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.

Overhead view of a rocky coastline and beach in Scotland

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.

Pair of photos from Scotland, one showing a distillery still, and one showing a glass of whisky and a bottle on a serving tray

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.

Pair of photos from Scotland, one showing the stone exterior of a hotel, and one showing a fish dish being plated

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.

Pair of photos, one showing a hand holding a glass of whisky, and one showing sheep grazing in a field

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 a hotel in Scotland

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.

Aerial view of a hotel and rivers in Scotland, with fall foliage

The Forss House Hotel, which is set on 20 acres of woodlands near the town of Thurso.Robert Ormerod

Peat bogs in Scotland

The peat bogs known as the Flow Country, a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status.Robert Ormerod

Pair of photos from Scotland, one showing a house, and one showing a hotel guest room

From left: Highland views en route to Forsinard Flows; morning sun in a guest room at the Links House.Robert Ormerod

A dining room in a hotel in the Scottish highlands

The dining room at the Forss House.Robert Ormerod