Edinburgh

Today as my blog I am going to write about Edinburgh the capital of Scotland.

When was it made the capital?

Edinburgh was made capital in 1437 after the murder of king James 1 at Perth.

What is its population?

The population of Edinburgh is 495, 360.

Edinburgh castle?

The castle was built in the 12th century on top of a 700 million year old extinct volcano called castle rock that stands in the middle of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh festival?

The Edinburgh festival was created in 1947 to 'provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit' but as it started eight theatrical performing companies 'gatecrashed' the festival this eventually started a movement and it became 'the Edinburgh festival fringe' or just 'the fringe.' Edinburgh festival is a world known festival and is bigger than any other similar event or festival in the world!

Famous people/films from Edinburgh?

There are loads of different famous people from Edinburgh but here are some names with links:
Robert Burns, Sir Alexander Fleming,  David Hume,  David Livingstone,  Flora Macdonald, John Muir,  Sir Walter Scott, Adam Smith,  Muriel Spark, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Here are some films made in Edinburgh:  Trainspotting,  Chariots of fire,  Regeneration,  Hallam Foe,  Shallow Grave, The Illusionist,  Festival,  Burke and Hare, and One day.       

The History of Scotch Whiskey

Today as my blog I am going to write about the history of scotch whiskey.

What is whiskey?

Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage made out of distilled grains barley, rye, corn, or wheat but usually barley or rye.

How is scotch whiskey different to any other whiskey?

For scotch to be scotch it has to be one hundred percent made in Scotland, contain a particular amount of barley, be aged for at least three years or more and have an ABV lower than 94.8%.

How is it made?

Whiskey is made by collecting the grain and letting it soak in water and germinate. It is then left on the floor of a level of the distillery called the malting floor and to help the grain to germinate. It is then rotated by a rake to spread the heat evenly. The grain (now called green malt) is evenly spread on a mesh and completely killed by the fire and heat below, it if you add peat to the fire it will change the flavour of the whiskey. It is then ground up to a fine flour were it is put in the mash tun with hot water. It is then drained and added to hotter water, drained, and added to hot water again. It is then put in what is called a washback and yeast is added and turns the substance into alcohol. It then starts bubbling which is helped by spinning blades above. This process takes about 48 to 60 hours. The distilling progress can now start and as it does the alcohol is poured into  copper container like thing called the wash still were it is heated. As alcoholic vapours rise they go through different copper tubing were they cool and turn back to liquid again. This process is then repeated in a different copper pot called the spirit still where the distilling separates the alcohol from the majority of the flavoured water substances and concentrates them.  The whiskey is now pumped into to spirit receiver then the spirit vat. Water can now be added into the whiskey as it it is added into the barrels before being stored. As it distills it gives the whiskey about 80% of its flavour and the longer it distills the better.    

What is the difference between a single malt and a blended whiskey?

A lot of people think that a single malt is the product of one cask of whiskey this is not true most single malts you see are a blend but the whiskeys they put into it are always from the same distillery whereas a blended whiskey is made up of whiskeys from different distilleries.

What effects the flavour of the whiskey?

The thing that always affects the flavour of the whiskey is the type of wood the cask holding the whiskey is made out of. W§ether its oak or birch or lime each one will make the whiskey taste different.

What is the angels share?

The angels share is the part of the whiskey that evaporates through the cask when it is being distilled it then goes to 'the heavens' and that's why its the angels share.

how much was the most expensive bottle of whiskey sold for?

The most expensive scotch ever sold was sold for $631,850 for a single bottle of Macallan M that was 70 years old.
 

The history of the Kilt

Today as my second blog for my topic, Scotland, I am going to write about kilts.

When did people start wearing kilts?

Kilts have been around since the early 16th century according to newspapers from around that time.

What is a kilt?

Kilts are usually made of a soft woollen cloth woven to look like the clan tartan. Each clan would have a different tartan, a bit like a family crest. About nine yards of cloth can go into a kilt sometimes! What we now think of as a kilt is really only the bottom half of the 'great kilt' which had an extra cloak on it which could be pulled up over your head to protect you from the rain or go over your shoulders to keep you warm.

When did people used to wear kilts?

Soldiers used to wear kilts for marching because the were very practical, warm and easy to move about in but they never wore them while fighting.

A description from 1746 states:

"The garb is certainly very loose, and fits men inured to it to go through great fatigues, to make very quick marches, to bear out against the inclemency of the weather, to wade through rivers, and shelter in huts, woods, and rocks upon occasion; which men dressed in the low country garb could not possibly endure."

They would take off their kilt for battle and fight in their war shirt, call a léine. This was before wearing them was banned by the English. After that they were only worn on special occasions.

Why and when were kilts banned?

Kilts were banned in 1746 by the English because they thought that they had complete power over the Scottish if they took away their right to wear kilts because wearing them was such a large part in their national pride. The English were afraid of the Scottish wearing tartan because it was such a large part of their loyalty to their Highland clan and their freedom as a country. The only time they would be allowed to wear kilts would be in the army. The penalties for breaking this law were very high. The penalty for the first time spotted wearing a kilt was six months in prison and the second was seven years shipped out to Australia (note: you probably wouldn’t be taken back after the sentence but just left in Australia.)

What is a sporran?

A sporran is a little bumbag-like pouch usually made out of leather or fur, which would be used like a wallet or pocket, since the kilt doesn't have pockets. A day sporran might be a simple pouch made of leather and a dress sporran might be much more decorated with silver trimming and fur or tassels. When the person wearing a sporran wants to play sports or drive or anything like that the sporran can just be slid around the waist into a more comfortable position

What are the accessories of a kilt?

Some of the main kilt accessories are the pin which is used to hold the kilt together and stop it from blowing up and the sgain dubh which is a single side blade kept in the sock while wearing a kilt.

The golden eagle

Today as my first blog of my new topic, Scotland, I am going to write about the golden eagle which is pretty much only found in Scotland in the UK.



Habitat?

These birds are found in Mexico, western North America, Asia, northern Africa, and Scotland. Usually in quite deserted and untouched wildlife spots.

Wingspan?

The golden Eagle has an amazing wingspan of 2.34 metres! This means it can be spotted very easily from quite far away.

Diet?

Golden eagles feed on marmots, ground squirrels, birds, fish, rabbits, large insects, carrion (rotting animal carcases), reptiles and have been known to attack fully grown deer.

How old do they live?

Golden eagles in the wild can live up to about 25 years if they reach adulthood but if they don't they will only live to about five years old, but on the other hand a golden eagle in captivity will live for about 40 to 50 years because it will have much more food and will be cared for and treated very well.

What age do they mate?

Golden eagles usually mate at about three to four years old. They will use the same nest every year in and around march to lay their couple of eggs. they can take 40 to 45 days to hatch and the second ones to hatch probably won't last the first 20 days but the first will have a much larger chance. a baby golden eagle is called an eaglet.

Are they endangered?

Golden Eagles are very least concerned on the endangered list. Their are over 500 breeding pairs in Scotland.

How do they hunt?

These massive birds have to hide in trees and search for their prey and the aim at it like you aim a gun and dive down at it with tremendous speed and grab it with its claws.