Transcripts For KYW 60 Minutes 20150503

One of the nations most treasured memorials now had to close. It would take a superman to put it back together again. But in fact, it was clark kent in a suit and tie, armed with just a blackberry and a passion for american history. A shorter version of it. Safer he is david rubenstein, and he spent hundreds of millions of his own fortune to help save the monument and some of the other great symbols of american democracy. Kroft 60 minutes is constantly on the lookout for places weve never been before. So when our late colleague bob simon heard about a magical place in the hebrides islands off the coast of scotland known for making some of the great whiskies in the world, well, the story spoke to him. Simon laughs cheers. We get literally thousands upon thousands of single malt tourists coming here. They come from all over the world just to set foot on islay. Simon to study it . No, to drink it. Im steve kroft. Im lesley stahl. Im morley safer. Im bill whitaker. Im scott pelley. Those stories tonight on 60 minutes. Sometimes romantic. There were tears in my eyes. And tears in my eyes. And so many Little Things that we learned were really the biggest things. Through it all, we saved and had a retirement plan. And someone who listened and helped us along the way. Because we always knew that someday the future would be the present. Every someday needs a plan. Talk with us about your retirement today. Bring us your aching and sleep deprived. Bring us those who want to feel well rested. Aleve pm. The only one to combine a safe sleep aid. Plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. Be a morning person again with aleve pm. Outshine frozen snacks are a blast of juicy refreshment. So delicious youd think theyre bad for you but theyre not. Made with real fruit or fruit juice theyll leave you ready to outshine. Dont just snack. Snack brighter. Keep up with everyday messes with the help of roomba from irobot. Sensors automatically guide roomba around your home, vacuuming up dirt and debris for a more thorough clean every day. Roomba. Only from irobot. Im really psyched subways bringing the flavor with this new guacamole made from creamy hass avocados. People really love it. Guacamole guacamole guacamole see . Try it on sandwiches like the new chipotle chicken melt with guacamole. Subway. Eat fresh. Pelley the war began with the murders of three teenage boys. By the time it was over, more than 500 children were dead. For 50 days, this past summer, israel and the palestinians of gaza fought their bloodiest war since 1967. And some of the images of the battle in our story tonight are hard to watch. Where the decades of suffering go from here depends not so much on a thousand threads of tangled talks, but on one question that comes before all others can peace be taught to children who have learned only the lesson of war . The first boy to die was wrapped in the grief of israel. In june, the night his mother sat up worrying, 16yearold Naftali Fraenkel and two friends were kidnapped, and later, shot by palestinian terrorists. Rachelle fraenkel said the eulogy at a national service. Rachelle fraenkel the eulogy was turning to my son and talking to him, and to the people that were searching so hard and that were praying so hard, and recognizing that were going to live on with other blessings we have in our lives and that this is something well keep inside of us. Its how special he was to us. Pelley the next day, israeli terrorists kidnapped a palestinian boy, same age. Mohammad abu khdeir was burned alive. Within days, it was war. And not in 50 years were so many children about to die in the holy land. Palestinian rockets, plentiful but unguided, punched wildly into israel, inflicting fear but limited damage. Israel struck gaza with digital domination, blasting neighborhoods into seismic collapse. We flew a drone over part of gaza to comprehend the scale. The Palestinian Health Ministry Says civilian deaths in gaza came to 1,492. Six civilians were killed in israel during the battle. Israel lost one child, gaza lost more than 500. Scott anderson if you look at the average tenyearold child in gaza today, theyve been through now three large scale conflicts, and its a pervasive climate of fear of the unknown of whats going to happen next. Pelley Scott Anderson cares for a quartermillion children in gaza in 252 schools. After 21 years in the u. S. Army, he became Deputy Director of the u. N. Relief and works agency which has sustained gaza with schools, homes, jobs, and food for seven decades. What is it like to be a child in gaza . Anderson very difficult. They have no idea what its like to have electricity 24 hours a day. They have no idea what its like to have heating all the time. People have lost their family members. Their homes have been destroyed. Schools have been destroyed. That takes a toll on children. Pelley during the war, his classrooms became kitchens and shelters for more than half a million gazans. Some of the u. N. Schools were attacked, and this past monday a u. N. Investigation found that israel hit seven schools killing 44 people. But the u. N. Also blamed Palestinian Militants for hiding weapons in three vacant u. N. Schools that were not hit. Anderson this conflict is probably the most widely talked about, widely written about, and least understood conflict in history. Pelley this history begins in 1947, when refugees from israels creation compressed into a strip 32 miles by seven. In 2006, gazans elected a government led by hamas, which the u. S. Says is a terrorist group. Israel responded by sealing the borders and bankrupting gazas economy. Hamas bu blockade for trade and terror. This summer, hamas attacked israel to lift the blockade and israel invaded gaza to destroy the tunnels. 