Liquid Breakfast (June 30th Update)

The order for my new bike was officially placed today and, as mentioned in my previous update, it should arrive on Tuesday. Let the waiting game begin.

Needless to say, today was a bit of a downer but if my biggest problem is that I have to get a new bike, well … things could obviously be worse. So, rather than dwell on the state of my current bike I am looking forward to experiencing life on a new bike. Considering the frame of my current bicycle was built in the mid-70s, I’m guessing there will be some noticeable differences to a more modern ride. Hopefully for the better (although, that would be quite an accomplishment).

In keeping with my activities of the past few days (no, not wrecking bikes), this morning seemed like a good time to tour the Oban distillery. As opposed to most other distilleries which are located in the middle of nowhere, Oban’s distillery is located right in the middle of town and practically right across the street from Oban Cycles. The reason for its central location is simple. When the distillery was first built it was in fact in the middle of nowhere. But then the town started to grow and it did so right around the distillery.

The Oban distillery is part of the “Friends of the Classic Malts” group, so once again my tour was free. And in this case it was was scheduled for 11:00 AM. However, I ended up switching it to 11:30 AM to accommodate two people who had just walked in for a tour. There was only one spot available in each of the 11:00 and 11:30 tours, so by offering to switch to the later tour, well … it worked out well for everyone.

Not surprisingly, the tour of the Oban distillery was essentially the same as my previous three distillery tours. I say “not surprisingly” because the method of making whisky is the same so essentially the only difference is in the recipe for each brand (and the history of the particular distillery). That said, the end of the tour was different than other distilleries. In the past, the tour concluded with a dram of one of the distillery’s popular products. But in this case, we were given a sample directly from the cask (i.e. not watered down to meet the alcohol content levels of the final product). As you might imagine, it was a bit strong (56%, I think) but not terrible. From there we moved into the actual sampling area where we were given a second dram – this time it was Oban’s 14 year old whisky. While I’m certainly not a whisky connoisseur, this was my favourite so far. And yes, we got to keep the glass. Seriously, I have no idea how I’m going to carry all of these glasses.

With whisky being my first meal of the day, I thought it best if I supplement that with some actual food. There are several Fish and Chips establishments in town but Mark (at Oban Cycles) had recommended the shop up the street. He also recommended having the hake. I’d never even heard of hake before that but it was recommended. And it was a local catch. How could I not?

It turns out it was an excellent recommendation. The hake, while perhaps a bit “fishier” than I would normally go for, was very enjoyable and I would certainly order it again. Obviously not today. I’m full at the moment. But I can certainly say my first UK fish and chips experience was a success. Again, it’s fish and chips. How could it not be?

Given my extended stay in Oban, I don’t doubt I’ll be having fish and chips again at some point.