We checked out of our B&B fairly early to head to the Culloden Battlefield. This site was one of the main reasons we were staying in Inverness, since we're not seagull worshippers. After a half hour drive (without the assistance distraction of Google Maps) we pulled in to the parking lot outside a mostly empty field.

Culloden was the site where the Jacobite uprising of 1745-46 was conclusively put to an end, which makes it a bit like Gettysburg in my mind. On this site, roughly 2000 Jacobites died fighting British Regulars and Highland regiments in an effort to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on the British throne. Their defeat at this site led to the direct suppression of Scottish culture by the British government for many years.

The fields of Culloden today are quite different from the moorlands that the battle was fought on. This field would have been almost entirely a heather-filled bog in April 1746, and I'm honestly unclear how anyone thought this was an appropriate place for a battle. The main Jacobite tactic of the day was the highland charge, which is difficult thing to do over boggy ground while grapeshot is being fired at you from 3-pounders.

I was surprised to learn just how effective the Jacobite uprising had been over the whole campaign. With help from the French, the Jacobite army defeated the British Regulars multiple times across the English mainland and managed to occupy Inverness, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh for a time (they even laid siege to Stirling castle, though they were unsuccessful). Their army managed to make it as far south as Derby before the British government could field enough troops to force the Jacobites to retreat. Culloden was the final stand of a stubborn Bonnie Prince Charlie who could not accept that his army had no chance on this ground against British forces.

So close to July 4th I couldn't help but think of the many retreats in our own rebellion that eventually lead to the first Treaty of Paris. Both the British Regulars and the Continental Army would have been aware of Culloden and the Jacobites' defeat, and I'm sure it was fresh in the minds of Generals Washington and Gage only 30 years later. Pride killed the Jacobite rebellion, and ours succeeded because no one attempted a fatalistic final stand.

Craigellachie

We drove from Culloden to Craigellachie (pronounced "Craig-EL-uh-key") in about an hour. We checked in to The Craigellachie (a bit presumptuous) and napped until dinner.

If you look for this town on a map you'll see that's it's situated on the river Spey at the junction between A941 and A95. It's a town small enough that it doesn't have a roundabout, which I think makes it even smaller than a town with one stop sign. In this tiny town right in the middle of the Speyside region is a bar serving over 800 whiskies.

People come from all over the world to come to The Quaich. The bartender, Angus, was the most knowledgeable we'd ever met for whisky. That's expected, but his detailed knowledge of his entire catalog was extremely impressive. We could describe tasting notes we'd like to sample and he'd produce his favorite 4 bottles for those notes as well as a brief history on all 4 distilleries and what makes their processes unique. We had a dram each before dinner:

• Glen Scotia 24 (1991) Benchmark Bordeaux Cask - Very woody, with dark toffee and honey, all with a light salty smokiness.
• Glenmorangie 12 (1996) Golden Rum Cask - Extremely light and delicate. Tasted like honeysuckle and a very light vanilla, with a floral finish we think was lavender.

The downside to the popularity of The Quaich is that the rest of this hotel is absolutely dependent on that bar as a draw. The restaurant is standard pub fare, which has begun to grate on my taste buds at this point. This is where we learned it is illegal to sell a burger with any pink in the middle, because god forbid you enjoy the taste of an animal that was killed for its flavor.

After dinner we went back up to The Quaich and savored whisky until closing time. Here's a few that we sampled:

• Ledaig 1996 Oloroso Cask Finish - Smells like pimento and olives, but has a smooth grassy taste with a smoky herbal finish.
• Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask No. 66.137 "Dirty but good" - A mystery Highland malt, this smelled like cured meats and tasted like a dinner in a glass. We both tasted bacon very distinctly.
• Craigellachie "City of Zwolle" 2006 - Dark and plum-like with a yellow apple finish. Very strong on Sherry flavor. Not my cup of tea but it was very good.
• Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask No. 107.14 "Ginger enrobed in chocolate" - According to Susan, "chocolate slaps you in the face and you like it"

We called it at this point and got some sleep. Tomorrow we head to Aberdeen.