The Fall 2006 Colloquium presented by the University of Guelph and the Scottish Studies Foundation will take place on September 30th at Rozanski Hall, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario Speakers will be: Dr Marjorie Harper, Aberdeen University on "Scottish Migration to Canada" Dr Mark Elliott of St Andrew's University on "Early Church in Scotland" Dr Mary Williamson, University of York "History of Scottish Cookery" Lindsay Irvin of University of Toronto "Scottish Saints" More info at: www.scottishstudies.com Cheerio Sue Visser

Ken: You are correct, Malcolm McNiven and Flora Currie only had 10 children; I miscounted. Yes, my husband is descended from John McNiven and Bertha Vierhus. They had 8 children; son Alexander Vierhus is my husband's grandfather. He married Jennie Rice and had 2 children, Richard and Donald (my father-in-law). Back in the early 80's Don was researching the family and somehow had contact with a Becky (Mrs. Roy) McNiven, who apparently is not related but had some information about our family. She is the one who gave us the birth date for Flora Currie as 1 Jan 1819 and year of death as 1912. She and Malcolm were married 1 Jan 1840. The birth date she had for John is 7 Oct 1851. I keep finding differences in the years of birth, so am not sure which is correct. I have more dates and names of spouses for Malcolm & Flora's children if anyone is interested. -----Original Message----- From: KenHarrison11@cs.com [mailto:KenHarrison11@cs.com] Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 9:32 PM To: SCT-ISLAY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [SCT-ISLAY] CURRIE/MCNIVEN In a message dated 16/07/2006 8:40:55 PM Pacific Standard Time, debmcn2@verizon.net writes: > I am a new subscriber who is trying to research my husband's family. I am > looking for information on Malcolm McNiven and Flora Currie. Flora is the > daughter of Lachlan Currie and Jane McNiven Currie and was born Island of > Islay on 12 Jan 1819. Flora emigrated to Ontario, Canada in the early > 1830s. She married Malcolm McNiven and had 11 children. Their son, John > Currie, b. 1852 or 1852 Brant Township, Ontario, is my husband's GG > grandfather. Any information or leads would be greatly appreciated. > > > > Debbi McNiven Debbi, Welcome to the Islay List !! I assume that your husband is descended from Bertha Vierhus, wife of John McNiven. Right? This family has had quite a bit of discussion on this List over the past several years. I suggest that you trawl through the Archives to see what has been uncovered. There are several Currie and McNiven researchers on the List and I am sure that they will be happy to help you. You seem to have a bit of data which I don't think has been mentioned before, such as the birth date of Flora Currie. What is your source for this date? You also state that she had 11 children. I know of Lachlan, John, Margaret, Peter, Malcolm, Jane, Annie, Mary, Alexander & Duncan. Do you have the same? Who is #11? I have the birth date of John as 8 Oct 1853, but am not sure of my source ..... Ken Harrison North Vancouver, Canada Only a genealogist regards a step backwards as PROGRESS ... HARRISON Yorkshire > Staffordshire > London (Highgate/Hampstead) POTCHIT Yorkshire FISHER London (Highgate/Hampstead) GREAVES Yorkshire > London GRIFFIN Staffordshire STANLEY Staffordshire SMELLIE Lanark > Orkney > Glasgow > Canada + Tasmania STIRRAT Ayrshire > Glasgow BAIN Caithness MILLER Caithness > Swaziland + S. Africa SPENCE Orkney FOTHERINGHAM Orkney TRAILL Orkney SELKRIG Lanark WICKETSHAW Lanark MORRISON Perthshire > Dumbarton > Glasgow > Australia (Vic) MORRISON Islay > Ontario BAIRD Renfrew HAM Australia (Vic) THOMPSON Suffolk > Yorkshire AGGUS Suffolk BRIGHTWELL Suffolk LAWSON Clackmannanshire > Ontario McNABB Islay > Ontario MURRAY Dumfries > Renfrew SINCLAIR Perthshire > Renfrew GILLESPIE Dumfries HENDERSON Dumfries TICKET (TAKET) Dumfries + Lanark CALDWELL Tyrone > Renfrew GRAHAM Tyrone > Ontario Genealogists never die ... they just lose their census. Unless specifically stated otherwise in this message, there is no intentional attachment on this e-mail transmission. ==== SCT-ISLAY Mailing List ==== To visit the website associated with this project, visit: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~steve/islay/data.htm

A little information which may be of interest to anyone researching McNiven/Curri (McMurchie): Dugald McNiven m. Marion Currie (McMurchie): Children, Jane b. 1835 m John Leitch, died 1879 Glasgow, children Marion & John, both children died Islay. Mary m Archibald Clark, child Marion Duncan living at Ballytarsin in 1901 Regards Johan Lochridge

