Scotland continued

After leaving Ballandollach, we headed for Cardhu distillery. While Cardhu itself seems quite tiny, it is a part of the enormous Deagio (sp?) chain which is the parent for a great number of both single malts and blends, such as Johnny Walker. The tour at Cardhu was the equivalent of $8 US but it was applied towards the purchase of their whisky. Our tour guide, Debbie, signed a bottle of Craggenmore for us since her dad works there!
From little Cardhu, we headed (amongst even more pheasants) to Glenfiddich. Glenfiddich is an enormous operation -- perhaps the very largest distillery in Scotland. The comparison of them to Cardhu reminded us of one to T Vines vs Mondavi wineries in Napa! There is no charge for the tour at Glenfiddich and they still give you a "wee dram" taste after the tour.
That evening we had dinner at the Garth Hotel in Grantown-On-Spey. A few unique things about the restaurant service in Scotland: First, they don't fill the restaurant and try to "turn tables" as in the US. Instead, they have maybe a third of the tables filled at one time so the staff can more effectively serve those tables. Second, when you arrive, you are seated in a comfortable lounge area while your table is prepared. It is there you are offerd drinks instead of at your table. I personally liked these concepts a lot. It seemd to make for a lot more relaxing dining experience.
This evening Don had a smoked salmon appetizer followed by Garth's famous chicken which was stuffed with brie then wrapped in puff pastry. I had a vegetable crepe to start then their "Mussel Extravaganza". Delicious! Some restaurants offer an "early bird" discount. At the Garth we received 25% off our bill by eating at 6:00PM.
THe day had been very sunny and pleasant but the clear sky made it a bit chilly that evening. Still, we had a nice walk back to our lovely An Cala.