Imagine Travels

One track mind

One of the reasons for coming to Mull was to visit the Tobermory distillery. So with that in mind, we took to the one track roads again. The rain threatened but never quite happened. What did happen were the sheep. I think their ‘couldn’t care less attitude’ coupled with a look that hovers between arrogance and  emptiness is hilarious. They do have suicidal tendencies; always deciding to cross the road at the last possible moment, endangering their own and every one else’s life. I never know if they haven’t got a clue about what is going on around them or that they simply couldn’t care less. I suspect the latter, as the epithets uttered by the driver turned from mild to expletive. Fortunately we, just like the sheep, were not in a hurry. Like them we had a one track mind, although ours was not centered on the grass at the verge of the road.

We arrived with ample time to take part in the distillery tour at Tobermory where we learnt the proper pronunciation of the 2nd brand Ledaig.  Think and say: “lay chick” and you have got it right.

There was the usual explanation. Water, Barley, Grist, Malt, Angels’s Share. Sorry people, that is all I am giving you here. I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun if you were to go on a tour yourself. These are the identical general ingredients for each and every tour I have been on to together with my loving, whiskey loving husband. I might be sorry in a few moments as right now I am sitting in the Springbank merchandise shop tapping away on the computer having decided to ski this distillery tour.

The picture below taken on the premises of Tobermory distillery actually shows quite an interesting bit of history.

Look closely and you will see it shows all the windows that were boarded up in order to avoid the window tax that was introduced in 1696 by our countryman and then king of England William III.  Like all kings he needed money. He felt he lost out on the taxes because people would clip their coins. So, he had them paying tax for each window which in its turn led to the windows being bricked up, as you can see from this wall.  After all that listening and tasting it was time for some nice fish and chips and Lobster tails! at the harbour.

Off we drove again finally meeting one of the the other faces of Mull.