In a message dated 16/07/2006 8:40:55 PM Pacific Standard Time, debmcn2@verizon.net writes: > I am a new subscriber who is trying to research my husband's family. I am > looking for information on Malcolm McNiven and Flora Currie. Flora is the > daughter of Lachlan Currie and Jane McNiven Currie and was born Island of > Islay on 12 Jan 1819. Flora emigrated to Ontario, Canada in the early > 1830s. She married Malcolm McNiven and had 11 children. Their son, John > Currie, b. 1852 or 1852 Brant Township, Ontario, is my husband's GG > grandfather. Any information or leads would be greatly appreciated. > > > > Debbi McNiven Debbi, Welcome to the Islay List !! I assume that your husband is descended from Bertha Vierhus, wife of John McNiven. Right? This family has had quite a bit of discussion on this List over the past several years. I suggest that you trawl through the Archives to see what has been uncovered. There are several Currie and McNiven researchers on the List and I am sure that they will be happy to help you. You seem to have a bit of data which I don't think has been mentioned before, such as the birth date of Flora Currie. What is your source for this date? You also state that she had 11 children. I know of Lachlan, John, Margaret, Peter, Malcolm, Jane, Annie, Mary, Alexander & Duncan. Do you have the same? Who is #11? I have the birth date of John as 8 Oct 1853, but am not sure of my source ..... Ken Harrison North Vancouver, Canada Only a genealogist regards a step backwards as PROGRESS ... HARRISON Yorkshire > Staffordshire > London (Highgate/Hampstead) POTCHIT Yorkshire FISHER London (Highgate/Hampstead) GREAVES Yorkshire > London GRIFFIN Staffordshire STANLEY Staffordshire SMELLIE Lanark > Orkney > Glasgow > Canada + Tasmania STIRRAT Ayrshire > Glasgow BAIN Caithness MILLER Caithness > Swaziland + S. Africa SPENCE Orkney FOTHERINGHAM Orkney TRAILL Orkney SELKRIG Lanark WICKETSHAW Lanark MORRISON Perthshire > Dumbarton > Glasgow > Australia (Vic) MORRISON Islay > Ontario BAIRD Renfrew HAM Australia (Vic) THOMPSON Suffolk > Yorkshire AGGUS Suffolk BRIGHTWELL Suffolk LAWSON Clackmannanshire > Ontario McNABB Islay > Ontario MURRAY Dumfries > Renfrew SINCLAIR Perthshire > Renfrew GILLESPIE Dumfries HENDERSON Dumfries TICKET (TAKET) Dumfries + Lanark CALDWELL Tyrone > Renfrew GRAHAM Tyrone > Ontario Genealogists never die ... they just lose their census. Unless specifically stated otherwise in this message, there is no intentional attachment on this e-mail transmission.

I am a new subscriber who is trying to research my husband's family. I am looking for information on Malcolm McNiven and Flora Currie. Flora is the daughter of Lachlan Currie and Jane McNiven Currie and was born Island of Islay on 12 Jan 1819. Flora emigrated to Ontario, Canada in the early 1830s. She married Malcolm McNiven and had 11 children. Their son, John Currie, b. 1852 or 1852 Brant Township, Ontario, is my husband's GG grandfather. Any information or leads would be greatly appreciated. Debbi McNiven

Thanks, Ted. I knew that there was a "malt academy" at Bruichladdich, but this is the first time I've read a report by a "student". I'll pass it on to friends who know a good scotch when they taste one! Toni Sinclair (returning from lapse-land membership of this terrific list) >From: edwin mccannel <tmccannel@shaw.ca> >Reply-To: SCT-ISLAY-L@rootsweb.com >To: SCT-ISLAY-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: [SCT-ISLAY] Off Subject--"School of Hard Liquor" Islay >Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 21:12:39 -0700 > >Hope the following `story` from the Victoria BC times Colonist re Islay is >of enough interest to listers to justify its length as an off-topic >posting. Ted McC > >Ken Winchester, Special to the Times Colonist >Published: Saturday, July 01, 2006 >Mention the name Islay (pronounced eye-luh) to a group of whisky lovers and >watch their eyes mist over. The green, windswept island off the west coast >of Scotland is home to no less than seven major distilleries, including >some of the legendary names of single-malt Scotch: Laphroig, Lagavullin, >Bowmore, Ardbeg, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila and the self-proclaimed "distillery >with attitude," Bruichladdich. _________________________________________________________________ Play Q6 for your chance to WIN great prizes. http://q6trivia.imagine-live.com/enca/landing

