.

I like the changes they made to Archibald and Margaret Campbell. I’m glad they didn’t add the murders to the plot as that would have been too much to deal with in the limited time. Making Archibald a fake interpreter of his sister’s incoherent “fortune teller” outbursts is also better than making him a minister. It looks like Margaret always had her “condition,” so there are no strange reactions to hearing Jamie’s name.

Although I generally liked the interactions between Fergus and Young Ian, I didn’t like Fergus telling Young Ian about Claire’s having taken lives (although I loved how he talked about saving them). Fergus in the book had too much respect for Milady to ever spread rumors about her killing people. That seemed out of character.

The show made what I thought was a good change to Fergus’ history. In the book he had turned tricks from time to time before he met Jamie. Glad they changed it so that his first true sexual experience was when he was 15—in a ménage à trois but of course!

The tension generated when Sir Percival Turner searched the brothel as Claire was drilling a hole in the exciseman’s head was quite suspenseful.

The way the exciseman met his end was far better IMHO than a drunken Mr. Willoughby shooting him because he was being rough with Claire. Given what he tried to do to Claire (rape/ murder), that she still valued his life and tried to save it says a lot about Claire’s integrity and how much she values human life.

Mr. Willoughby is presented as a much more thoughtful character in the show than in the book. The show’s Mr. Willoughby is someone who can appreciate Claire’s virtues. I was really touched when he said, “Honorable wife fought hard for his life. Put best foot forward.”  Love him! 

Finally, we have the terrible fire that consumes the print shop. Claire has brought her “light” to the “shadows” and it seems fitting that a different kind of “light” (fire) should consume the print shop.The facade of the print shop had to go in order for Jamie to put aside some of the less honorable things he was doing in Edinburgh. Claire has returned and with her help Jamie can  let go of all the Edinburgh “shadows” in order to find his way back to himself again. And of course, Claire is also learnng once again how to not only be a doctor but to also be a loving partner in a marriage. It will be wonderful to watch them as they embark on this part of their journey together. (Howeer, it won’t really start until Jamie ties up some huge “loose ends” back in the Highlands.) Next week’s episode at Lallybroch should be interesting.

I’d love to hear what other folks thought about the episode!  

[scotianostra]

On December 29th 1815 customs and excise officers were attacked in Glasgow, after raiding an illicit still.

The customs men arrested two people and tipped over 50 gallons of illegal whisky down the drain. Another man escaped in the confusion after he set a light to some pure alcohol, later returning with a gang of about a dozen men who who set about the government officers as they were dismantling the still , managing to liberate the equipment.

The methods of these illicit activities were well-rehearsed and their respective territories well-defined, as you would expect, gangs were very territorial.

The pics are a mock still and a real one, which was unearthed in a barn in New Galloway last year. Many farmers in the mid-19th Century owned small stills which they could distil their own spirit out of sight from the exciseman.

Of course most stills were away from prying eyes, in the Highlands and Islands, as well as in Dumfries and Galloway. Recently the Forestry Commission of Scotland to underook a comprehensive survey of the Big and Wee Bruach farmsteads in Loch Ard Forest, near Aboyne, not far from Glasgow.

These remains survive as series of at least seven ruined late 18th-century buildings, enclosures, and corn-drying kilns. Among the buildings are a series of very narrow structures which most likely date from the 18th century. Their unusually long shape, considered alongside the presence of large corn drying kilns and proximity to running water, in what is a relatively inaccessible area yet close to Glasgow, could suggest large scale illicit whisky distilling.

While the surviving buildings are relatively recent, the name Bruach is a territorial designation reaching back to the 13th century or earlier. Title to the landholding gave the right to bear the name of the landholding ‘of Bruach’, suggesting this was more than a small farm.

