Ode to Whisky (Óid don Uisce Beatha Ir. gaelige) (Tha Bhuidh air an Uisge Bheadach Sc. gaidhlig) is a studio album recorded entirely in Kirkcudbright, Galloway, Scotland. It is a musical celebration of the water of life. Just as whiskies vary from the fine Highlands and Speysides to the peaty malts of the Islands; from the Lowland malts to the thrice distilled smooth whiskies of Ireland; from the ryes of Canada to the corns, and bourbons of Kentucky and Tennessee; so too the music here is rich and varied. But it all has one thing in common, it is music written about whisky by those who loved it.
It ranges from the baroque harp music of Turlough O’Carolan, to the grand strathspeys of Niel Gow, from the stylised dance music of the romantics to the bluegrass of
Appalachia……. and much in between. Arranged and performed entirely by Iain Smith it features pianos, bouzouki, whistles, guitars, dulcimer and banjo along with the sounds of the fiddle, pipes and harp augmented by orchestration. The C.D. comes with a sixteen-page booklet rich with information and anecdote. It also notes, humorously the correct whisky to accompany each tune.