My 2x Great Grandfather, Donald McLarty was born on Islay on July 23, 1803. His father and mother (my 3x Great Grandparents) were John McLarty and Elizabeth McVoran. They married in 1793 on Islay (Parish Bowmore or Killarrow) He (Donald) was born on Ealabus Farm, Islay, Scotland (Parish Bowmore or Killarrow) in 1803. Donald married Mary Love in 1833 on Islay and I'm trying to trace her. I can't find any information on Mary Love, except that she married Donald McLarty and was born in 1805. Donald McLarty and Mary Love came to Canada to St. Andrew's East, Quebec (don't know the year but it would be between 1833 & 1843) where my Great Grandfather Dugald was born in 1843. Dugald married Catherine McMartin daughter of Daniel McMartin and Catherine Jackson. (Don't know where Catherine was born but probably in Quebec as well. Dugald was a carpenter. They moved to the Ottawa area in Ontario. Dugald is buried in our family plot at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. He died in 1926. Catherine is buried there too and died in 1916. Their son James is buried there as well. He died apparently of heart failure at the age of 16. As their first child was born in 1843, and that would make Mary Love about 38 when she gave birth for the first time and Donald 40, I wonder if this was a 2nd marriage for Donald???? The 1881? Census shows that these were Dugald & Catherine's children: Daniel MCLARTY Male Scottish 10 Q <Quebec> Weslyan Methodist John MCLARTY Male Scottish 9 O <Ontario> Weslyan Methodist James MCLARTY Male Scottish 5 O <Ontario> Weslyan Methodist Agnes MCLARTY Female Scottish 3 O <Ontario> Weslyan Methodist Source Information: Census Place Wellington Ward, Ottawa, Carleton, Ontario Family History Library Film 1375865 As Daniel was born in Quebec and John was born in Ontario, that means that they probably moved to Ontario from Quebec in about 1871. Agnes McLarty was my Mother's Mother. Also, because my Mother and Father were first cousins, I do get confused with the names. Agnes McLarty married Henry Kennedy Atkinson and they had 3 children. Catherine, Leslie and Agnes Gertrude (my Mother). My Mother married John Lamb MacLarty son of John McLarty (see above) and Jessie Lamb. Also, would like to find the year of emigration to Canada or any information regarding this. Can you be of any help here? I am going to Islay from British Columbia, Canada in September and would like to follow up. thanks so much Nancy MacLarty

