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Thàinig leabhar inntinneach a-mach an-uiridh. Bha e air a sgrìobhadh le Jacob King agus ʼs e an t-ainm a tha air ‘The A to Z of Whisky Place-Names: Landscape, Language & Invention’. Tha an t-Ollamh King na eòlaiche air ainmean-àite.

Chan eil fhios a’m cia mheud ‘gleann’ no ‘glen’ a th’ air mapa na h-Alba. Ach tha an t-uamhas de sheòrsaichean uisge-bheatha no thaighean-staile ann, agus am facal gleann no glen anns an ainm. Chunnt mi ceud, caogad ʼs a dhà dhiubh anns an leabhar!

ʼS e dìreach aonan dhiubh anns a bheil dreach Gàidhlig air an fhacal – Gleann Banbh. ʼS e Banbh a’ Ghàidhlig airson Banff agus tha an t-uisge-beatha seo à Moireibh. Ach ma tha àite ann air a bheil Gleann Banbh, ʼs ann ann an Èirinn a tha e!

Tha Gleann Banbh air a dhèanamh ann an taigh-staile Glenfarclas. Agus a bheil Glenfarclas stèidhichte air ainm-àite fìrinneach? Uill, tha – gu ìre. Faisg air an taigh-staile, tha cnoc air a bheil Tomfarclas mar ainm. ʼS e ainm Gàidhlig a tha ann. Ach chan eil e soilleir dè tha farclas a’ ciallachadh.

Tha Jacob King a’ gabhail ‘whisky glen’ air a leithid. Bithear a’ cur an fhacail ‘Glen’ ann an co-cheangal ri eileamaidean eile airson ainm ‘Gàidhealach’ a chruthachadh. Mar eisimpleir, taigh-staile Glenallachie. Buinidh an t-ainm-àite Allachie – bhon Ghàidhlig eileachaidh – don sgìre (taobh Uisge Spè). Agus chaidh ‘Glen’ a chur ris. Tha eileachaidh a’ ciallachadh ‘àite creagach’.

Tha Glen Burgie rudeigin coltach ri sin. Tha àite ann an Siorrachd Narann air a bheil ‘Burgie’. Chaidh ‘Glen’ a chur ris airson ainm an uisge-bheatha a dhèanamh.

Ge-tà, tha cuid de dh’ainmean uisge-bheatha ann, a chaidh a chruthachadh buileach glan. Chan eil iad ceangailte ri ainm-àite. ʼS e eisimpleir dhiubh Glen Broch. Tha coltas ann gur e àite fìor Albannach a tha ann an ‘Glen Broch’. Ach tha Jacob King ag innse dhuinn nach eil a leithid de dh’àite ann!

Nach eil fìor ainm-àite a’ nochdadh ann an co-cheangal ri uisge-beatha sam bith à Alba? Uill, tha, agus bheir sinn sùil air feadhainn an-ath-sheachdain.

An interesting book came out last year. It was written by Jacob King and its name is ‘The A to Z of Whisky Place-Names: Landscape, Language & Invention’. Dr. King is an expert on place-names.

I don’t know how many ‘glens’ there are on the map of Scotland. But there are a lot of brands of whisky or distilleries which have the word gleann or glen in the name. I counted 152 of them in the book!

It’s only one of them in which the word is in its Gaelic garb – Gleann Banbh. Banbh is the Gaelic for Banff and this whisky is from Moray. But if there is a place called Gleann Banbh, it is in Ireland!

Gleann Banbh is made at the Glenfarclas Distillery. And is Glenfarclas based on a true place-name? Well, yes – to a degree. Near the distillery is a hill called Tomfarclas. It’s a Gaelic name. But it's not clear what farclas means.

Jacob King calls such things ‘whisky glen’. The word ‘Glen’ is added to other elements to make a ‘Gaelic’ name. For example, the Glenallachie Distillery. The place-name Allachie – from the Gaelic eileachaidh – belongs to the area (Speyside). And ‘Glen’ was added to it. Eileachaidh means ‘rocky place’.

Glen Burgie is a bit like that. There’s a place in Nairnshire called ‘Burgie’. ‘Glen’ was added to it to make the name of the whisky.

However, there are some whisky names that were created from scratch. They are not connected to a place-name. Glen Broch is an example [of them]. It appears that Glen Broch is a real Scottish name. But Jacob King tells us that there is no such place!

Isn’t there a real place-name that is connected to any whisky in Scotland? Well, yes, and we’ll look at some next week.