A 5 year itch.

January 19 2019 was our last article about a whisky distillery we visited in May 2018. A year and a bit later, in October 2020, we wrote some words about the annually released Malt Whisky Yearbook from our friend Ingvar Ronde. After that, a long silent period from us. Sorry if you have missed us, we have definitely missed you.

Why? You may ask. Not for the lack of interest, honestly. Whisky is still a great passion for the both of us, but things got… Well, “in the way” is not the nicest way of putting it, but it describes it best, we guess.

Back to 2018… 

We had a great time on our trip through Scotland in May of that year, and even have some distilleries left over we visited, but have not said anything about, except some pictures on social. All of them are interesting distilleries with enough to tell you about, and maybe we’ll even jot something down about them someday. The year was an eventful year on its own. At some point during the year we were asked to hop on the train with SMWS and become ambassadors for the Benelux team, our day jobs became more demanding, we did a road trip through Sweden, let time slip through our fingers and, before we knew it, we found ourselves in Scotland again in April 2019. 

Add some distilleries to the tally please. Oof… now only 30 to write something about…

Writing it down, it all reads back as if we are looking for an excuse. We are not. Time passes swiftly when you are having fun. Nothing more, nothing less. As said; interest in whisky has not declined, it just… changed?

Skipping the dark ages between early 2020 – where we actually were in Edinburgh and visited a distillery – and now, an era where we all know what happened and nobody really wants to talk about, we are getting ready for our trip to Scotland at the beginning of 2024. Good fun – the planning alone is getting us all mushy and teary-eyed already.

At the time of writing this, We are leaning towards a non-distillery trip through the beautiful countryside, but I am guessing we may not manage that. Less distilleries; probably. More sightseeing; absolutely. Enjoying the trip at a more relaxed pace; definitely. 

Where we are going, nobody, including ourselves, knows. But we are going to have a blast and scratch that five-years-in-the-making itch!

Ideas and tips on routes, accommodations, distilleries, locations, hikes (for beginners, let’s face it), places to eat, drink or see are more than welcome.

Cheers,

Thomas, Ansgar, Toeter and Beertje