Many thanks, Ted. Enjoyed the story Janet edwin mccannel <tmccannel@shaw.ca> wrote: Hope the following `story` from the Victoria BC times Colonist re Islay is of enough interest to listers to justify its length as an off-topic posting. Ted McC * * Ken Winchester, Special to the Times Colonist Published: Saturday, July 01, 2006 Mention the name Islay (pronounced eye-luh) to a group of whisky lovers and watch their eyes mist over. The green, windswept island off the west coast of Scotland is home to no less than seven major distilleries, including some of the legendary names of single-malt Scotch: Laphroig, Lagavullin, Bowmore, Ardbeg, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila and the self-proclaimed "distillery with attitude," Bruichladdich. Bruichladdich (pronounced brook-laddie) was founded in 1881, but mothballed in the early 1980s when the Scotch whisky industry fell on hard times. In 2001 it was bought and resurrected by a group of Ileach (Islay natives) including master distiller Jim McEwan, formerly of Bowmore. When I read about Jim's other dream -- to launch Scotland's first whisky school, the Malt Academy, I had to sign up. To a working winemaker and whisky-lover like me, it was the ultimate busman's holiday. Several airlines, including British Airways and Zoom, have good connections to Glasgow from Vancouver. Rather than rent a car, I chose the three-hour bus ride from Glasgow to Kennacraig, a scenic route that skirts Loch Lomond and winds down the Mull of Kintyre. At Kennacraig, the bus meets the ferry for the two-hour sailing to Islay. You know you're in whisky country when the ferry shop also sells miniature bottles of Laphroig. Why are there so many distilleries on Islay? The conventional wisdom is that it's the peat. And certainly Islay whiskies have a reputation for smoky, heavily peated malts. But taste around and you'll find a wide range of flavours and styles. McEwan has another theory. "Look at the distilleries; they were all built on the water. It was far easier to transport malt to the Island -- and whisky away -- by ship than by road." The Bruichladdich compound is a whitewashed sprawl of brick and cement surrounding a central courtyard and fronting a pretty beach. An old copper still sits out front, sporting a pair of boots sticking out of the gooseneck. No one can say Bruichladdich takes itself too seriously. Day One: Ella Edgar, Bruichladdich's administrator, couldn't have been more helpful in planning my trip. Still, I didn't know exactly what to expect. Normally there are five students in the course; this week there are only two, myself and Ron, a jovial Dutchman and self-proclaimed "whisky maniac." To our delight there is no classroom; we are simply thrown feet first into the midst of a working distillery, albeit under the watchful eye of distillery manager Duncan McGillivray, an Ileach who has been making whisky for more than 30 years. McGillivray points us to the still house, where another Duncan (McFadyen, known to one and all as "the Budgie" for his loquaciousness) is midway through a still run. The Still Room is the heart of a distillery, and the gleaming copper vessels with their long tapering necks are the iconic image of Scotch. Bruichladdich has four stills, the oldest dating from 1881. The stillman's command centre is the spirit safe, a gleaming brass panel of gauges, hydrometers and spouts where the flowing spirit can be monitored. In his soft Scottish brogue, the Budgie peppers us with still lore, Island gossip and a joke or two, all in the same sentence. This is a lot to absorb on the first day. By the time I hike back to my B&B for dinner, my head is spinning. Academy House, our home for the week, once housed both the distillery manager and the Exciser (at one time a tax man was resident at every distillery). Now the charming old house is presided over by Mary, Margaret and Rae, who fuss over guests with home cooking and local history. A fish stew and a couple of drams by the fire and I'm a new man. Day Two: Ron and I begin in the Mash House, under the supervision of Big Allan Logan. Before you make whisky, you have to make beer -- or more properly, wash. The chore of the day is to transfer seven tons of malted barley from storage hoppers to the grist mill, where is it ground, then moved to the mash house. Malted barley is grain that has been germinated, then dried to release its starch. Often the barley is dried using smoke from a peat fire, which gives many Islay whiskies their distinctive character. Bruichladdich's grist mill, a belt-driven, century-old contraption, grinds the malted barley into grist, then lifts it by auger and elevator to the mash house. There the grist is mashed, or steeped in very hot water to transform the starch into fermentable sugars. Cast-iron rakes comb slowly through the mash to stir it, then it's steeped for 30 minutes. The sweetened barley water, now called wort, is drained off the grain, and the process repeated three more times. The first two "waters" are cooled, then transferred to a large wooden fermenter, called a washback (the third and fourth waters are reused in the next mashing). I dip a metal sample jar into the wort and have a sip; it's sweet and delicate. Heady aromas of warm bread fill the tun room, where the wort will ferment into a kind of beer called wash over the next 60 hours. Allan fills one of the six antique washbacks with 24,000 litres of wort, I help lug six heavy sacks of yeast up the stairs, then we "pitch" the yeast into the milky wort. Within a few hours the mix begins to sizzle as fermentation kicks in. It emits a cloud of carbon dioxide, and Allan reminds me not to breathe too deeply. That afternoon, it is back in the still house, this time with Neal MacTaggart, a stillman since 1971 (he trained the Budgie). Whisky is distilled twice, so Neal must monitor two sets of stills at the same time. There's an art to each little manoeuvre in the still room: gauges to be watched, valves to be opened and closed, steam to be raised or lowered. Nowadays many distilleries brag about having computerized the process, basing it on time and temperature. But Bruichladdich is resolutely old-school. They believe that dozens of little decisions make for better whisky. This first distillation produces about 4,600 litres of