WHISKY TRIVIA

1. Speyside is home to nearly 50 malt whisky distilleries - more than half of all the distilleries in Scotland.
2. No distillery on Speyside takes the water with which the whisky is distilled directly from the River Spey - they rely on springs and burns [or streams] instead.
3. The Glenlivet is the malt whisky which started it all by giving its name to the entire Speyside region.
4. Cardhu is the only Speyside malt whisky not to have used the appellation "Glenlivet" at any time. All the other distilleries in Speyside have done so.
5. Only 3 out of the Top Ten best selling single malts do not come from Speyside.
6. Best selling Speyside malts include Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Cardhu, Macallan, Aberlour, and Balvenie.
7. Glenfiddich is the best selling single malt in the world.
8. The most popular malt whisky in the US is The Glenlivet
9. The Glenlivet was the first single malt to be exported to the US when Prohibition ended in 1934.
10. France's most popular single malt is Aberlour.
11. Glen Grant is the top selling Scotch whisky in Italy, not just the top selling malt whisky!
12. Cardhu is the top selling malt whisky in Spain.
13. Many Speyside malts are essential components of well-known blended Scotch whiskies like Chivas Regal, Ballentine's and the Johnnie Walker range.
14. The highest distillery in Scotland is Braeval.
15. The most picturesque distillery in Scotland is Strathisla, the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland, founded in 1786.
16. Longmorn Distillery is widely regarded as Speyside's best kept secret as blenders covet this high quality malt whisky.
17. Cask strength malt whiskies can be up to 60% alcohol by volume. Examples include Aberlour a'bunadh whose name means "the original" in Gaelic and Glenfarclas 105, the which refers to the 'proof' strength of the whisky as opposed to ABV.
18. Scotland's Malt Whisky Trail, the only malt whisky trail in the world, brings together seven distilleries in Speyside as well as the Speyside Cooperage, all of which welcome visitors for most of the year. The distilleries are Benromach, Cardhu, Glenfiddich, Glen Grant Distillery and Garden, The Glenlivet, Strathisla and Dallas Dhu Historic Distillery.
19. At the time of the annual spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival in early May every year many more distilleries open their doors to visitors with a range of special events, tours and whisky tastings on offer.

'Largest fox killed in UK' shot on Aberdeenshire farm

A fox believed to be the biggest killed in Britain was shot after attacking lambs on an Aberdeenshire farm.Continue reading the main story

It weighed 38lbs 1oz (17.2kg) and was 4ft 9in (1.4m) from nose to the tip of its tail. On average the animals tend to weigh up to about 15lbs (6.8kg).

Alan Hepworth, 69, from Rothiemay, shot the fox on a friend's farm and said its size was "incredible".

He said: "We take no real pleasure from it. It's just what we have to do to stop them getting out of control."

Mr Hepworth explained: "We have to shoot foxes to keep on top of them, and stop them from killing the lambs.

"It was late at night, and this particular fox caught our eye because it was such an incredible size.

"When we went over to pick it up, we were amazed by quite how big it was.

"I could only hold it for a while because it was so heavy and was nearly as big as a roe deer."

He added: "I'm 5ft 7in, and it was 4ft 9in. When I held it up, it was almost the same size as me."

Jonathan Reynolds, senior research scientist at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), said: "A 38lbs fox would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

"We don't know why they are getting bigger, but one possible explanation is that they are getting better fed in urban areas."

Flat Earthers

Like it, or like it not, we live in an age where people expect to be able to contact accommodation providers immediately. Failing to answer the telephone or reply promptly to an email will in most cases see the potential guest moving on to the next listing on the Accommodation Directory Site.

Of course, there is nothing practical to be done about the “flat earthers” ¹ (those who honestly think that the whole world operates in their time zone)

I’m sure many have experienced this. You get up at 6am to check overnight emails before starting early breakfast only to discover that a “flat earther” has emailed at 1am your time enquiring about availability on a certain day and then emails again at 5am to complain that you haven’t got back to them with the pertinent information.

Unless you are willing to stay up all night responding to emails and answering the telephone (or paying someone else to do it on your behalf) there is little to be done about “flat earthers”

In my experience if a “flat earther” does eventually book they are often more trouble than they are worth . . . generally over demanding and often unreasonable (booking a 2 star accommodation, paying a 2 star rate BUT expecting a 5 star service).

Don’t lose any sleep over emails and calls that are missed when you are otherwise engaged (i.e sleeping) Also worth bearing in mind is that unless your competitors are burning the midnight oil you have just as much chance of securing the booking as anyone else (unless of course the potential guest decides to change travel plans and books a hotel in their own time zone)

Nor am I suggesting that you should be available every waking moment to answer phone calls and respond to incoming emails. Self-employed hoteliers and B&B owners often work long hours per day seven days a week. Everyone needs some time out enjoying time with family and friends or simply relaxing in the garden.

At Norlaggan we have a strict policy of taking 2 hours each day for ourselves (after the rooms have been changed and other jobs completed but before the first check-ins)

When to be available to answer the telephone and to respond to emails is a matter of personal preference but before setting up call forwarding and/or email forwarding it may be worth giving some consideration to when you WON’T be available!!

1. The Flat Earth Society actually exists – for an interesting article by David Adam of The Guardian see http://bit.ly/wwc4gP