How often can you hear 100 pipers playing together?

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” – Mark Twain

I have never been a whisky drinker, as my baptism happened with rum. However, as they say that taste evolves as one grows old; I didn’t prove any different either. I started whisky a decade back and although, a beer reminds me of bachelorhood beer bashes, rum reminds me of baptism days and vodka reminds me of my courtship days, whisky reminds me of a journey of a decade from 30 to 40- A journey of maturity, responsibility, fatherhood and so many more. Whisky is my go to drink and as the “poison” (an interesting story on poison follows) grew on me; my interest in it also grew over the years.

100 pipers 3

Did you know – ‘Whisky’ refers to whiskies distilled in Scotland, Canada, Australia, Japan and Europe where as ‘Whiskey’ refers to the spirit distilled in America and Ireland.

“Whisky, like a beautiful woman, demands appreciation. You gaze first, then it’s time to drink.” – Haruki Murakami

Making of a whisky is a long drawn process and involves Malting, Grinding, Brewing, Fermentation, Distillation, Aging and then Bottling. Each step is significant and makes the difference in the final outcome. 100 pipers is one of my favourites after trial and error with lots it seems, that this is the one that I have been looking for. With its origin in Scotland, 100 pipers has got a beautiful aroma, well balanced hint of fruitiness with soft smoky stokes and a creamy structure. The wonderfully complex character like this can only end with a smooth finish.

Did you know – Scottish legend says that when you sip a good scotch, you can hear a piper play.

“The light music of whisky falling into a glass—an agreeable interlude.” – James Joyce

Each whisky has its own story and is worth sharing. Let me share a small story here which has now become folklore. Legend has it that in 1745, a hundred pipers preceded Scotland legendary hero, Bonnie Prince Charlie into battle. Their melodious music did nothing short of evoking courage in the army and beating terror into the hearts of the enemy. This wonderful Scottish legend or the ‘ballad of 100 pipers’ is the inspiration behind this legendary Scotch whisky, bringing alive the epic story of victory by an astounding platoon of pipers.

100 pipers close up

I happened to meet an acquaintance recently and on asking him on the process of making 100 pipers, he shared some interesting insight-

“We must have auditioned a thousand whiskies to get the scotch we were after. We wanted the Balmenmachs, the Strathislas, the Macallans and a handful of others- the rare whiskies that form the base of Scotland’s greatest scotches. Most distillers are happy to have one or two of these whiskies in their scotch. We wanted to take the whole lot and combine them into one incredible scotch. For years, we searched the Highlands and Lowlands, collecting the whiskies we were after. In fact, it took more than 20 years and 530 combinations to get these individual whiskies in a single bottle. A bottle of 100 Pipers!

100 pipers at work

One of my ex boss had once asked me in one of the first chilling out sessions post office hours – What’s your poison? What’s your favourite watering hole in the city? Now I can safely confess at that point of time, I didn’t know these terms; however when explained, I had answers for both.

These days it is no longer a poison and I rarely look for a watering hole, as a sip of 100 pipers with some instrumental music or Ghazal is what now provides adrenaline rush. And perhaps when it is silent and I am alone in the night, I keep looking for experiencing a piper playing….

This post is in collaboration with 100 pipers however the views are personal. 100 pipers promote responsible drinking and all the images used in this post are property of 100 pipers. 

#Berememberedforgood