[adramofoutlander]

Creme de Menthe Ep 108

Damn it Jamie, I'm a doctor, not a murderer! #outlander #ADoO #startingagain #podcast

Creme de Menthe

Written for Television By: Karen Campbell

Directed By: Norma Bailey

Claire is back for just over 24 hours and all hell is breaking loose.  Listen to my podcast to get my in-depth thoughts!

Welcome to the party pal back to safety of the 18th century Claire. 

Claire’s fighting for her life.

The man is mostly dead, not dead.

He’s an exciseman working for Sir Percival.

Jamie is at…

[singlemaltsamples-blog]

Verzamelen? Flessen ongeopend laten? Doorverkopen tegen meerprijs? Wij proeven liever, en laten ook proeven... Dit is Arran The Exciseman (Smugglers Series Vol.3). Laat je kans niet liggen... Bestel m nu op www.singlemaltsamples.be Deze sublieme whisky proeven samen met nog 5 andere toppers? Check het Superior pakket. Één van onze exclusieve pakketten ! #singlemaltsamples #superiorwhisky #cadeautip #geschenkidee #whiskysamples #tastewhisky #arran #exciseman #whiskylover #belgie (bij Paal, Belgium) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrFmZ8xnFKA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=r1av8wo5klqz

[thewhiskyadvisor]

Islay is one of the 5 designated Scotch whisky regions. This small 600 sq.km island of just over 3000 inhabitants is home to some of the most iconic whiskies in the world of Scotch whisky, Laphraoig for example. How did such a tiny island off the southern Scottish coast end up with so many distilleries? It is believed that Irish monks introduced distilling to Islay back in the early 1400s. Being fairly remote, farmers on the island found distilling to be a good way to preserve their crops. Further, when the rest of Scotlands distillers were hiding in glens and coves from the notorious exciseman, these very men had no inclination to travel far to this island. This led to a burgeoning distilling culture. At its peak, Islay boasted of 23 functioning distilleries. Bowmore is the oldest distillery on the island dating back to 1779. Islay now has 9 functioning distilleries, with Ardnahoe being the youngest, having started distillation as recently as October 2018. The first thing that comes to ones mind when Islay is mentioned is Peaty whisky. As we've seen in past posts, peat was the fuel of choice to dry germinating barley during the malting process. The aroma of Islay peat is very different from highland peat in that it is more medicinal, tarry, iodine and burnt rubber like. In this series we will explore the distilleries of Islay, Queen of the Hebrides. @laphroaig @bowmore @bunnahabhain @ardnahoedistillery @bowmore @bruichladdich @ardbeg @lagavulinwhisky @kilchomanwhisky #islaywhisky #islay #feisile #thewhiskyadvisor #worldwhiskytours #scotchwhisky #whisky (at Islay) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4wsh3nzf4/?igshid=xsbmc8b69y2p

[180abroad]

Day 129: Ardbeg and Lagavulin

For our first day on Islay, we'd booked tours and tastings at our favorite distilleries--Ardbeg (mine) and Lagavulin (my dad's). At least, those are the distilleries we would have said were our favorites when we arrived. We have since come to the enlightened conclusion that all whiskies are beautiful and that it's unfair to play favorites.

And our first visit would also be our most interesting and unconventional one--the Ardbeg bog walk. We'd get to hike along the stream that feeds Ardbeg up into the peat bogs that gives Islay whiskies their distinctive smoky, maritime flavors.

There are three distilleries on the south coast of Islay. Laphroaig is about one mile east of Port Ellen, Lagavulin is about a mile beyond Laphroaig, and Ardbeg is about past Lagavulin.

Knowing we had a healthy three-mile hike ahead of us, we made sure to leave with plenty of time to spare. But we kept stopping so much to gawk and take pictures of the beautiful coastal scenery that we still found ourselves having to rush the last twenty minutes or so to get there in time.

It was still mid-morning, and already the summer heat was beating down on us. But we made it.

After checking in, we had just enough time to use the facilities, browse the gift shop, and take in the ambiance. We were each given a drawstring swag bag with a homemade sandwich lunch and a mini tasting glass with Ardbeg 2018 printed on the side.

