What Happens When Seven Lebanese Land in Scotland?
Well, first there was the drinking – lots of it.
Then came the bonding, the eating, the yelling, the dancing, and of course – a lot more drinking.
Mid-August, seven of us were lucky enough to be invited to the seemingly magical area of Aberfeldy in Scotland to discover the home of True Scotch, Dewar’s. We were plucked out of Beirut and landed in what looks like a page out of a storybook, complete with the green hills and the ancient castles.
Being introduced to the brand, it was clear that Dewar’s itself is uniquely genuine; after all it was the first blended scotch to ever be branded and bottled, and interestingly, every single bottle of Dewar’s produced today is crafted the same way it was back in 1846. There was one entire day that was dedicated to touring the Dewar’s Distillery and it was, in a word, incredible. Usually as consumers, we just only get to see the finished product without knowing the effort that went into it. It was clear “backstage” that Dewar’s has a vast process involved with quality control at every step.
So how many of you have been able to drink whisky straight out of a cask? I know all Whisky lovers are feeling a little bit jealous right now. It was a great experience where one of us even got to open the cask with a hammer. Speaking of casks, whisky originally comes out as a white spirit and it’s actually the cask that gives it the flavor and color; we had a little healthy competition between our two teams of who can build the cask better. It may look simple, but the skillfulness and craftsmanship that goes into every cask is impeccable, let’s just say I’d fail as a cask-maker in the olden timey days.
Once placed in the casks, the aging process begins, and then comes the blending. There is so much skill and effort that goes into blending whiskey, I actually wanted to apply for the job of master blender, but after my mini trial at the blending session, I am aware that my whiskey lacked the required finesse… It is on that one person to ensure that the same award-winning liquid is achieved every time – and by award winning I mean over 400 awards.
You think that ends the procedure? No no… the key part is the final part which is unique to Dewar’s. Once the master blend is complete, they place it in a cask once again for the double aging process. And when it comes to the drinking, how much Dewar’s can seven Lebanese people drink in three short days? Turns out a lot… I mean, should we have been sipping scotch at 9:30 in the morning? Yes. Yes we were.
As far as my favorite moment goes, for the rest of my life, I’ll remember the night that the seven of us enthusiastic (read: inebriated) Lebanese gathered under the massive Scottish sky in our traditional Scottish outfits and experienced our first meteor shower. We were in awe.
So, should we see an influx of Scottish tourists within the coming year, you’ll know who to thank. It was the Lebanese gang in Aberfeldy, showing them the best, and sometimes loudest, of Lebanon. You’re welcome, Ministry of Tourism.