66 Israeli Soldiers were killed. But in the end, as usual nothing really changed. sirens wail in israel, air raid sirens are as familiar to children as the lunch bell. In gaza, a new generation is rising on the ruin of the last and neither child knows the other. Jim gordon does it seem strange that i would work in gaza and in israel, too . Yeah. Gordon yeah. Pelley dr. Jim gordon is an american psychiatrist working both sides. Hes a professor at georgetown in washington, and director of the center for mindbody medicine. These israeli kids spent the war scrambling for shelter. They cant or wont talk about it. But dr. Gordon has another way in. Gordon draw yourself with your biggest problem, whatever that means to you. Okay, do you understand . They come in often frozen, but then they do the drawing and the drawing is of a destroyed house, of bloody bodies in the street. Pelley only a few hamas rockets were lethal, but 3,000 were launched, and in israel today, their arc, on paper, hits targets of the imagination a home destroyed, the wounded in an ambulance. Rachelle fraenkels six surviving children were all within range. Fraenkel anybody that lives under missiles lives in te if you know youre five seconds away from needing to choose which child to lie over to protect or to grab to the shelter. You cant imagine what kind of life it is. Gordon for these children, its as if the bombs were still falling now. So theyre just as anxious theyre just as likely to be aggressive, theyre just as fearful and withdrawn. And the parts of the brain that are concerned with thoughtful decisionmaking, with compassion for others, are shut down. So youre. Youre just like a scared animal in that state. Pelley one scene these kids cant picture is dr. Gordon just five miles away, in gaza. The kids in gaza are wearing down the same red crayons. Azar jendia, nine years old, shared her pictures with us. Azar jendia translated this is the building where my father was bombed. It collapsed on my father and two uncles. Half of my fathers head was gone. Pelley show me the next picture. This is you . Jendia this is me. I drew myself inside a grave, a martyr next to my father. Pelley and this is a coffin that youre in . Jendia yes. Gordon they wish, if only i had died, then the family would have been together, and we wouldve all been together. And they do wonder. And thats one of the things that our groups help them find out is, why am i here . Why was i spared . Pelley three days a week week after week, they draw talk, draw again. After sketching their problem, they picture a solution. This came from a nineyearold boy. Gordon the solution to this pain and this loss is that he wants himself to become a martyr, a suicide bomber. And so what we see here is a suicide belt, and you see it around his waist. Pelley who was he going to bomb . Gordon going to bomb israelis. Going to bomb the people who killed his father. Pelley that answer to what do you want to be when you grow up . May be fatal to the future because of the inescapable demographics arising on every apocalyptic playground. Thats the thing that really gets you about gaza is the enormous number of children in the neighborhoods. About two Million People live in gaza, and it turns out about half of them are under the age of 18. A local university did a survey after the war and found that 20 of the kids witnessed a death in their family. 35 saw destruction at or near their home, and 40 are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. We found these children in the remains of their home. Theyre the grandchildren of ahmed karim audha. The loss of his lifes work has broken even his voice. Before the blockade, audha was a successful contractor. He built this home, in the arab way, to hold all of his generations. His five sons lived here with their families. 50 relatives in all fled before the crosshairs settled and a missile vaulted from a helicopter. Hes saying, even the animals have better lives. Our suffering is worse. Can we not have a home to live in . What is it like for the children to be living here . He told us, things are worse after the war than during the war. They wake up in the middle of the night horrified. We dont know whats wrong with them, but we try to calm them down. Gordon we put all the drawings down here. Pelley dr. Gordon told us, with enough time, about 80 can see beyond war. Azar, who colored herself dead came through the therapy with a dream. Jendia translated my wish is to become a heart doctor because, after the war, a lot of people had heart problems so i want to treat them. Pelley it looks like there are many people who need your help. Jendia yes. Pelley how did you start to feel better . How did you get from the first picture to the last picture . Jendia the doctors helped me change, helped with my problems, and helped get the sadness out of my heart. Pelley we dont want you to have the wrong idea about gaza. While many neighborhoods were ground to powder, much of gaza city is alive again. And a recent poll shows that hamas is still favored by a slim majority. Is it cold in summer . Pelley Scott Andersons u. N. Schools, for the most part, have returned to teaching. What are the needs here right now . Anderson the numberone need is to find a way to lift the blockade and restore Economic Opportunity here in gaza. Pelley whats at stake . Anderson the futures at stake. You know, theres been a lot of militant activity in gaza since ive been here, a lot of rockets being fired, a lot of younger men joining