rough spirit, called low wines, per still at 22.5 per cent alcohol. Nowhere is the human touch more evident than in the second distillation, called the spirit run. Neal puts 7,200 litres of low wines into each of the smaller spirit stills, and I crank open the steam valve. It's this second distillation that will create the final whisky, called new-make spirit. The art is in separating the spirit into three parts: the first cut, called the foreshots; the middle cut, simply called the spirit; and the end of the run, called the feints. The precious middle cut is saved for filling and aging. The foreshots and feints, which contain undesirable flavours, are returned to storage for later redistillation. By now Neal trusts Ron and me enough to let us open and close valves under his direction. As the foreshots trickle into the spirit safe, the room fills with steamy air and heady aromas, and a wisp of evaporating alcohol dubbed the "angel's share." I dip a tasting glass under the running spirit, mix in a bit of water, cover it with my hand and give it a single, vigorous shake. Holding it up to the light I see a turbid mix. I sniff aromas of rubbing alcohol and petroleum, a bit of lemon peel; in other words, still foreshots, not yet ready to save. We repeat this procedure several times until the spirit loses the oily taste and takes on a sweet, subtle flavour. The colour now is a luminescent blue, like the sheen of a pearl. New whisky is crystal-clear. It won't get its characteristic caramel color until after several years in barrel. Finally Neal is happy with the cut, and tells me to swivel the spout to the spirit collector. This simple act is an epiphany: I'm making whisky! Three hours later, the spirit has dropped in alcohol and it's time to swivel the spout back to collect the final cut, the feints. The spirit run has taken almost seven hours and produced 1,440 litres of new whisky per still at 71 per cent alcohol. Day Three: Ron and I are outfitted with work gloves and steel-toed boots, then sent to the filling room to help fill 70 casks with the new-make spirit. Andrew Fisher shows us the ropes, starting with how to handle the barrels. Each cask weighs 100 pounds when empty, and more than 500 pounds filled, so you don't want a finger or toe in the way when you're rolling it. Unlike wine barrels, whisky casks are tightly sealed with wooden bungs, and might go unopened for many years. Even with two novices like us, the chore goes quickly, and we take turns filling and measuring each barrel, whacking home a wooden bung, then rolling it to its place in line, always bung-up. Day Four: Our last day, and we're dreading the final exam this afternoon. It doesn't help that half the distillery staff peppers us with test questions, enjoying our blank faces. "How many litres in a wash still?" "What date was the Excise Law passed?" "What's the boiling point of ethanol?" While Ron retreats to his favourite hiding place, the still house, I pitch in with James McColl and the warehousemen, helping to transfer and store the 70 casks we filled two days earlier. Once in the warehouse, they must be rolled for hundreds of feet before finding a resting place -- perfectly bung-up -- where they can lie undisturbed for 10 years or more. It's a good excuse to explore Bruichladdich's vast warehouses, which store 22,000 slumbering casks, the oldest dating from 1967. I'm in luck; McEwan is leading some VIPs on a tour and I tag along for an impromptu master class among the dusty casks of Warehouse No. 2. Jim walks us through the art of nosing and tasting whisky, and the wide range of flavours to be picked apart and discovered: "Can you taste the lemon peel?" "Is that dried apricot or raisins?" "What would you say is the peat level of this whisky?" Bruichladdich has been an innovator in what Jim calls "rarities, one-offs, collectibles and odd balls," including finishing whisky in used wine barrels. We sample an elegant, floral whisky finished in Chateau Yquem barrels; another from a Rioja cask has flavours of raspberries, cranberries and rose petals. The heavily peated Octomore is a pirate-ship concoction of smoke, salt and creosote. But there's no putting it off; it's time for the dreaded exam. Sensing our apprehension, Jim fortifies us with a dram -- this is my kind of school -- and an hour later it's over. I score a respectable 90 points. Later that evening, Jim and Duncan join us for a celebratory dinner back at Academy House, followed by a dram or two and some lively craic (conversation) by the fire. Ron and I are awarded honorary "Malt Ambassador" certificates and special bottles of 18-year-old Bruichladdich, but the best compliment is paid to us by Jim McEwan: "It takes a lot to impress an Ileach; still more to impress a whiskyman; you did good." I'll raise a glass to that. Three years ago, Ken Winchester sold his California vineyard to move to Victoria, where he now runs Winchester Cellars on Old West Saanich Road. A winemaker for 15 years, Ken now knows his way around a whisky still. If You Go: Islay is the westernmost of Scotland's Hebrides Islands; on a clear day you can see the coast of northern Ireland from its shore. Islay can be reached by daily flights from London or Glasgow via LoganAir (managed by British Airways). Or you can take the two-hour ferry from Kennacraig, which in turn is a three-hour drive or bus ride from Glasgow. Bruichladdich's Malt Academy costs about $1,650 Cdn and includes a room and all meals at Academy House, plus complimentary wine and whisky by the fire in the cosy "gun room." For accompanying guests not taking the course, Islay is full of natural and manmade history, Celtic crosses and ruins, world-class birding, country walks, deserted beaches, friendly pubs and, of course, the distilleries that offer tours and tastings. Bruichladdich's website, www.bruichladdich.com, offers more information about the Academy, and links to local sites and attractions on Islay. (c) Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006 ==== SCT-ISLAY Mailing List ==== Find out who has books and research data pertaining to Islay at the Virtual Library: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~steve/islay/library.htm --------------------------------- Now you can have a huge leap forward in email: get the new Yahoo! Mail.

