Mixing Scottish whisky with Scottish beer? There are several brewers now using this flavour combination, but this is thought to be the first beer to do so. It works really well, the flavours are balanced, it is a pleasure to drink. Even if you are not keen on whisky you would enjoy this beer because the whisky taste is not strong and gives a slight sweetness to the drink. What could be more Scottish than a beer with a whisky taste? The whisky taste and the beer taste are nicely balanced. This makes it easy to drink as there are no overwhelming flavours. The whisky leaves a pleasant, smooth aftertaste that lingers on the tongue. It is 7.7%, but tastes like a lighter beer, so is much easier to drink than I expected. This beer was a Winner at the Scottish Food and Drink Excellence Awards 2006. The reason the beer is called 1488 is because Tullibardine whisky distillery can trace its origins to this date. The distillery is located about 16 miles from Stirling in the village of Blackford. The name is in honour of a local legend that a howling wolf saved Stirling by alerting the defenders to a approaching Viking army.
If you are visiting Stirling or Perthshire then this is an ideal local beer to go with your journey.
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If you are cycling the Edinburgh to Penicuik path you can make a visit to Roslin Glen. The park is only about 7 miles from Edinburgh, but feels a world away with a valley of forest and river walks and a ruined castle. It is particularly special in the autumn when the trees explode into vibrant colours. You can combine a walk in the park with a visit to Rosslyn Chapel.
The park is thick with oak, hawthorn, hazel, ash and birch trees and there are wonderful walks that take you deep into these woods.
The River North Esk flows through the park, so you are never far from the sound of gently flowing water. Watch my short video and enjoy the calming effect of the flowing river:
The park was once home to Scotland's largest gunpowder mill, difficult to imagine today when you can spy robins singing their hearts out in the trees.
My favourite thing about the park is exploring the woodland paths, particularly in the autumn where you can enjoy the leaves crunching as you walk.
Whilst wandering these trails you will come across Rosslyn Castle. A path goes under an archway that supports the bridge to the castle.
You can then follow the path upwards to walk on this bridge. The view of the castle ruins from the bridge is spectacular and it makes you want to get across there and explore. The castle is hidden away, obscured by the thick forest, so it must be the perfect hideaway for those lucky enough to stay in the castle house, which can be rented as a holiday home.
The castle can be dated back to the early 1300s and its current state of decay was largely the result of an attack by Cromwell. His forces blasted it with cannons in 1651.
There is a track leading from the castle to the world-famous Rosslyn Chapel, so you can combine a visit to the park and the chapel. If you love walking in the outdoors, but do not want to drift too far from the city then Roslin Glen is ideal. Throw in the cycle route to get here and Rosslyn Chapel and you have all of the ingredients for a perfect day trip. Cromarty Brewing Company started operations in 2011. It is located on the peninsula in the north-east of Scotland called the Black Isle. Brewed Awakening is an innovative product with a coffee infusion. It took me a while to get used to the taste and I thought the coffee taste was very subtle, but for something totally different this is worth a try.
To be honest on my first taste of this beer I did not like it. It took me several sips to get used to the taste and I found it more of a malty than a coffee taste. I like that they use coffee from a local, Inverness cafe, and that they have tried to create something a bit different. I found the coffee flavour to be quite subtle, but if you are feeling a bit adventurous with your beer this is definitely worth a punt. |
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