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Reviewed by: Barry Collins, Q.C.(C), P.Geo.(Sask)*
The word “whisky”, often spelt “whiskey” on this side of the ocean, is derived from the Gaelic uisge beatha, meaning water of life. The book focuses on the importance of water in producing good whisky. It explains how the underlying rocks can affect the character of the water and, in turn, the character of the whisky. A reliable supply of good water is essential for processing the mash, cooling the stills, diluting the distilled spirit and, ultimately, splashing in the drinking glass to release the aromatics in the whisky and increase the perception of both taste and smell. The splash is optional and has been known to generate a good deal of serious discussion, if not argument. The tour begins on the ancient island of Islay (pronounced Eye-La), off the west coast. That tiny island hosts eight distilleries and produces some of the most distinctive malts, such as Lagavulin and Laphroaig. (To keep the record straight, Islay was not the hilarious “Tight Little Island” of British comedy movie fame. That was Eriskay, a bit further north). The tour proceeds clockwise from the very old Islay gneisses up into the Highlands then across the Great Glen Fault, the Highland Boundary Fault, the Southern Uplands Fault and the intervening formations, then back up the west coast to the younger volcanic islands of Skye and Mull. Naturally, there is something to be said for each of the 114 whiskies. They are conveniently indexed, from Aberfeldy to Tullibardine, in the back of the book. To mention a few: The Glenlivet, perhaps the most famous of all Scotch whiskies, is created with water from a spring in glacial sands and gravels. The smallest distillery in Scotland is Edradour in the Grampian Highlands. The Grampians also host Tomatin, the largest malt whisky distillery, and Dalwhinnie, the highest at 350 metres above sea level. Auchentoshan, which produces the light, pale ladies malt, is located on the Clyde River, near Glasgow. Talisker, a favorite produced in a remote area on the Isle of Skye, is made with spring water from the lava flows. Dr. Johnson described that part of Skye as: ‘the sort of place where a hermit might expect to grow old in meditation, without the probability of disturbance or interruption.’ The old rule of thumb said the best water for distilling was: “Soft water, through peat, over granite” but less than 20 of the distilleries now use water fitting that description. One well-known malt, Glenmorangie on the northeast coast, attributes much of the character of its product to hard water mineralized by the Old Red Sandstone It would be unfair for a reviewer to get carried away by fascination with the whiskies. The geological aspect of the tour deserves equal credit. It is a blend of the old and the new with well-drawn sketches, interesting satellite images and useful commentary. Some of us who have been inland P.Geo’s for years will be amused to learn that in Scottish terms a Geo is a “long, deep, narrow coastal inlet or cove”. Most of us have been called worse things from time to time. With the new emphasis on continuing professional education could a person justify a tax-deductible field trip to Scotland for further study? Thanks to the authors and to our colleagues in the British Geological Survey we now have 114 interesting reasons to give it a try. |
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This delightful book combines a tour of the geology of Scotland with a tour of the watersheds surrounding its 114 single malt whisky distilleries. When we pause during the tour to savor the whiskies we are reminded that Scotland was the home of James Hutton, the father of modern geology, and Sir Charles Lyell, who taught us that the geological present is the key to the past. To any geoscientist with a taste for the finer things in life a tour of this kind would be “like having one foot in heaven!”
formation. Highland Park in the Orkney Islands, arguably the most northerly of all Scottish distilleries, is also proud of its hard water. The new criteria call for crystal clarity, purity and a reliable source.