Hope the following `story` from the Victoria BC times Colonist re Islay is of enough interest to listers to justify its length as an off-topic posting. Ted McC * * Ken Winchester, Special to the Times Colonist Published: Saturday, July 01, 2006 Mention the name Islay (pronounced eye-luh) to a group of whisky lovers and watch their eyes mist over. The green, windswept island off the west coast of Scotland is home to no less than seven major distilleries, including some of the legendary names of single-malt Scotch: Laphroig, Lagavullin, Bowmore, Ardbeg, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila and the self-proclaimed "distillery with attitude," Bruichladdich. Bruichladdich (pronounced brook-laddie) was founded in 1881, but mothballed in the early 1980s when the Scotch whisky industry fell on hard times. In 2001 it was bought and resurrected by a group of Ileach (Islay natives) including master distiller Jim McEwan, formerly of Bowmore. When I read about Jim's other dream -- to launch Scotland's first whisky school, the Malt Academy, I had to sign up. To a working winemaker and whisky-lover like me, it was the ultimate busman's holiday. Several airlines, including British Airways and Zoom, have good connections to Glasgow from Vancouver. Rather than rent a car, I chose the three-hour bus ride from Glasgow to Kennacraig, a scenic route that skirts Loch Lomond and winds down the Mull of Kintyre. At Kennacraig, the bus meets the ferry for the two-hour sailing to Islay. You know you're in whisky country when the ferry shop also sells miniature bottles of Laphroig. Why are there so many distilleries on Islay? The conventional wisdom is that it's the peat. And certainly Islay whiskies have a reputation for smoky, heavily peated malts. But taste around and you'll find a wide range of flavours and styles. McEwan has another theory. "Look at the distilleries; they were all built on the water. It was far easier to transport malt to the Island -- and whisky away -- by ship than by road." The Bruichladdich compound is a whitewashed sprawl of brick and cement surrounding a central courtyard and fronting a pretty beach. An old copper still sits out front, sporting a pair of boots sticking out of the gooseneck. No one can say Bruichladdich takes itself too seriously. Day One: Ella Edgar, Bruichladdich's administrator, couldn't have been more helpful in planning my trip. Still, I didn't know exactly what to expect. Normally there are five students in the course; this week there are only two, myself and Ron, a jovial Dutchman and self-proclaimed "whisky maniac." To our delight there is no classroom; we are simply thrown feet first into the midst of a working distillery, albeit under the watchful eye of distillery manager Duncan McGillivray, an Ileach who has been making whisky for more than 30 years. McGillivray points us to the still house, where another Duncan (McFadyen, known to one and all as "the Budgie" for his loquaciousness) is midway through a still run. The Still Room is the heart of a distillery, and the gleaming copper vessels with their long tapering necks are the iconic image of Scotch. Bruichladdich has four stills, the oldest dating from 1881. The stillman's command centre is the spirit safe, a gleaming brass panel of gauges, hydrometers and spouts where the flowing spirit can be monitored. In his soft Scottish brogue, the Budgie peppers us with still lore, Island gossip and a joke or two, all in the same sentence. This is a lot to absorb on the first day. By the time I hike back to my B&B for dinner, my head is spinning. Academy House, our home for the week, once housed both the distillery manager and the Exciser (at one time a tax man was resident at every distillery). Now the charming old house is presided over by Mary, Margaret and Rae, who fuss over guests with home cooking and local history. A fish stew and a couple of drams by the fire and I'm a new man. Day Two: Ron and I begin in the Mash House, under the supervision of Big Allan Logan. Before you make whisky, you have to make beer -- or more properly, wash. The chore of the day is to transfer seven tons of malted barley from storage hoppers to the grist mill, where is it ground, then moved to the mash house. Malted barley is grain that has been germinated, then dried to release its starch. Often the barley is dried using smoke from a peat fire, which gives many Islay whiskies their distinctive character. Bruichladdich's grist mill, a belt-driven, century-old contraption, grinds the malted barley into grist, then lifts it by auger and elevator to the mash house. There the grist is mashed, or steeped in very hot water to transform the starch into fermentable sugars. Cast-iron rakes comb slowly through the mash to stir it, then it's steeped for 30 minutes. The sweetened barley water, now called wort, is drained off the grain, and the process repeated three more times. The first two "waters" are cooled, then transferred to a large wooden fermenter, called a washback (the third and fourth waters are reused in the next mashing). I dip a metal sample jar into the wort and have a sip; it's sweet and delicate. Heady aromas of warm bread fill the tun room, where the wort will ferment into a kind of beer called wash over the next 60 hours. Allan fills one of the six antique washbacks with 24,000 litres of wort, I help lug six heavy sacks of yeast up the stairs, then we "pitch" the yeast into the milky wort. Within a few hours the mix begins to sizzle as fermentation kicks in. It emits a cloud of carbon dioxide, and Allan reminds me not to breathe too deeply. That afternoon, it is back in the still house, this time with Neal MacTaggart, a stillman since 1971 (he trained the Budgie). Whisky is distilled twice, so Neal must monitor two sets of stills at the same time. There's an art to each little manoeuvre in the still room: gauges to be watched, valves to be opened and closed, steam to be raised or lowered. Nowadays many distilleries brag about having computerized the process, basing it on time and temperature. But Bruichladdich is resolutely old-school. They believe that dozens of little decisions make for better whisky. This first distillation produces about 4,600 litres of rough spirit, called low wines, per still at 22.5 per cent alcohol. Nowhere is the human touch more evident than in the second distillation, called the spirit run. Neal puts 7,200 litres of low wines into each of the smaller spirit stills, and I crank open the steam valve. It's this second distillation that will create the final whisky, called new-make spirit. The art is in separating the spirit into three parts: the first cut, called the foreshots; the middle cut, simply called the spirit; and the end of the run, called the feints. The precious middle cut is saved for filling and aging. The foreshots and feints, which contain undesirable flavours, are returned to storage for later redistillation. By now Neal trusts Ron and me enough to let us open and close valves under his direction. As the foreshots trickle into the spirit safe, the room fills with steamy air and heady aromas, and a wisp of evaporating alcohol dubbed the "angel's share." I dip a tasting glass under the running spirit, mix in a bit of water, cover it with my hand and give it a single, vigorous shake. Holding it up to the light I see a turbid mix. I sniff aromas of rubbing alcohol and petroleum, a bit of lemon peel; in other words, still foreshots, not yet ready to save. We repeat this procedure several times until the spirit loses the oily taste and takes on a sweet, subtle flavour. The colour now is a luminescent blue, like the sheen of a pearl. New whisky is crystal-clear. It won't get its characteristic caramel color until after several years in barrel. Finally Neal is happy with the cut, and tells me to swivel the spout to the spirit collector. This simple act is an epiphany: I'm making whisky! Three hours later, the spirit has dropped in alcohol and it's time to swivel the spout back to collect the final cut, the feints. The spirit run has taken almost seven hours and produced 1,440 litres of new whisky per still at 71 per cent alcohol. Day Three: Ron and I are outfitted with work gloves and steel-toed boots, then sent to the filling room to help fill 70 casks with the new-make spirit. Andrew Fisher shows us the ropes, starting with how to handle the barrels. Each cask weighs 100 pounds when empty, and more than 500 pounds filled, so you don't want a finger or toe in the way when you're rolling it. Unlike wine barrels, whisky casks are tightly sealed with wooden bungs, and might go unopened for many years. Even with two novices like us, the chore goes quickly, and we take turns filling and measuring each barrel, whacking home a wooden bung, then rolling it to its place in line, always bung-up. Day Four: Our last day, and we're dreading the final exam this afternoon. It doesn't help that half the distillery staff peppers us with test questions, enjoying our blank faces. "How many litres in a wash still?" "What date was the Excise Law passed?" "What's the boiling point of ethanol?" While Ron retreats to his favourite hiding place, the still house, I pitch in with James McColl and the warehousemen, helping to transfer and store the 70 casks we filled two days earlier. Once in the warehouse, they must be rolled for hundreds of feet before finding a resting place -- perfectly bung-up -- where they can lie undisturbed for 10 years or more. It's a good excuse to explore Bruichladdich's vast warehouses, which store 22,000 slumbering casks, the oldest dating from 1967. I'm in luck; McEwan is leading some VIPs on a tour and I tag along for an impromptu master class among the dusty casks of Warehouse No. 2. Jim walks us through the art of nosing and tasting whisky, and the wide range of flavours to be picked apart and discovered: "Can you taste the lemon peel?" "Is that dried apricot or raisins?" "What would you say is the peat level of this whisky?" Bruichladdich has been an innovator in what Jim calls "rarities, one-offs, collectibles and odd balls," including finishing whisky in used wine barrels. We sample an elegant, floral whisky finished in Chateau Yquem barrels; another from a Rioja cask has flavours of raspberries, cranberries and rose petals. The heavily peated Octomore is a pirate-ship concoction of smoke, salt and creosote. But there's no putting it off; it's time for the dreaded exam. Sensing our apprehension, Jim fortifies us with a dram -- this is my kind of school -- and an hour later it's over. I score a respectable 90 points. Later that evening, Jim and Duncan join us for a celebratory dinner back at Academy House, followed by a dram or two and some lively craic (conversation) by the fire. Ron and I are awarded honorary "Malt Ambassador" certificates and special bottles of 18-year-old Bruichladdich, but the best compliment is paid to us by Jim McEwan: "It takes a lot to impress an Ileach; still more to impress a whiskyman; you did good." I'll raise a glass to that. Three years ago, Ken Winchester sold his California vineyard to move to Victoria, where he now runs Winchester Cellars on Old West Saanich Road. A winemaker for 15 years, Ken now knows his way around a whisky still. If You Go: Islay is the westernmost of Scotland's Hebrides Islands; on a clear day you can see the coast of northern Ireland from its shore. Islay can be reached by daily flights from London or Glasgow via LoganAir (managed by British Airways). Or you can take the two-hour ferry from Kennacraig, which in turn is a three-hour drive or bus ride from Glasgow. Bruichladdich's Malt Academy costs about $1,650 Cdn and includes a room and all meals at Academy House, plus complimentary wine and whisky by the fire in the cosy "gun room." For accompanying guests not taking the course, Islay is full of natural and manmade history, Celtic crosses and ruins, world-class birding, country walks, deserted beaches, friendly pubs and, of course, the distilleries that offer tours and tastings. Bruichladdich's website, www.bruichladdich.com, offers more information about the Academy, and links to local sites and attractions on Islay. (c) Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006

