A stunning
outdoor photography exhibition by
super-macro photographer photographer
David Maitland, reveals the enigma
behind the whisky journey.
Those of you with a taste for art and
who are lucky enough to be attending
this springs Spirit of Speyside Festival
may want to stop by the Aberlour
Distillery as the distillery have announced the
opening of the world’s first outdoor
whisky art gallery; a unique photography
exhibition set in the heart of the
Scottish countryside, which brilliantly
captures the individual elements that
together result in one of Scotland’s
most famous exports.
Coinciding with the opening of
Scotland’s ‘Spirit of Speyside Whisky
Festival’ today (1st – 5th May), this
new, permanent exhibition – which is
free-of-charge to all visitors –
features the world-first series of
stunning super-macro images,
unveiled earlier this year by Aberlour. The
photos reveal the hidden beauty of Aberlour’s whisky journey, from the pink
granite that creates the softness of the
water used in the distillation process,
to the special oak cask in which the
spirit is transformed.
These images, which have never before
been put on display, were captured by
David Maitland, one of the world’s
foremost specialist super-macro
photographers. Super-macro photography
allows the subject to be captured closer
than ever before and, in this unique
outdoor gallery, results in an
eye-catching portfolio of unusually
intricate images. Among these striking
visuals are those which delve inside a
grain of barley, bring to life the
hidden pattern of the oak sherry cask
and showcase the kaleidoscopic patterns
of the crystalline structure of the
spirit itself.
Dr David Maitland, winner of the
European Wildlife Photographer of the
Year in 2008, said: "I am so pleased
that the public can enjoy these images
in the natural surrounding from which
they were inspired, right in the heart
of Scotland’s single malt region. The
whisky journey is one that relies on
nature and none more so than Aberlour,
from the spring water used in the
distillation process, to the sherry
casks in which the whisky is aged. These
images bring all of these elements to
life in a way that I have not seen done
before and I hope will be enjoyed by all
who see them."
Nikki Burgess, Global Brand Director for
Aberlour, said: "David’s photos have
brilliantly captured the coming together
of the natural elements and the expert
craftsmanship of our distillers, while
also maintaining the enigma behind the
award-winning taste of Aberlour.
"To show the photography in the stunning
setting of the distillery and its
surroundings is a real treat for
visitors to the area and, to see the
elements of whisky in super-macro detail
provides an insight into the intricacy
and craft which go towards developing a
premium single malt Scotch whisky."
The outdoor whisky gallery can be found
at the Aberlour Distillery in the heart
of Scotland’s Speyside region, halfway
between Inverness and Aberdeen. The
gallery is situated along a stunning
countryside walk which takes in some of
Scotland’s magnificent landmarks,
including the Linn Falls and the Burn’s
Path. It is open now and is
free-of-charge to all visitors to the
area. Additional whisky tours of the
Aberlour Distillery can be booked via
the website.
For those of you not lucky enough to
attend this springs Spirit of Speyside
Whisky Festival here is a preview of
some of the images captured by
super-macro photographer David Maitland:
Pink Granite:
Beautiful
Pink Granite was collected from Ben
Rinnes (the mountain is formed from
different granites) – the spring water
used for the Aberlour flows down from
the mountain and retains a unique
softness thanks to the granite base over
which it flows.
The granite was cut into thin sections
just 30 millionths of a meter (30 μm)
thin so that the rock becomes
transparent. The granite is composed
mainly of alkali feldspar and quartz
with intermixed brown biotite. There
also are tiny flecks (inclusions) of all
manner of trace elements. Here, all
elements combine to form a miniature
landscape. The image was taken using
crossed polarized light at a
magnification of 200x.
Water:
The water was captured at 400x
magnification using differential
interference contrast to get the
colours. David used polarized light,
which allows us to see the optical
properties specific to the water and
reveals detailed information concerning
the structure and its composition.
The colours in the water are a result of
the way the water interacts with the
polarized light. Due to the varying
refractive indices, the water appears
multi-coloured. The polarized light can
be further enhanced using sophisticated
polarizing techniques such as
Differential Interference Contrast (DIC)
which also produces a sense of depth and
a 3-D quality.
David captured the water images by
freezing the water and photographing it
melting under the microscope - the
colour background is bent by the melting
water into the interesting forms and
shapes in the picture.
Barley:
The barley grain is mostly starch which
is stored as individual grains (amyloplasts).
These amyoplasts are grains within the
grain, which act as a fermenter, to make
the whisky’s alcohol, as well as give
its depth of flavour. These tiny
structures – the smallest grains are
about 2 millionths of a meter (μm) in
diameter, while the largest are about 20
μm.
The picture is taken at 400x
magnification using differential
interference contrast (DIC) lighting
techniques.
Sherry Cask:
All Aberlour single malts display the
influence of maturation in ex-Spanish
Oloroso Sherry Butts which are
constructed from mature European or
"Spanish" Oak trees, Quercus petraea
petraea, (formally Q. sessilis).
A thin transverse section or slice of
oak (20 millionths of a meter, 20 μm
thick) shows an intricate pattern of
tracheids (large rings through which the
tree draws water) and
lignin-strengthened parenchyma wood
cells within the heartwood of the oak.
During the whisky’s maturation process
within the oak cask, the alcohol works
on heartwood components (lignin,
hemicellulose and tannin amongst others)
to produce the complex caramel and
aromatic flavours, colour, and
fragrances unique to Aberlour whisky.
The image was made at 200x magnification
using a special form of Interference
contrast lighting.
Aberlour 12
Year Old:
For the 12 Year Old, David evaporated a
large volume of this beautiful whisky
(such a waste!) which leaves behind a
super-concentrated solution of dissolved
complex natural elements which
originated from the different casks in
which the whisky was matured. This blend
of natural elements can sometimes be
made to crystallise in remarkable and
unique patterns.
Here, Aberlour’s 12
Year double cask matured whisky has
produced a wonderful feather-like
crystal pattern. This photograph was
captured at 400x magnification using
differential interference contrast (DIC)
lighting techniques.
Aberlour
A’bunadh:
The hand-crafted and small scale
produced Aberlour Whisky was
photographed after evaporating a large
volume of A’bunadh, which left behind a
super-concentrated solution of dissolved
natural elements which originated from
the cask in which the whisky was
matured. Certain elements within this
can sometimes be made to crystallise in
remarkable and unique patterns. Elements
of Gallic Acid (a product from Tannin in
the oak cask) have been captured forming
an exquisite crystal tree. This
photograph was captured at 200x
magnification using differential
interference contrast (DIC) lighting
techniques.
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