the factions. You know, my personal opinion is thats more because of lack of opportunity than any great desire to fight and die. You know, if they had jobs, if they had stability, if they had families, i think theyre less likely to engage in that kind of activity. But with unemployment at nearly 50 of the population in gaza, unfortunately, the factions are the ones that pay. Pelley one of the things that you said during the war wase can teach our children that we want to live in peace. How do you go about doing that . Fraenkel i have no easy answer for that. My children, their brother was murdered by a hamas terrorist. And its very easy to let them grow up hating arabs, and i make a point of not doing that. Pelley a lot of people would forgive you. Fraenkel yeah, its not a matter of forgiveness, its a price you pay when you grow up on hate. Its not somng to. To pay. I want my children believing in a world that has a lot of good in it. Pelley the price paid in a 68year conflict is inherited as a debt, one generation to the next. The summer combat ended as it always does both sides buried their children and claimed victory. Cbs money watch update brought to you in part by glor good evening. Mcdonalds new c. E. O. Unveils his turnaround plan for the company tomorrow. Despite pressure from some shareholders adidas insisted today it will not sell reebok. And the Biggest Hedge Fund conference of the year, south las vegas opens on tuesday. Im jeff glor, cbs news. Excellent looking below the surface, researching a hunch. And making a decision you are type e. Time for a change of menu. Research and invest from any website. With e trades browser trading. E trade. Opportunity is everywhere. Introducing lunch at outback every bloomin day hurry in for all your outback favorites. Plus new aussie tacos, new savory ribeye melt and our delicious burgers. Over 70 lunch combinations starting at just 6. 99. Its lunch at last every day at outback. Quiet mom has a headache had a headache but now, i. Dont. Excedrin® is fast. In fact for some, relief starts in just 15 minutes. Excedrin®. Wow, that was fast. Safer think about it beyond your income taxes, how much money would you give to help the government . For one wall street titan, the answer is hundreds of millions of dollars. David rubenstein is the all american at age 65, a self made billionaire whos pledging a good part of his fortune to save americas history. When an idea strikes him, he just might write a check for say, 15 million or 20 million. Among his recipients the Washington Monument, Thomas Jeffersons home monticello, and just last week, the iwo jima memorial. And hes buying up rare Historical Documents, preserving them for generations to come. This is inside the Washington Monument the moment an earthquake struck washington d. C. , in 2011. One of the nations most treasured memorials now had to close. It would take a superman to put it back together again. But in fact, it was clark kent in a suit and tie, armed with just a blackberry and a passion for american history. David rubenstein its a monument to our first president and to the revolutionary war general. Safer how did he manage to pull it off . Not with muscles but with money, lots of money. Rubenstein its a shorter version of it. Safer our clark kent is david rubenstein. When he heard about the damage he offered to pay the 15 million it would take to repair it. Isnt that what government is supposed to do . Rubenstein well, the government doesnt have the resources it used to have. We have gigantic budget deficits and large debt. I think private citizens need to pitch in. Cochair of the campaign for the National Mall david rubenstein. Safer congress, not wanting to be shown up by a single patriotic american, ended up offering to split the bill and the monument reopened to much fanfare last spring. applause hes so far spent over 50 million on rare Historical Documents like original copies of the declaration of independence and the emancipation proclamation, which now hangs in the oval office. And hes looking to spend millions more to restore National Monuments like the Lincoln Memorial and the homes of the founding fathers. Rubenstein in honor of George Washington, we built the Washington Monument. Safer we met up with him at mt. Vernon, George Washingtons home, where he gave us a tour and an impromptu history lesson, which led inevitably to the founders teeth, or absence thereof. Rubenstein George Washington only had one tooth, and he used that one tooth to kind of hold in his dentures. And they were called wooden teeth, but not because they were wood they were animal teeth, but he had a doctor in new york who was named dr. Greenwood and it was shortened to wooden teeth. What they do is they take animal teeth, put them together in a denture. But you need something to hook it onto, so he had his one tooth. And thats why youll never see a picture of him with his mouth open, because didnt look good. Safer youre somewhat of a George Washington scholar. Rubenstein well, i wouldnt say a scholar. But id say a fan. Safer why did you choose him . Rubenstein as it was said at his funeral, he was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Safer unlike most multi billionaires, rubenstein doesnt have a foundation and personally oversees each gift from his modest washington office. How do you make the judgment because you dont have a staff correct . Rubenstein i dont have a staff. But i generally look at things where my money will make a difference. And in patriotic philanthropy, i. I think i can do some things. Because not as many people are doing things in medical research or other kinds of areas