On Wednesday March the 2nd the whole school went on a trip to Bruichladdich. Why we went is because we are doing a topic on distilleries.
First when we got there we learnt about foraging. There were different types of plants on the table like gorse, bog myrtle, spearmint, and a lot more! After we learnt about foraging, we made our own jar of dried plants. I put some different plants in my jar and crushed them all up which made a sweet minty smell. To forage they use a secateurs which is like a pair of pliers to cut the plants. Once they collected all the plants, they put them in a bag that works like a tea bag. Eventually they put them on a shelf to dry in a warehouse.
After that we went up to talk with Adam and Julie. Adam talked about the process of whisky and Julie talked about the jobs. We talked about what we were good at, then the jobs that you could do that involved distillery jobs. I would be good at designing labels and bottles. Next, we smelled whisky scents. The first one I thought was pineapple, but it was Lemon; it smelt good. The second one I guessed was honey and it was honey! The third one I guessed was vanilla extract, but it was just vanilla.
Thirdly we went on a tour. The class went to the Malt room first. It was where all the barley is fermented with yeast. We got to smell some barley as well. There was the first normal barley that smelt good. Then the next barley was smoked barley, so it smelt much stronger. The next place we went was the mash tun. It was cool and they had an open one and there are only five in the world! The masher is 108 years old. There was a big mixer in the masher to mix all the boiling water. The next place we went was the wash backs. The wash back is where the alcohol finds its way into the distillery’s whisky. The wash backs go right down to floor ground because the floor is lifted to the roof. After the wash backs it was the still room. There were stills that are 148 years old! There is a still that is called ugly Betty too! Lastly on the tour was the barrel room with barrels that are so old!
Lastly, we did some maths to do with distilleries, so we measured the alcohol in the drink, and it showed on the thermometer. Then we hopped on the bus and went to Port Mor for lunch. Port Mor also gave us cakes and drinks! Then we hopped back on the bus and went to the museum.
At the museum we had to find some old distillery stuff. I found a bottle of whisky and a illiat still which is illegal and way more. It was interesting looking at all the old stuff.
Overall, it was a fun and interesting experience and I really enjoyed it. The distillery people were really kind, the same as Port Mor and the museum.
By Katie 532 words
