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Above left is the red wines offered. Above right is just the list of Islay Scotch available. Their bar list included Scotch Whisky from all over Scotland as well as many other spirits and beer on tap as well as by the bottle.
The above top left photo is of some of the brunch items offered. We ordered and shared the "Big Breakfast" for 12 GBP ($14.46 USD) which consisted of 2 smoked bacon, 2 pork sausage, haggis, black pudding, grilled tomato, sauteed mushroom, baked beans, 2 tattie scones, a fried egg & toast. The above left photo is of just half the breakfast after we had split the order. If you are not familiar with haggis it is a popular Scottish food item that is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach though now often in an artificial casing instead. Main ingredients: Sheep's heart, liver and lungs, and stomach (or sausage casing); onion, suet, spices. (Wikipedia). The haggis tasted OK but nothing I think we'd ever crave for.
I think the Mercat did an excellent job of designing their restroom. It has bars for handicap use as well as a potty chair for toddlers.
If you haven't noticed yet, "Whisky" is spelled without an "e" by the Scots whereas it is spelled "Whiskey" by the Irish and Americans.
This was the third year in a row that we have visited the "Scotch Whisky Experience". The first time we came was in September 2017 when Edinburgh was a port stop on a cruise around the British Isles. That was when we discovered that we like Scotch Whisky from Islay. Until then we had never tasted a Scotch that we liked very much. We've been drinking Scotch Whisky from Islay ever since. It is why we came to do a tour of the Islay distilleries this year.
When we came in September 2017 we purchased the "Gold Tour". The Gold Tour comes with a one year membership. One of the benefits of that membership is a 2-for-1 price to repeat the Gold Tour. We returned in September 2018 when Edinburgh was a port stop on a cruise to Norway and Iceland. On that visit to the Scotch Whisky Experience I was able to purchase just one Gold Tour which allowed my wife, Barbara, to take the Gold Tour for free. When you repeat the Gold Tour you get a new membership good for another year. Thus when I returned this year I was again able to purchase just one Gold Tour and again that allowed Barbara to take the Gold Tour for free. We'll have to see if I manage to return again by August 2020 and take advantage of the 2-for-1 Gold Tour again. Another benefit of the Gold Tour is that you get to do a tasting of four different Scotch Whiskies from different regions of Scotland at the end of the tour.
This venue wasn't exactly my cup of tea. As we went from room to room where actors would sort of re-enact scenes from the dark ages, I alternated between being bored and being annoyed. I kept hoping each time we finished in one room and went to the next that the next room would be the end of the experience and the exit. I'm sure a lot of people enjoy this type of venue. I'm just not one of them. The most exciting element of the venue was at the end where everyone experienced a surprise "drop" that was supposed to be simulating being hung. That only lasted about two seconds but it made for a great photo! The most enjoyable part of the venue was the shop at the end which featured some interesting dungeon souvenir items.
Bottle of wine we purchased at our hotel bar. Between 5pm and 8pm drink purchases come with a free plate of cheese.
Left: Hotel bar open until 1 AM. Right: Lobby coffee and beverage self-service area. Coffee is free for hotel guests 24 hours a day.
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If in this report you see any typos, misspellings, factual errors or other types of errors, please let me know.
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