The World of Single Malt Whisk(e)y
October 2021
SPONSORED BY: The Water of Life A Whisky Film
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Scotchtober SPOOKtacular!
Scotchtober is arguably the best of months -- the weather becomes crisp and cool, leaves begin to change, and one gets to look forward to Halloween all month long!! Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, is purported as a time when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest -- spirits can easily cross over and, depending on your culture, this can be seen as a way to connect with passed loved ones or as an evil period where you need to protect yourself from inimical spirits seeking to do you mischief.
Oh, also, while this humble writer happens to be an all--year--long Scotch drinker, many folks are of the opinion that whisky is meant for the cooler months, and Scotchtober is the perfect reason to crack open one of your favorite single malts and start imbibing the rich, warming spirit -- a great way to keep you going through the cold and dark winter. Why not a ghostly tale or two to keep you company around the fire? The following are accounts of ghoulish activities and haunting beliefs held at various distilleries and whisky producing regions. So pour yourself a dram and read on at your own peril, dear drinker.
The Spanish Spectre
Glendronach is known for pioneering sherry cask whisky maturation. Legend has it that a Spanish lady traveled from Spain to Scotland in an Oloroso sherry barrel and arrived at a Glendronach dunnage warehouse. Going from the warm Spanish climate to the dreary shores of Scotland was unsettling, and she stumbled upon a hidden tunnel which led to Glen House (built in 1771 and was used to house many of the distillery managers). She came to appreciate the spirit there -- both human and liquid -- and her ghost still lingers. The Spanish Spectre has been seen over the years in the front room of Glen House and in the bedroom aptly named Glendronach.
A Spirited Demand
Jura is perhaps one of the most well known haunted distilleries in Scotland. Indeed, it was because of a ghost that a distillery was opened! The year was 1781 and Laird Archibald Campbell outlawed distilling on the island. For 29 years, not a drop was to be had. Until one night, awoken from his slumber (dead sober, remember), the Laird saw hovering above him an angry apparition. The old woman was displeased at the lack of whisky on the island. Campbell was so frightened by this visitation he built a distillery in an old smugglers cave. No matter what happened over the years, a bottle of 16 year old whisky was always kept there to appease the wrathful wraith.
A Prophecy Fulfilled
Not so much a haunting as a foreshadowing, in 1700, the Laird of Clan Campbell evicted a wise old seer from her home on the island of Jura. Blessed with the gift of the Third Eye, and incensed at her treatment, she prophesied that when the last Campbell left Jura, he would be one--eyed and his belongings would be drawn in a cart by a white horse. Fast forward to 1938. Charles Campbell, veteran of the Great War and blind in one eye from his service, headed down the ancient pier for the last time on a cart drawn by a single white horse. It is claimed “That day, the sound of the cart on the track could be heard for miles.” Jura created a whisky to commemorate this legend: Prophecy.
Beware the Fae
While searching for a water source for their new distillery, Slane Distillery owner Alex Conyngham hired a water diviner to find a pure source. In the midst of finding water, the diviner came across a faerie fort. Concerned at disturbing the faeries with the construction, Conyngham had the diviner ask if they’d be willing to move to the nearby lyme grove. The faeries obliged and things worked out well for both parties -- Slane produces excellent Irish whiskey and the faeries have been known to watch over the maturation and partake in a wee tipple of the spirit -- known affectionately as the “Faeries Share”.
Don’t Disturb the Earth
If you’re familiar with Glenrothes, you’ve most likely heard of Biawa Makalaga -- an orphan brought back from Africa by Major James Grant (owner of Glen Grant Distillery) who served as a page boy then butler to the eccentric Major. Makalaga lived in Grant House until his death in 1972 (surviving over 40 years longer than the Major) and was buried in a cemetery overlooking the neighboring Glenrothes Distillery. There is a firsthand account from Paul Rickards in 1979 about how one of the stills at the newly constructed Glenrothes stillhouse was being troublesome. Two still--men working overnight claim to have felt a spirit and seen an apparition -- unmistakably that of Biawa Makalaga. They told Rickards, who had known Makalaga since 1962. Rickards invited Professor Cedric Wilson, a pharmacologist with a deep interest in the paranormal, to visit the distillery. Wilson used a dowsing technique and quickly discovered a ley (energy) line had been damaged during the construction of the still house. He corrected the problem by sinking two rods of pig iron into either side of the still house, allowing the energy of the earth to flow properly once again. It is recalled that there was an immediate release of tension throughout the stillhouse. Wilson, unfamiliar with the area and not knowing the history of Makalaga or his final resting place, was drawn up the hill to the cemetery and had a chat with a particular tombstone -- which just so happened to be that of Biawa Makalaga. He claimed that everything was settled amicably and the ghost of Makalaga has not been seen since. However, there have been many a “toast to the ghost” held at Glenrothes.
A Girl Named Molly
Black Bear Distillery in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado has their own ghostly tale to tell. The story goes that a young girl drowned in the lake of Green Mountain Falls. What her connection to the distillery was is still unknown, but she has haunted the building ever since. While her activity is mostly left to a shadow in the corner or audible footsteps, she did wish the owner a very clear “Good night” shortly after he bought the building. The distillery manager has seen her 4 times since April of 2020. Children visiting the distillery with their parents have asked about the “little girl playing in the hallway”, and one visitor (in 2016) said she could feel the girl’s spirit and that her name is Molly. They’ve called her by that name ever since.
Whether there is truth in these legends or not, I hope you enjoyed a bit of a ghost story. Feel free to revisit these tales when the nights are long and dark, and the whisky is ready to warm you.