Click above to watch Whisky in my Blood at Glengoyne distillery 🙂
THERE’S a few wee things to edit on the Whisky in my Blood video I shot at Glengoyne distillery yesterday, so it’s straight into the studio to get the final version done and rendering.
I have some photos to sort out too and then a load of emails to deal with. The to-do list is bursting!
Once the video’s finished rendering (…or ‘processing’ or whatever the hell it does that takes so long!) I start it uploading to Facebook via Margaret’s laptop in the house.
I go to the office and do some work on next month’s single release…Givers & Takers will be the single from the forthcoming Live at Memorial Hall album. The album is out on 1 September…and the single more imminently on Friday 14 July. I don’t want to do too much on it until the iTunes pre-order is live, but need to have everything ready to send out as soon as it does – news releases, radio/promo, website landing page etc etc.
Back in the house I see the video has uploaded to Facebook, but there seems to be some kind of technical hitch. I’d hoped it would be on my page at midday, but that;s not happening now. Plan B – I start uploading it to my YouTube channel.
I have a live phoner interview with fm1fm radio and have a nice on-air chat for half an hour talking about my music, forthcoming gigs and releases then it;s lunchtime.
Back at Margaret’s laptop, the video has uploaded OK to YouTube, so I give Facebook another bash and leave it churning away.
In the office I do some work on a website I’m developing for the local hall – the place we recorded the live album. A venture into the house for a coffee and I see the video has, at last, uploaded to Facebook – I do a bit of sharing round social media and stuff then decide I should make a short edit and trailer for Instagram.
Plans for a wee walk and some fresh air are scuppered by monsoon-like rain accompanied by thunder and lightning, so I stay put int he office and work on the hall website ’til dinner’s ready sometime about 9pm.
There’s a few things to prepare for tomorrow – I’m dropping into a school in Milton to play a few songs for the kids and need to gather some gear together. the rain’s stopped when I go across to the studio, but the midges are out in force!
A nice wee dram helps my video editing go smoothly 😉
MARGARET drops me, my guitar and all the video gear at Glengoyne distillery at 8am.
We shooting a quick d-i-y video of Whisky in my Blood for World Music Day. It’s a fun and productive morning, then I’m given a lift home in the Glengoyne landrover.
There’s some work to get out the way before lunch then I edit the video footage. Unfortunately the footage from the second camera isn;t really useable – really over-exposed. The camera switched itself off just before we started filming and although I got someone to switch it back on, the exposure lock was off. Ahh well…the other suff’s OK and it’s really just a wee thong for social media, not a video masterpiece.
While the rough edits are sending back to Glengoyne via wetransfer I go out for a walk and catch up on some podcasts.
I’m not long back when Betty drops in and we enjoy a drink in the garden in the last of the evening sun.
After a quick Thai-inspired stir-fry it’s back into the studio to finish the video edit ready for tomorrow, a few things in the office and, finally, a few minutes to relax in front of the telly before bed.
Will and I have a great morning at Glengoyne and sample a little more than the angels’ share 😉
A RUSH to get out the door to meet Catriona and Will and Glengoyne.
I’d promised Will at Christmas that we’d go on a distillery tour at Glengoyne and we finally sorted a date.
While we’re on the tour Catriona and Margaret go to a place nearby for coffee and cake. Meantime, Will and I enjoy the tour and enjoy a few drams. i also use the visit as a chance to catch up with the marketing folks who are arranging things for the media/industry album launch event and a few other wee partnership projects over the next few months.
Margaret and Catriona pick up up when we’re done and we go to a garden centre place near Killearn for lunch. Very nice.
Back home we chat over a coffee or two then Catriona and Will head off and I get on with some work before making dinner.
Margaret tastes her way to creating her own single malt as part of our day out at Glengoyne Distillery
WE’RE up at a reasonable time and got some work out the way by the time Davie from Glengoyne distillery comes to pick us up at 10am.
Stuart at the distillery has lined up a day of whisky-related activities for Margaret and I and is waiting to welcome us.
We have blether over coffee and a nice dram and are introduced to Arthur – our guru for the day.
First stop is the warehouse and a wee gander round the distillery. Arthur’s knowledge of whisky and Glengoyne’s distilling process is impressive and we learn a lot about wood and cask sizes as well as a number of other things that play an important part on making Glengoyne’s whisky all that it is.
Then we’re poured another rather nice dram while we get ready for the malt master experience where Arthur gives us a good background before we sample five different flavours from different Glengoyne casks, tasting and mixing our way to create our very own cask-stength, un-chill filtered single malt. Arthur carefully bottles the result for each of us, packing our unique bottle with a label and note of our recipes to take away. Fantastic!
If you like whisky – or know someone who does – the malt master experience is an amazing treat.
Stuart joins us for some lunch – in itself a treat – then leaves us with Arthur to enjoy a whisky and chocolate-matching session. Aside from the amazing chocolate and rare drams, the experience itself is unlike anything else we’ve tried…the flavours – cocoa, raspberry, lemongrass – resonate with the two specially chosen whiskies (a 15-year-old and a 21-year-old) in a way you just couldn’t imagine. Jeez, things couldn’t get much better.
Actually, they do…but that would make a short story longer than it should be for my blog – Stuart joins us for another dram (or two) and a photo then Arthur very kindly drives us home. What a day 🙂
Back home we chill and have dinner…and talk over our grand day out.
…learning about the art of the malt master at Glengoyne
whisky and chocolate!
with our Glengoyne hosts Stuart (centre) and Arthur