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I am looking for the parents of my great great grandfather Alexander McLean who was born on Islay circa 1821. Alexander was married in Lanarkshire in 1846 and died in Renfrewshire in 1875. My stumbling block is that his death certificate doesn't have any information about his parents. In looking for possible Alexander McLean births on Islay circa 1821, I found in the 1841 census an Alexander, age 20, apparently single and living with a family of Gilchrists. The census record is as follows: Peter Gilchrist, 50, tailor; Mary Gilchrist, 50; Marion Gilchrist, 15; Anne Gilchrist, 11; Peter Gilchrist, 8; Alexander McLean, 20; Mary Gilchrist, 16. I wonder if there are any McLeans or Gilchrists out there who can shed any light on this Alexander McLean?

To Whom May Help, I have hit the brick wall with respect to finding information on my ancestors as follows: 1. John MacDonald / Christian MacArthur that according to OPR Births & Baptisms had three children in parish of Kilchoman, Charles 26/8/1821, Coll 23/1/1825, Godfrey 22/7/1827. 2. Donald Campbell / Barbara MacArthur whom had a daughter Janet Campbell born 1826. 3. From previous families, Coll MacDonald and Janet Campbell were married 16 June 1848, Gorbals Lanark. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated and am willing to share information. Thanks, Andrew Clarke

