Vacations are like a bubble insulated from time. Unfortunately, though, the rest of the world keeps moving. And fourteen days is a lot of time for life. I had to check out from my hostel by 10:00, and my plans for the day only started at 11:00. So coffee shops to the rescue.
I woke up, packed my bag, and headed to a comfy looking café just up the street. I'm just going to pause and praise my eye for coffee shops, which once again did not let me down. Armed with a silky smooth cold brew and a "granola pot" (yogurt, berry, and granola parfait) I took some time to catch up on emails and various tasks. The cold brew had no bitterness to it, just a nearly chocolaty hint.
Then came time for the day's big event- a tasting at Johnny Walker. Before starting, everyone was instructed to take a flavor profile quiz with questions asking ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, peppers, etc. According to it, I'm a fan of "Fresh" flavors, grassy, and natural. Just for fun, I actually took it again with slightly different answers and got "Fruity". Overall, there are six primary categories: fresh, smokey, creamy, tropical, fruity, and spicy.
The tour started with a history of the now massive company with a live show supported by a dynamic screen. It explained how Johnnie Walker started a grocery store and turned to blending whiskey to improve the flavor. As that proved popular, it became the primary business, passed down to his sons and so on. As blenders, their goal is to produce a consistent flavor profile, year after year, even as every year's single malt whiskey is slightly different. The Master Taster is in charge of this, with the latest taking up the mantle this past January. In fact, the master changes so rarely, that from Walker to the current master taster there had only been seven. In the same time, there have been eight British monarchs, including Victoria and Elizabeth II, who are the two longest reigning ones. Then the tour turned to the whiskey production and blending processes, outlining how choices at every stage in the process affect the final taste.
The tour included three drinks- a Highball whiskey and soda using the blend recommended by our flavor quizzes, followed by two more of our choice. In my case, it was a Green Label with rose leaves as garnish. Now that I think about it, it was the first time I'd ever had a whiskey mixed with anything. Even the first time I had it in the rocks... My second choice was an old fashioned made with Green Label. It was better than the highball in my opinion, with the bitters mixing with the whiskey better than the soda water. Lastly, I decided to try their special seasonal blend, neat. At their Princes Street location, Johnnie Walker offers four unique seasonal flavors that aren't sold anywhere else. Frankly, I found the Summer blend lacking in flavor - it's light and breezy, as implied by the season, but I prefer more oomph, to feel the drink's body.
This was a learning experience for me. Not that I developed a proper tasting by palette, but I now have at least a slight understanding of what the notes on bottles mean and have a foundation on which I can build.
I'd heard of the Stockbridge Market and spurred by the nice weather I made my way over there. In short: a small pop up market, mostly filled with prepared food stands. A green pea frittata and a red cabbage salad accompanied me out of the market. And I finally found something I'd heard of, but not seen- whiskey ice cream. So I stayed on the whiskey train. It had a mild flavor, and can be an option for those who want to try whiskey flavor without the accompanying punch.
Next came the Museum of Edinburgh, a small free museum with stories and artifacts relating to the city. The collection actually started in the 1880's, as part of the City Museum. One of military history's greatest characters was well represented, since, as I learned, Field Marshal Haig was born in Edinburgh. With the little bit of time I had left in the city, I returned to the National Museum of Scotland, thus time exploring their sections about the evolution of design from the Victorian Era to the present day.
The Airlink 100 bus runs from the Scott Monument to the airport for just £4.5, leaving every ten or fifteen minutes for most of the day. Warned that it can be a fifty minute ride, I hopped on, scoring a seat in the first row in the second story. Aptly, it was drizzling as I boarded (and turned into a downpour about five minutes later).
Edinburgh Airport had a bit of a weird vibe in my opinion. It’s neither impressively hectic, like O’Hare, Newark, or any other major airport, nor is it small and homey, like Luxemburg or Antigua. Most airports, in my experience, are somewhere near one of those two groups. This one is just the odd middle child.
With all the chaos surrounding flights in Europe right now I should not have been surprised about delays. But since the airport was rather quiet, I didn’t think it would be much of an issue. Well, delays happened. Oh well. I just sat there, enjoying Robert Burns’ poetry. He has some good works, including one suitable for today.
Scotch Drink, Translated, Excerpt:
Let other poets raise a fracas
About vines, and wines, and drunken Bacchus,
And ill natured names and stories torment us,
And vex our ear:
I sing the juice Scotch barley can make us,
In glass or jug.
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