The Perfect Match
BY ED HODGE
HEADER IMAGE OLLIE ALLISON
3 MINS READ
We love our golf in Scotland under picture perfect skies; striking from lush, green fairways; or on crisp, sun-kissed links. Golf is best on those dreamy summer days, but it also has a certain charm in the cold, when the wind is howling and the rain lashing. It is Scotland after all – when the conditions are simply part of the experience, part of the mystique.
And on those hardy days, there’s nothing better than a wee nip of whisky to warm the heart, to revitalise the senses… or perhaps drown sorrows. As two of Scotland’s most celebrated exports, golf and whisky have always retained an enduring relationship. Not only did we Scots give the game of golf to the globe, we gave those who took it up a dram to enjoy at the 19th hole afterwards. Savour legendary links, sample legendary liquor.
Perhaps fittingly, the origins of distilling in Scotland are hazy, but it is estimated the practices of generating today’s tipples began in the 1500s. Today, the country is home to over 130 malt and grain distilleries, each uniquely flavoured, making it the greatest concentration of whisky production in the world.
Speyside is the epicentre of the industry, where along the banks of the River Spey the smell of peat fires and barley malt is never far away. More than half of Scotland’s whisky distilleries are in the region, but others can be found country wide. Many are handily located near a golf course and open to public tours; a marriage made in heaven for visitors and a significant boost for local and national tourism.
Speyside is sandwiched between the rugged Highlands in the west, the fertile farmlands of Aberdeenshire in the east and to the north of the Cairngorms National Park; with the region taking its name from the main waterway, the River Spey. The Cardhu stills are to be found at Aberlour where the proximity of the Spey and the surrounding hills has made the malt one of the best sellers worldwide. Golf options are plentiful nearby, including the championship tests at Nairn and Nairn Dunbar, less obvious gems such as, Hopeman, Moray, Covesea and Cullen, with Elgin a challenging inland lay-out.
Go east and you will find Duff House Royal, a beautiful parkland bordered by the River Deveron. Redesigned by Alister MacKenzie, he of Augusta National fame, in 1923, it offers the backdrop of the Macduff Distillery behind the 3rd green.
Further north, golf and whisky are again in tandem. By the tranquil shores of the Dornoch Firth, amidst the golden barley fields that border the town of Tain, lies the Glenmorangie Distillery, one of the most famous names in Scotch whisky. Sample a warm Highland welcome on site, then take out the clubs and try Tain, Royal Dornoch and Golspie or, staying on the A9, play at Brora.
A visit to the James Braid-designed links should be complemented with a trip to Clyneleish Distillery, founded as late as 1968 in new modern buildings. Like many other northern distilleries, it specialises in a peaty, darker malt.
The north-west is notable for whisky too. Diageo distilleries at Talisker, on the Isle of Skye, and Caol Ila on Islay in Argyll, are especially well-known. Lagavulin, founded as early as 1816 on Islay at Port Ellen, is also an established name and part of the famous collection of ‘Classic Malts’ started in 1988. Braid travelled to the area in 1901 when the ‘Great Triumvirate’ of he, John Henry Taylor and Harry Vardon played at Machrie for £100 – reputed to be the largest prize in the UK at the time. The refurbished Machrie Hotel & Golf Links reopened for play in May 2017 and continues to grow in reputation.
The scenery back on the mainland at Pitlochry in Perthshire is equally stunning, with the climb over the first three holes rewarded by the view from the fourth. The local distilleries are Blair Atholl, where farmers were distilling from the beginning of the 18th century and Erdradour, Scotland’s smallest traditional distillery. Perthshire is also home to the country’s oldest distillery, Glenturret. Dating back to 1763, Glenturret is just 5 minutes from Crieff, where Old Tom Morris carved out the original holes .
But if the whisky connoisseur seeks a lighter taste, a Glenkinchie is in order. Based at Pencaitland in East Lothian, the distillery is one of the last to be active in the lowlands and boasts an impressive distillation museum. In an area also feted for its golf, Kilspindie, Gullane, Muirfield, Archerfield Links, North Berwick and Dunbar are among those to enjoy down the coast.
On a clear night, with a soft Glenkinchie in hand, the views to Edinburgh and Arthur’s Seat simply take the breath away. Golf and whisky – two inseparable Scottish icons!