The Amber Light

Just like the barley to bottle route your own journey towards loving whisky is a journey that needs some fermentation time, it won't just happen over night. 

Your introduction to whisky, more so the single malts, is important because it sets the wheels in motion, it leaves a lasting impression. Just like the barley being plucked from the field the beginning of your journey is important and must be yielded correctly. 

That first small wave of whisky to pass your lips is where your journey begins. It can be a long journey to gain that loving relationship with whisky but I can promise you it's worth it. I truly believe there is a whisky out there for everyone, its just a case of finding it. 

It may take time to find the single malt that captures your heart and marries with your soul but when you do, that memory will live with you forever. 

It will open so many doors for you and behind each one is a moment in time that will become very special to you and just like those starches it's waiting to be converted into something sweeter and longer lasting. 

Whisky is a personal journey, you must tailor it to yourself. 

First of all you must remember that there is no shortcut to beautiful whisky so patience is key, the same applies to your pallet. 

As you grow older your pallet changes and you learn to identify and appreciate different flavours and smells. Some may grow on you, some may not, but that is the excitement of the journey. Consider it like going off on a solo adventure, living in the moment and discovering what excites you. 

When drinking whisky it requires every inch of your mouth because every single taste bud is sending a different message to your brain. Take your time. Learn to appreciate what that whisky is telling you, good and bad, absorb it's information, it's all part of your journey and the more personal this can be the better. 

Every distillery has its history and no matter how short, its still important and part of its future legacy. When it comes to maturing whisky, again this takes time. It can't and shouldn't be rushed. 

Every single malt you ever drink will have formally been known as New Make Spirit. The heart of the run from that distillation process (the good stuff) is the DNA of every distillery. From the moment that DNA enters the cask the maturation starts. 

In winter a cask can shrink slightly, not enough to leak obviously but just enough to allow that spirit to seep into the gaps between the staves and be soaked up into the wood. When the summer months hit and the cask swells back up the spirit is squeezed back out into that heart of the run inside the cask, taking with it all the natural oils within the wood and contributing them towards the colour and flavour of the spirit. 

Casks don't sleep. They don't move about but they don't sleep, they are living things that are maturing that heart of the run. 

Think of the cask as the parental guardian of the new make, it's wrapping its arms around it and protecting it but imparting it's knowledge upon it so that it can go out into to the world, stand on its own 2 feet and make an impression. 

Every dram of single malt whisky that you ever try will have been carefully raised. The atmosphere that surrounds it helps shape it into something special and leads it down a path that makes it unique, much like your own journey in life. 

Whisky has that special ability to pull people together and create friendships. It's a community. It's a community that allows you to be your true self and gives you a sense of belonging. It turns stranger’s into lifelong friends.

Whisky is so much more than a drink. It gives you a connection with your surroundings. It helps create your own autobiography. There is no better feeling in life than enjoying a whisky in the surroundings its been manifested in. That's what Arran did to me, it gave me a connection. It captured me. It made me fall in love. It changed my life. That one week a year I spent on Arran for over 20 years made me who I am today. I have so much more to experience in life but I know that this is just the beginning of my whisky journey and to be able to do this while living on the island that shaped me and distilled me into who I am today warms my heart. Life is all about finding your passion and living it. 

Whisky is no longer about product or brand. Its about who we are, it's about expressing how we feel about whisky, the meaning it has for us as an individual and talking about it because it's close to our heart. 

So next time you open a bottle of your favourite dram, remind yourself why it's your favourite because I can guarantee it will have some sort of treasured memory attached to it.