Scotland, Day 16: Hiding Out in the Hotel Room, Soup at Union of Genius, Cocktails at Panda and Sons, Kaleidoscope Bar at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Dinner at the Scran and Scallie

September 17, 2021

I was a bit run down today, and I think our vacation finally caught up with me. We haven’t been overly busy during our time in Scotland, but we’ve tried to keep the days full.

I opted to stay at the hotel after breakfast, while Liz went out and about. I spent some time going over the photos I took, and began going through the slow process of sorting everything day by day.

Surprisingly? I found this really quite relaxing.

I think that for as much as we’ve been on vacation, the bulk of our trip has been fairly secluded: we’ve been on some islands, we’ve stayed in Speyside, we’ve done a handful of tours and some tastings (all of which involve smaller groups of people).

Now that we’re in a major city again, I think a part of me was (and still is) unprepared to be around so many people, everywhere, all the time.

I got a text from Liz, letting me know she was back in the area and had settled into a nearby spot for lunch. I ended up joining her for some soup at Union of Genius (one of many great recommandations from cousin Lauren).

Outside Panda and Sons.

No speakeasy is complete without a hidden door to get inside.

A drink called “Softcore Porn,” made of Braemble, Vanilla Infused Luksusowa Vodka, Lillet Blanc, Sweet Sparkling Red, Lime, and Egg White. Featuring an eggplant emoji, because of course it does.

We caught whiff of this drink, which was served in a large, smoke-filled belljar. It reminded both me and Liz a lot of Aviary.

A brief walk found us over at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a private club that has a bar (called Kaleidoscope) that the public can visit.

We learned a bit more about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and both Liz and I were quite floored by the selections that our server, Francesco, pulled for us.

We had several drams here, and each and every single one was absolutely delicious. I think right here and now is where I started to really lean towards cask strength Speyside whiskies, very bright and fruit forward.

Prior to this, I was very much into the smoky/peaty side of things. And while Liz was drawing me over to her sherry preferences, I found that I really liked the sweeter/fruitier taste of bourbon casks (versus the PX/Oloroso cask/finishes).

We really were quite taken with everything we tasted here tonight. And were so incredibly glad we were able to stop in (and kicking ourselves for not coming here earlier).