Fun

Been rather busy with lots of stuff. After Xmas dinner I sat down with the owners, and a gentleman who bore a striking resemblance to a certain recently seen figure. Marko there showed me an interesting vessel I've never seen before:

It's for sipping whiskey. To me, it looks like a whiskey bong, but that's just my imagination.

Slept in for Xmas day (remember Xmas Eve is the big day for Europe). I think this was the first day I slept in till midday. This of course meant that there was only a few hours of sunlight left.

Xmas Day evening was spent at a traditional Sami dinner with song and story in a Kota (traditional hut). This was a great experience and we had Elk for dinner (something not Reindeer!).

After that we joined a couple playing chess and shortly after were joined by one of the owners, Marko. The games went on for hours until it was Marko and me, mano-a-mano, but he had the advantage in he kept supplying me whiskey until I lost.

Today is the journey to, eventually, Hamburg. We waited for about 20 minutes for the bus outside the village  on the road. This wouldn't have been much of a problem except it was -6°C, and the snow was ankle deep. Fortunately the bus did arrive and we're now on our way to Ivalo. Wow, spoke too soon, we just had to change bus. NOW we are on our way.

Addendum: When I say the snow was ankle deep, that's what the snow was from the last fall. The snow not plowed was waist deep, but we kept out of that, mostly.

Temperature: -4°C

Location: Kakslauttanen, Lapland, Finland

They're all a bunch of alcoholics!

They're making alcohol everywhere here, it's almost like the culture has a reputation for drinking.

This distillery, though much smaller than Jameson, was far more interesting as it is a functioning distillery, and we were walking through it. It's also located quite literally around the corner from where I'm staying. I was most happy to discover this.

The magic being added (yeast). Mmmmmm. yeasty.

Teeling use a mixture of both oak and steel fermenters, subsequently then blended together.

Two of three pots, where the alcohol is distilled, Teeling like many Irish whiskeys being triple distilled.

Where the magic happens. Though not really, since a large fire in Dublin 1875 apparently warehousing of alcohol is prohibited in the city and Teeling whiskey is matured outside the city near the Cooley Peninsula.

What tour would be complete without a tasting, I opted for the Single Malt tasting which also gives you a flavour of three whiskeys, the Single Malt, 15yo Revival Single Malt, and 21yo Single Malt. I found I most enjoyed the Revival Single Malt.

Visited Jameson's Distillery

I could hardly come to Dublin and not visit the old Jameson distillery, even if Jameson is no longer made here.

An interesting visit that cumulated in a whiskey tasting comparing Jameson, "a leading Scotch" (Johnny Walker Black) and an "American Bourbon" (Jack Daniels).

The coughing when people tried the Johnny Walker was amusing.

Finally they offered us a nice drink of Jameson at the end of the tour, which of course I felt obligated to take them up on (it would be rude not too!)

Time: 1530h

Temperature: 10°C

Jameson: Smooth, honey.

Talisker 25

So I did intend to only drink Irish whiskeys whilst here, but the pub I'm at has Talisker 25, which tends to go for $450 to $500 a bottle in NZ and is difficult to find at bars. So I'm having a glass of it here. I have to say it's worth it, even though I'll probably never buy a bottle.