There were
many raised eye-brows and quizzical looks from passers-by as I unloaded, on to
the pavement in the centre of Glasgow, a 15 foot open-canoe. I had arrived at
The Arches to bring to the Glasgow Whisky Festival the perfect way ~ by
canoe~ to truly experience Speyside and,
en route, partake of Scotland’s greatest export ~ visiting some of the many
distilleries peppered along the Strath of the majestic River Spey.
Once
tethered to its trolley, everything I required for the day fitted neatly into
the boat ~ table, lap-top, data-projector, screen, roll-out banners, whisky for
sampling ~ even purpose-built trestles for canoe to sit on and a handcrafted,
wooden table top which fits snugly inside the canoe to form the perfect
whisky-serving area. The Festival’s excellent helpers came in the form of members
of the Glasgow Whisky Club. Young Bobby who helped me roll my loaded canoe into
the venue surmised that somewhere in the boat I had actually succeeded in
including the kitchen sink.
My good
friend Willie Gibson had travelled by train from ‘the other side’ ~ Edinburgh(!),
in time to help set up and support me on the Spirit of the Spey stand
throughout the day ~ with, we hoped, occasional breaks for us to visit and
liaise with other exhibitors at the Whisky Festival (~ never happened!!).
Willie is, by anyone’s standards, an eminently well qualified helper on a
Spirit of the Spey stand at Whisky Festival. A long-standing member (~ let’s
not get into the falling over bit!) of the Scottish Malt Whisky Society, Willie
appreciates fine malts. http://www.smws.com Also, an active member of the highly
successful Carnethy Running Club, http://www.carnethy.com,
Willie has in the last eleven years brought various Carnethy members, as well
as friends to paddle with me on, mainly 4-day river journeys, from Kincraig to
Spey Bay. Willie, along with his friend and Carnethy colleague Nick MacDonald
are my two most loyal Spey clients ~ both now having completed with me 12 Spey
Descent from Loch Insh to the Moray Firth, plus various other odd days here and
there. (Nick sorry you could not be with us on Saturday ~ definitely next
year!) Willie normally paddles as a double-act with his wife Cathi and Nick
with his daughter Sarah. However, we did organise one Boysie trip during which
Willie & Co all paddled solo.
Another
helper for the day was my Glasgow-based Social Media coach/adviser Louise
Wightman. Louise kindly stayed for a couple of hours to support us on the stand
which was fantastic because, once the doors of The Arches opened Festival
visitors poured in to sample their first ‘pouring’ of golden elixir.
Many were
attracted to our stand by the sight of a canoe and in the background, bringing Speyside
to Clydeside ~ rolling, action pictures on our ‘big-screen’. As well as pouring
and talking whiskies, throughout the afternoon we were able to extol the
virtues and pure joy of paddling the beautiful River Spey, learning paddling
skills/techniques; being at one with nature; witnessing wildlife ~ birds and
animals unperturbed by our silently gliding by; meeting and talking with fellow
river users ~ including anglers and their tweed-clad ghillies and along the
way, whilst in Speyside being able to sample Speyside malts and visit some of
the many wonderful Speyside distilleries.
On our
‘canoe-bar’ we were able to offer visitors to our stand contrasting malt
expressions ~ from the top end of the Strath, Badenoch we had, produced at the
small, picturesque ‘Speyside’ distillery close to Kingussie their 12 year old
and also, very popular with the Scandinavian market, their 8 year old
‘Drumguish’. From Glenfiddich we were also offering ‘Rich Oak’, finished in American
and Spanish new-make oak casks ~ well liked by many who visited our canoe-bar.
The Balvenie flag-ship malt, favourite of many ladies and very often the malt
that bring people to realise they actually can and do like whisky ~ ‘Doublewood’ was popular as ever, as was the
Balvenie 15 year old Single Barrel bottled at 47.80%. However, reckoned by many
to be ‘Best Dram at the Festival’ was The Balvenie 14 year old Caribbean Cask ~
finished in new-make oak casks seasoned over a long period with three fine
rums, blended by the guru himself ~ The Balvenie Malt Master of now 50 years ~
David Stewart.
Willie’s
and my hope to visit various other exhibitors at the Festival did not bear
fruit. Especially following the departure of Louise, things went like the
proverbial fair, with folks wanting to know more about the expressions we had
on offer and details relative to this fantastic idea ~ to many a new and
exciting concept ~ of paddling the Spey, en route, incorporating whisky
experiences ~ What time of year?; How long?; How many?; How much?; How to book?
Can I bring my staff? & so on.
Answers to
many questions can be found on at http://www.spiritofthespey.co.uk
but the short answer is ... ‘almost anything is possible’. A day’s coaching for
family/friends; corporate days with a difference; (~ having to work in tandem
in steering an open-canoe provides natural, non-contrived team-building.) Also,
Journey’s over several ( 2 to 7) days.
One should
though be fully aware that Journeys with Spirit of the Spey are more than just
about learning to canoe. Yes, client comfort, confidence and safety is
paramount, thus competence through learning basic skills is required and this
is done with a highly qualified, experienced canoe-coach. However, Spey
Journeys with Spirit of the Spey are unique, memorable, experiences. Some who
have paddled with me have said it was ‘a spiritual ...’, even ‘life-changing’
experience.
The
traveller, coached and led by the Spey’s most experienced River Guide, is
provided with an intimate introduction to lovely Lady Spey ~ her history ~
social & natural; culture; people; places. During this unique journey
clients stay in first-class guest-houses/hotels. (Possible Speyside
accommodations include Tigh na Sgiath, Grant Arms Hotel, Cragganmore House,
Cardhu House, Craigellachie Hotel but to name a few.) We realise that clients
may not mind getting their feet (or even, sometimes, a ‘little more’!) wet
during the day but we want to make sure you have a warm and comfortable
environment throughout the evening and overnight ~ with, during the evening, a
delicious dinner and a few exquisite malts ~ just to ensure a good night’s
sleep. Then, the next morning starting out warm and dry ~ refreshed and fuelled
by a hearty Scottish breakfast, ready to fully enjoy a new day on a new and contrasting
section of the wonderful River Spey. This is Scotland’s most beautiful and
ideal canoe-touring river ~ with more than half of Scotland’s malt distilleries
and their delicious, golden expressions awaiting our company.
I hope I
might, in the very near future, have the pleasure of your company on The River.
I would consider it a privilege to share with you the River Spey ~ outside my
family ~ my life’s greatest passion.
Many thanks
to all who helped make our day with ‘Spirit of the Spey’ at the Glasgow Whisky
Festival such a successful event, especially ~ Willie Gibson,
Louise Wightman http://www.approachthecoach.co.uk,
The Balvenie UK http://www.thebalvenie.com
,
Glenfiddich http://www.glenfiddich.com
,
Speyside Distillery www.speysidedistillery.co.uk
Mark Connolly at The Good Spirits Co http://www.thegoodspiritsco.com
The
Glasgow’s Whisky Club member/helpers http://www.glasgowswhiskyclub.com
‘Whisky Boys’ Nicola & Jim http://www.whiskyboys.com
Hotels
mentioned ~
