Day Two...

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. I've had an overly unproductive day, but I still had a day to enjoy.

Spent some time relearning about Whisky today. Usquebaugh; The Water of Life.
It would appear that 3 ingredients compile to make whisky; Barley, Yeast and Water. Let's take it a little further.

Barley is a robust grain; it manages to grow in the hardy climes of Scotland. All over the terrain in this little nation, Barley grows. It grows in pains and on mountains; in the deepest valley and at some of the highest points all over the world. All it needs to ensure this (apart from it's soil), is the addition of water.

Whisky makers are particularly precious about the water they use in the production of the Spirit of Scotland, and so they should be. Water carries with it an endless history. From snow-melt, which may have been locked in a glacier for many thousands of years, to melt and drip through limestone, sandstone, and then to bubble up in places of granite and run down hills and be forced up, bubbling into streams. Draining through heather-lands, and nourishing the barley. Yes; water matters.

Then there's the peat, which is used in the malting process. Inexplicably aged peat. As a precursor to coal, this part-rotting vegetation and turf carries with it the essence of a long-gone era. Ages of history are stored in its dense, moist compounds, and are imparted on the malts when dried.

Then there are the barrels. American Oak casks, already used for Bourbon, or Sherry casks from the town of Jerez in Spain, the trees used for these casks are full of their own wonders and awesome feats. I mean, who doesn't love trees? Standing tall and towering over us with their history and sheer size, trees are truly magnificent. They are life's first altruism; pure life givers, overseeing many of our lifetimes in all but one of their own. Oxygenating us and removing our toxins, keeping us sheltered and providing for us what we cannot provide for ourselves. I do, really really, love trees. By the time Whisky makes the barrel, the wood can be decades old, and it shows its age by the richness of the wood it provides. After being filled with it's first liquid, the casks are then shipped to Scotland to be filled. They can be filled up to around 3 times. Bear in mind that in order for a spirit to be defined as 'Whisky' in Scotland, it legally has to be aged for at least 3 years (and is usually aged for between 8-25 years), 75 years of the woods' time is spent imparting its in-depth knowledge on it's close companion; hugging it and lulling it into an intoxicating sleep.

The relationships employed in the production of whisky are harmonious, beautiful, and entirely symbiotic.

I'm fully aware that this post is somewhat idiotic, and takes a rather large leap of mind to justify. Perhaps I shouldn't've had a dram with every page of my book.

Still, these are my thoughts.