Universalis

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Genesis - 7

Our very spiritual Lenten journey continues with a visit to Bruichladdich distillery. Bruichladdich was built in 1881 by the brothers Robert William and John Gourlay Harvey on the shore of Loch Indaal, on the Rinns of Islay, the westernmost part of the island. At the time, the distillery was state-of-the-art and the equipment continues to be used unchanged. Unlike other distilleries, which were often built from old farm houses, the building was erected specifically for this purpose. It was built from stone from the seashore and has a very efficient layout. At the centre of the buildings is a yard that holds the kiln to dry the malt and a steam engine to generate the electricity. The Victorian décor is mostly preserved. In 2000, the machines, roasting ovens, and piping were completely removed and renovated by a team of engineers (local crofters, who also work in the distillery). It is, you might say, a museum of a distillery that is still in operation.

Tomorrow we shall move from Islay to Jura - there is only one whisky distillery on this island!



Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
(Genesis 2.1-3)

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation!

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