Our tour group included a native Scotsman, a young Asian family with a baby in tow, and a friendly Polish couple that Jessica enjoyed extracting a bit of conversation from.

Our guide Dougie was a semi-retired Adrbeg employee who was actually born in Ardbeg when it was still a hamlet where other people lived. He even showed us a picture of his house and pointed out the patch of land where it once stood. Modernization happens even here--in its own way and time--and many of the small crofts and hamlets that dot the island have been abandoned the larger villages like Port Ellen, Bowmore, and Port Charlotte.

We had been warned over and over again about our shoes in the days and minutes leading up to the walk. We heard horror stories of boots lost to the ages in inscrutable muck of Islay's murky fens. We were even offered galoshes (or "Wellies" as they're called in Britain) to borrow on multiple occasions. We all declined, partly out of awkwardness and partly out of confidence born of the beating summer sun still hounding us on our journey.

Our confidence was rewarded. For possibly the first time in years, Islay had gone so long without rain that the peat was practically dry to the touch. We barely got the soles of our shoes dirty.

As Dougie lead us along the Ardbeg Burn--the creek that feeds the distillery from its source at Loch Uigeadail--he let slip that we wouldn't be tasting just any whiskies. The way he saw it, we could taste the Ardbeg core range anytime we wanted. But he had the power to give us something truly special. He had the key to the VIP whisky cabinet.

As we hiked into the hills and enjoyed the spectacular scenery, we occasionally stopped to sip a wee dram and hear its story:

Ardbeg Still Young: After a 15-year furlough in the 80s and 90s, Ardbeg was bought by Glenmorangie and reopened in late 1997. In 2007, when the first batch of Ardbeg 10 was still two years away, the owners decided to raise awareness by opening some casks and releasing a limited bottling of eight-year-old whisky. As its name says, the whisky is still young. We could taste the delicious smoky notes that define the 10, but it is still harsh and unrefined.

Grooves (Committee Release): Finished in charred red wine casks, Grooves combines smokiness with sweeter notes of vanilla sugar and dried fruit.

Supernova (Committee Release): With around twice the phenolic content of Ardbeg 10, this is most heavily peated whisky Ardbeg has ever made. It tasted like burning.

Kelpie (Committee Release): My favorite of the whiskies we tried on the bog walk, it was very nicely balanced with a bit more saltiness and a little less smoke than the standard Ardbeg 10.

About a mile or so into the bog, we stopped for lunch at the abandoned 18th-century croft of Solam. According to local legend, the villagers perished after taking in a crew of shipwrecked sailors afflicted with plague. The story has been largely discredited, but the ruins are evocative nonetheless--even on such a beautiful day as this, with the gorgeous emerald glen illuminated behind it.

Scattered throughout the rocks and ruins around Solam are a series of subtly carved faces. No one knows exactly where they came from or how many of them there actually are, and hunting for them seems to be a popular pastime among tourists and guides.

As we made our way back to Ardbeg (going all the way to Uigeadail would be a full day's trek), we got to see some more incredible views of the coast. It was so clear, we could even see the northern coast of Ireland far on the horizon. Dougie stopped us at one point to show us some of the cut peat that gives Islay whisky its distinctive flavor. As we'd been taught on our Connemara trip in Ireland, dried peat was used as an everyday fuel source across the British Isles throughout its history. Today, Islay distilleries smoke their barley with peat smoke before fermentation, giving it that characteristic smoky, maritime flavor.

Back at the distillery, we got a quick peek inside to meet one of the distillers and see the iconic copper pot stills.

Nearly all Scotch whiskies are double distilled. After the smoked barley is fermented, the resulting "wash"--which is essentially beer--is distilled in the "wash still." The stuff that comes out of the wash still is called low wine, which is very harsh and only about 20% alcohol by volume. The low wine is then fed into a "spirit still," which distills the low wine into spirit, which is then in turn put into barrels for aging. Only after a minimum of three years can the spirit legally be called Scotch whisky.

