This morning we headed to Talisker, the oldest distillery on Skye. We arrived early and looked around the shop before our private tour. We met our guide George, and he took us through the distillery explaining the process of malting, fermentation and aging. We then went to the tasting room where we sampled the Reserve, the 10 year and another one I cannot recall that is only available at the distillery. We also did a cask tasting of some that was aged in a Sherry cask for about 20 years! It was all good. In 2007 the 18 year old was voted the best whisky in the world. Unfortunately there was none available to taste or buy, so I settled on a bottle of the 14-year-old. We can all taste it upon our return!
We left Talisker and headed for a walk along the Fairy pools. This is a walk along a series of natural pools and waterfalls.
We then trekked to Dunvegan Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and has been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of clan MacLeod for 800 years. Probably a fortified site from the earliest times, the castle was first built in the 13th century and developed piecemeal over the centuries. In the 19th century the whole castle was remodeled in a mock-medieval style. The castle is built on an elevated rock overlooking an inlet on the eastern shore of Loch Dunvegan, a sea loch. Touring the castle there are many family portraits and heirlooms with stories for each.