Hi everyone, Not sure if this has been posted...I am in Darvel, Ayrshire and just picked this info up. "Loganair is to increase service between Glasgow and Islay with a third service on Monday, Thursday and Friday with a new service Sunday. Company introducing a £59 return fare. Seats on sale NOW for travel until Sept 2006...to book visit ba.com". Wet any appetites?? Heather _________________________________________________________________ Watch music videos on Sympatico / MSN Video! http://video.msn.com/v/en-ca/v.htm?t=c317&f=38/81&p=ENCAmusic_ENCAvideos

Lucky you , Heather! Let's catch up when you return. Steff

Fitheach is "Raven" So when Mac comes along, the following proper noun goes to the Genitive hence the added "h". John McMillan.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news mate, but it's about time somebody came clean about the meaning of McKichan - well known in Scotland, specially in Glasgow, that Keech is excretia, human or otherwise. Nae wunner the name died oot. Yours truly, Ned _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live™ Messenger has arrived. Click here to download it for free! http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/?locale=en-gb

I have come across a very vague Maclean IGI entry on the LDS site that may relate to my family. There are things in this entry that fit with my research but I haven't found anywhere else. Under Messages it says: "Record was submitted after 1991 by a member of the LDS Church. No additional information is available." Under Source Information: "No source information is available". Does anyone know who I can contact to find out who submitted it? Obviously their researchers have not got this from any official document or microfilm. thks Norma Johnstons, Macleans & Fergusons

Hi all, A couple of months ago I mentioned that I read a book by Lucille Campey in which she said that a group of recently-arrived immigrants from Islay were intercepted in Montreal by Archibald McNab in 1830, and were suffled off to his property in McNab Township. There were no names mentioned. I actually found them online. They were MacNabs, Camerons, Campbells, McKays and McNevins. See http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/scotsmen_vol1_chap 14.htm Electric Scotsman is a really great website! Toni _________________________________________________________________ Auto news & advice – check out Sympatico / MSN Autos http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/Default.aspx

Thank you! On 6/29/06, laurel <squcie@comcast.net> wrote: > > Ann, > >From Settlements of Scottish Highlanders in America > a Duncan McArthur received lot #44 containing 450 acres in Greenwich, > Argyll > Township Washington County NY. > > laurel > > > ==== SCT-ISLAY Mailing List ==== > To visit the website associated with this project, visit: > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~steve/islay/data.htm > >

The family came to NY in 1739. Duncan had a sister Flora. I was hoping to go back furthur than Alexander McArthur and Catharine Gillies and find out whee on Islay they were from. Don't have the birth dates of Alexander and Catharine. Thanks so much! Ann On 6/29/06, Gvernonrvr@aol.com <Gvernonrvr@aol.com> wrote: > > > Hello Ann. > > You stated the following in your message: > > I am looking for information about Alexander McArthur who came from > Islay in > 1739 to the state of New York in the United States. They settled in > Washington County, New York. > He is the father of Duncan McArthur (1729-1813) > His wife was Catharine Gillies. > > Please verify the years. If Duncan is Alexander's father, then Alexander > was born when Duncan was 10 years old. I have found some > Duncan/Alexander > links but nothing matching the info above. > > > Gail -- NH > > > > > ==== SCT-ISLAY Mailing List ==== > To visit the website associated with this project, visit: > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~steve/islay/data.htm > >