"B-e-e-r Spells Whiskey"

One of the fun things about being old is finding different things to do when you're on vacation. I recently realized that whenever I go to a new place, a brewery or distillery tour is usually on the itinerary. Even last week, when I was looking up things to do in Glasgow, Scotland, I found myself trying to decide which scotch distillery to visit (you know, just in case I can't get to both).

On my 2009 trip to N. Ireland, my cousins took me to the Bushmills whiskey distillery in County Antrim. We did the tour and got to sample some very nice whiskey. If you ever do go, I recommend taking my cousin Paul; he doesn't drink whiskey too often, so he'll let you have his share.

(The Bushmills Distillery, N. Ireland)

(This distillery is older than my country)

(Enjoying a 10-year old single malt at about 11am)

I was also going to add a few photos from my trip to the Dogfishhead Brewery in Milton, Delaware, but my computer and Facebook deleted them. This is one of those times when digital is not best.

In any case, brewery and pub tours are a lot of fun. Sometimes the tour groups are so small that you can really chat with the tour guides. At Bushmills, our tour guide Seamus thought it was great that 1.) I was an American and 2.) that we brought an 11 year old on the tour (my cousin Aaron). To demonstrate his appreciation for the Harris-Irvine party, Seamus let me pose with an 80-year old bottle of whiskey. Similarly, at the Dogfishhead pub, we befriended Jameson who happened to have the same watch as my brother; as a result, he let us hang out and have a bit more beer than we were entitled to.

(Trip to Bushmills)

(antique bottle of whiskey)

Will there be a possible brewery tour this weekend in St. Louis? Only time will tell....


*quote in subject line taken from Superfudge by Judy Blume; one of my favourite children's books ever.