Scotch whisky

Hello! In my article I will explain the steps of the production of the quintessential drink of Scotland: Whisky!

Ingredients: Barley (the quality of the barley has a great influence on the quality of the end product), water and yeast.

Malting

The barley is made wet and spread on the malting floor to allow the germination process to start.

According to the season, malting takes between 8 and 21 days.

Barley has to be turned over regularly to ensure a constant moisture and temperature and to control the germination of the barley grains. The end of the germination is triggered by drying the germinating barley over a fire.

Grinding:

When the malt is dry, it is grinded to make a kind of coarse flour which will be used in the next operations.

Brewing:

The grist will be mixed with hot water in the mash tun. Generally one volume of grist is mixed up with 4 volumes of water. In this operation, 3 successive waters are used, at a temperature between 63 and 95%.

Fermentation:

In order to start the fermentation, yeast is added.

The action of the yeast on the sugar of the plant will produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Distillation:

The distillation is the process used to separate alcohol from water and other substances contained in the wash.

Aging.

As whiskies don’t mature in the bottle, contrary to wine for example, but only in the barrel or cask, the age of whiskies is the time between distillation and bottling.

So, the cask can interacted with the whisky and change its taste. A whisky that has been bottled for many years is not older or better than a whisky which has matured in a barrel for a similar time.

Bottling:

During this step the alcohol percentage is reduced. The minimum percentage of alcohol for whisky is 40%.

Various Scotch whiskies:

Whisky Galore Single Malt

Mortlach Single Malt

Glen Moray Single Malt

Laphroaig Single Malt

Talisker Single Malt

Glenfiddich Single Malt

Chivas Regal Blend

J&B Blend

Laphroaig Single Malt

Glen Moray Single Malt

Chivas Regal Blend

Eloïse Monel 

Fauna of Scotland

Hi! You will discover through this article the wonderful fauna of Scotland!

The fauna of Scotland is typical of the northwest European part of the Palearctic ecozone. Scotland supports 62 species of wild mammals. We can also find raptors, seabirds, and fish.

Mammals:

·       Carnivores

You can easily find weasels and stoats in Scotland, although the polecat is quite absent in the country.

Moreover, the European otter is present in the Scottish coastal.

Scotland hosts the only populations of European Wildcat in the British Isles with numbers estimated at between 400 and 2,000 animals and of the Red Fox sub-species.

 Wildcat 

 Red Fox

·       Rodents, insectivores

In Scotland, we find 75% of the UK’s Red squirrels.

The species faces threats that include competition from the introduced Grey Squirrel, and the 'Scottish Strategy for Red Squirrel Conservation' provides a framework for supporting its long-term conservation.

The insectivore population is similar as the rest of Britain.

Red Squirrel

·       Artiodactyls

The Red Deer can be found in Scottish hills, with 40000 animals. Its existence in the pure form is threatened by hybridisation with introduced Sika Deer. It is replaces by Roe Deer in lower-lying land.

Red Deer

·    Others

In Scotland, you can only find nine of the sixteen bat species found in Britain.

There are twenty-one cetaceans’ species. The colony of dolphins in Moray Firth is the most northerly of the world.

Raptors:

Almost all pairs of the 600 Golden Eagles of Britain are found in Scotland. It’s the same concerning the Peregrine Falcons.

Golden Eagle

Peregrine Falcon 

Seabirds:

Scotland's seas host almost half of the European Union's breeding seabirds. Four seabird species have more than 95% of their combined British and Irish population in Scotland.

St Kilda site, which is a World Heritage Site, is a seabird haven of great significance. The island of Mingulay also has a large seabird population.

Fish:

There are 42 species of fish found in fresh waters in Scotland, but only half have arrived by natural colonisation.

Scottish rivers have one of the largest Atlantic salmon resources in Europe.

The basking shark is one of the most impressive animals of Scottish waters.

Because of the fresh climate only six amphibians and four land reptiles are native to Scotland.

Adder

Eloïse Monel

Sean Connery

Hi everyone! In this article I will present you one of my favourite actor and producer: Sean Connery.  I’m sure most of you must know him because he is a very famous actor especially for his role in James bond! Hope you will enjoy this summary of his life and his career.

Firstly, Thomas Sean Connery, named Thomas after his grandfather, was born in Fountainbridge, an area of Edinburgh, in Scotland. His mother, Euphemia McBain, was a cleaning woman, and his father, Joseph Connery, was a factory worker and lorry driver. His paternal grandfather's parents emigrated to Scotland from Ireland in the mid-19th century. The remainder of his family was of Scottish descent, and his maternal great-grandparents were native Scottish Gaelic speakers.

Connery is a member of the Scottish National Party, a centre-left political party campaigning for Scottish Independance , and has supported the party financially and through personal appearances.

His career:

In 1951, to win extra money, Connery helped out backstage at the King's Theatre, he became interested in the proceedings, and a career was launched.

In 1961, the London Express organized a competition to find the new actor for the role of the secret agent James Bond. Sean Connery was reluctant to commit to a film series, but understood that if the films succeeded his career would greatly benefit. Finally, he won the competition in front of 600 candidates, and started to play the hero in seven episodes:

•   1962: D^r No, by Terence Young

•   1963: From Russia with Love, by Terence Young

•   1964: Goldfinger, by Guy Hamilton

•   1965: Thunderball, by Terence Young

•   1967: You Only Live Twice, by Lewis Gilbert

•   1971: Diamonds Are Forever, by Guy Hamilton

•   1983: Never Say Never Again, by Irvin Kershner (non-official)

All seven films were commercially successful. James Bond, as portrayed by Connery, was selected as the third-greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute.

The creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming, doubted Connery’s casting, saying : « He's not what I envisioned of James Bond looks » « I’m looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man ». But, he changed his mind after the successful first presentation of Dr No.

Although Bond had made him a star, Connery eventually tired of the role and the pressure the franchise put on him, saying "I am fed up to here with the whole Bond bit" and "I have always hated that damned James Bond. I'd like to kill him".

He made his last apparition as James bond, in Never Say Never Again.

Sean Connery also collaborated with many famous film directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Richard Lester, Steven Spielberg (in Indiana Jones and the last Crusade), and many others.

In 1986, with the movie The Name of the Rose, he won the British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

In 1987, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables.

He received critiscm because he didn’t want to break with his Scottish accent for respect to his country.

When Connery received the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award on 8 June 2006, he confirmed his retirement from acting.

Sean Connery 

Dr. No trailer

Eloïse Monel