In the Scottish Highlands, a unique jot down of whisky embodies the flavors of both land and sea.
Whitecaps seethed and simmered on the ocean; gulls somersaulted in the squally air.
Some date from 2002, making them only slightly younger than Ross.
Old fishermen’s cottages near Wick, Scotland, where maritime whisky is made.Credit:Robert Ormerod
At 25, he is already well versed in the destructive power of the winds that lash these shores.
Up here, the salt will strip the paint off everything, he said.
It doesnt sound like a lot, but the casks are here for 12 years.
From left: Copper stills at the Brora distillery; a 34-year-old Brora being served at the Links House at Royal Dornoch.Robert Ormerod
Something has to fill the void, Hanratty explained.
The void is the angels share: the amount of whisky lost to evaporation about two percent a year.
And that something is the sea air.
From left: The sandstone exterior of the Links House, which dates back to the 1840s; halibut with caviar sauce in the hotel’s restaurant.Robert Ormerod
When the whisky starts to breathe, its going to draw some of that salty character in.
Most guests were there to sink a putt on Royal Dornoch, one of Scotlands finest golf courses.
In this part of the world, a healthy pond is a stagnant pond.
From left: A glass of Old Pulteney, a maritime whisky with a sweet, briny flavor; sheep grazing along the road to the Forsinard Flows nature reserve.Robert Ormerod
A crackling fire was a seductive invitation to spend an evening nursing a whisky.
They chatted amiably about temperatures and measurements and volumes of alcohol as I frowned in concentration.
We paused before two fat-bellied stills, which looked like giant copper snowmen with stovepipe hats.
A cozy lounge at the Links House.Robert Ormerod
Todays rain is tomorrows whisky, Hanratty had told me in Dornoch.
Soon after I departed Old Pulteney, it started coming down thick and fast again.
There would be plenty of whisky tomorrow.
The Forss House Hotel, which is set on 20 acres of woodlands near the town of Thurso.Robert Ormerod
The peat bogs known as the Flow Country, a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status.Robert Ormerod
From left: Highland views en route to Forsinard Flows; morning sun in a guest room at the Links House.Robert Ormerod
The dining room at the Forss House.Robert Ormerod