We also got our first introduction to the brass lock boxes called spirit safes, which are used to monitor and direct the flow of low wine and spirit as they are produced.

Every distillery in Scotland has a spirit receiver very much like this one, and the reason is taxation. Historically, alcohol taxes were a vital component of government revenue, and unlicensed whisky production was a high crime. Unlicensed distilleries (which many of today's famous distilleries started as) were hunted down and quashed, and licensed distilleries were required to house and pay a government "exciseman" to keep them honest. As part of that process, every drop of spirit that a distillery produced had to be funneled through a locked, windowed box where the exciseman could monitor just how much they were producing.

Today, distilleries are trusted to handle the bookkeeping themselves, but they still use the same brass spirit safes.

The tour ended on the pier, where we tasted the Kelpie and admired the view of Ardbeg's name painted in huge block letters across the side of its warehouse.

The sun still beating down on us, we walked back down the road to Lavagulin, maker of my dad's favorite Lagavulin 16. We had booked their core range tasting tour, which included a 30-minute distillery tour and a tasting session with three whiskies.

Unlike Ardbeg, we weren't allowed to take any pictures inside the distillery, and to be brutally honest the tour wasn't especially memorable. The tour was led by a local high-schooler who did her best, but her stories and banter were no match for the fare we enjoyed on Dougie's bog walk.

Guiding distillery tours seems to be a common summer job among Islay's youth. Like rural places around the developed world, Islay has a problem with population drain. Its youth head to the mainland to attend university, and many never come back. To fight this, the distilleries are making an effort to recruit local teens and offering them university scholarships. In exchange, the students agree to return after graduation and work at the distillery for a few years, where (the hope is) that they will put down roots and decide to stay long-term. The arrangement seems to be working well for both parties.

The tour ended in Lagavulin's well-appointed tasting room, filled with comfy high-backed chairs and display cases full of priceless old whiskies.

There we tasted three whiskies, with the last one served in an engraved Lagavulin glass that we got to take with us. (A recurring theme in our distillery visits across Scotland.)

Lagavulin 8: A bicentennial anniversary edition released in 2016, this is Lagavulin's take on a young and citrusy whisky. It was a bit harsh at first, but a drop of water opened up the flavors beautifully.

Distiller's Edition: A blend of two different vattings, one with a sherry finish and one without. It was tasty and well-balanced with a variety of smoky and spicy flavors, none of which outdid the others. The sort of whisky that's easy to enjoy but hard to describe--at least for novices like us.

Jazz 2017: Made for the 2017 Islay Jazz Festival, this cask-strength whisky was hot and spicy at first, but a drop of water opened up sweet and smoky flavors, too. My dad and Jessica liked it a lot, but It wasn't as much to my taste.

Despite being a "core range" tasting, only the Distiller's Edition was actually part of Lagavulin's regularly available lineup. But to be fair, Lagavulin only has two core whiskies at the moment: Lagavulin 16 and the Distiller's Edition.

Looking back, Lagavulin felt simultaneously stiffer and less organized than many other distilleries we visited. This may have just been our own biases going in, but it felt a bit as though they have such a prestigious reputation that they just don't need to try as hard to make their tours engaging. Of course, we had just come from the extremely fun and memorable tour at Ardbeg, so that probably tainted our perceptions at least a little.

That isn't to say that we didn't enjoy ourselves or that we wouldn't go back. We definitely did and we definitely would. We'd probably just spring for one of their more interesting tours.

As we walked the two remaining miles back to Port Ellen under the unrelenting summer sun, all of the day's walking finally hit us hard. Ironically, today--our first full day in the Scottish Isles--was when we got our worst sunburns of the trip. But we made it back just fine in the end, with plenty of time to make dinner and rest up for our next day of tasting and exploration.

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