I was listening to the Whiskycast podcast and in the news segment of one of the recent episodes it was announced that some distilleries in Scotland may have to shut down due to a lack of fuel oil. Here’s an article describing the horror.
[Wimpy Vader] Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! [/WV]
That’s not good.
Not just any whisky, but whisky from Islay. That’s the true water of life. This is a crisis of the highest magnitude!
Hurriedly goes to replenish his stock of Lagavulin.
Meh. I never liked Islay malts anyway, except the 17 year old Bowmore. Wake me up when something serious happens, like a warehouse fire at Macallan. (knock wood)
Mother or mercy! I’m going to run home and cuddle my botte until I sleep. Stay away! I warn YOU. I have a cat and i’m not afraid to use her!!!
I wouldn’t worry too much. This is an aerial photo of the main whisky Bond in Scotland. Each of those buildings is five or six storeys high, and they are all packed to the gunwales with whisky. Once that runs out, then you can worry.
Right, I know where I’m running to when the zombies attack.
Thought they’re not Islays, this thread inspired me to run out for new bottles of Talisker and Highland Park, just in case. I’m good on Lagavulin but might need another bottle of Ardbeg.
The smaller buildings a bit to the south are a Bernard Matthews chicken place - not ideal perhaps - but there’s a food supply too!
It is a shame for those who like the Islays, but the best scotch around is Auchentoshan, the lowland malt that tastes like excellent Irish whiskey.
What? I like Irish whiskey.
Ok - I can see the whisky Bond and the Bernard Matthews - but where’s the food supply? Is it a burger van on the A907?
Whiskey and chicken, reminds me of a party my Dad attended in London in the residence of an African ambassador, although IIRC they served up brandy and not chicken.
Feul oil? I thought they still firrrred the stills wi’ peat!
IIRC, they’re running out of peat.
I thought they used peat to smoke the sprouting barley. You can use a lot of things to power a still, but peat smoke is going to be hard to replicate.
Duke is correct. The malt is dried over peat fires, which gives scotch its characteristic smokey flavor. It is then distilled in stills that use fuel oil to heat them. Well, to heat the steam that heats the stills.
Can’t they just convert the stills to burn Southern Comfort or something? Corn-based ethanol could finally live up to its promise as an alternative fuel!
Some places use seaweed as part of the mix when smoking the barley. You’ll know the ones by taste!
cough Laphroaig cough 
Funny, that’s always my reaction when I drink it too…
Yay, another excuse to jack up prices even more! 