like that. Safer but you seem to make these decisions spurofthe moment. Rubenstein sometimes, the best decisions in life are on the spur of the moment. So i generally try to do what i think is right, and sometimes i make mistakes. Safer care to talk about your mistakes . Rubenstein it would take more than 60 minutes. Safer rubensteins foray into patriotic philanthropy began on a whim when, on a business trip to new york, he heard the last privately held copy of the 800yearold british magna carta would be auctioned off the next day and would most likely leave the country. Rubenstein sent his wallet into action. Rubenstein the head auctioneer came in and said, you just bought the magna carta. Who are you . We dont know who you are. And i explained. And they said, okay, it can be yours, if you have the money. You do have the money for this . I said yes. And they said, okay, you can leave the side door, nobody ever know, or theres 100 reporters who want to know who bought it. And i said, i will go out and talk to them, and tell them that im giving it to the country, in effect, as a down payment on my obligation to give back to the country. What are the symbols on the seal . Safer beyond the 21 million purchase price, rubenstein built a multimilliondollar center at the National Archives to showcase the document that served as the inspiration not only for our bill of rights but for all western democracies. Rubenstein if you are better informed about american history, you can be a better citizen. Safer his friend Warren Buffett says rubensteins approach is unique. Warren buffett he may wake up in the morning without knowing what that philanthropic act is going to be by sundown. But something will spark his interest, and when it does he. He can move. Safer Jonathan Jarvis is director of the National Park service. He oversees the nations memorials. Have you ever had any offers of somebody whos come forth with his attitude and his dough . Jonathan jarvis not really. I think david is somewhat unique and is sort of occupying this space of patriotic philanthropy at the moment. Safer what else has he offered to pay for . Jarvis well, the next big project he did after the Washington Monument was the robert e. Lee memorial which sits at arlington cemetery. He gave us 12. 3 million to do a full restoration, and then he has also offered just recently 5 million to restore the marine corps war memorial, the iwo jima. David recognized that this is an opportunity to give back to the country, and also to recognize the marine corps, where his father served. Rubenstein the people in the house are wondering who are these crazy people who are out here. Probably wondering whether im about to be indicted. Safer we traveled with rubenstein and his mother bettie to the home he grew up in in working class baltimore. His father was a mail sorter at the post office. Rubenstein when i was growing up here, i didnt know exactly what i wanted to do. But i thought one thing i didnt want to do was what you wanted me to do. Bettie rubenstein and my dream, from a small child up that you become a dentist. Safer rubenstein disappointed his mother and instead went to law school. Then, at age 27, he landed a job in the white house as an advisor to president carter. How would you rate yourself as a Public Servant . Rubenstein i enjoyed it very much. Im not sure the country enjoyed what i did for the country. I like to say that there was a rumor that i was going to be promoted in the second term, and thats why president carter lost. And since i have left the white house, i can tell you honestly nobodys ever invited me back. Safer when he was booted from the white house along with jimmy carter in 1980, rubenstein tried lawyering but says he was terrible at it. So in 1987, he and two partners decided to start one of the first d. C. Based investment firms, which they named after a new york hotel. What made you decide to call the Company Carlyle . Rubenstein carlyle sounded kind of british. And it sounded kind of. Maybe not aristocratic, but sounded like youve been around for a while when we really hadnt been around. We were new. Safer its now a global giant over 200 billion in assets. For years, the firm had a reputation as politically connected and secretive. Carlyles success made rubenstein a fortune. He says his wife alice and three kids support his decision to give most of it away. Rubenstein in the end, its not clear that if you give a child 500 million, he or she will win a nobel prize for doing something. And i think if you give somebody too much money, it can force them not to work as hard and be as productive. Safer a cardinal sin, in rubensteins eyes. And in 2010, he was one of the first to sign on to the giving pledge with bill gates and Warren Buffett. Rubenstein the guy who was the map maker was from connecticut. Safer . Promising to give away at least half of his billions to worthy causes. Buffett i think many of the members of the giving society, and certainly including david, would like to have their last check bounce. I mean, thats the goal. laughs its a little hard to time things perfectly so that happens. But theres no forbes 400 in the graveyard. Safer like Warren Buffett, rubenstein isnt flashy. He drives a 20yearold car, he doesnt drink or smoke, but he has allowed himself one super luxury a 65 million plane he uses to fly around the world an average of 200 days a year. He is a man in motion, appearing on tv. Rubenstein its a Global Investment world that we are dealing with. Safer . Boosting his firm. Rubenstein and i started the first buyout firm in washington, d. C. Safer . Sitting on 26 not forprofit boards. Rubenstein how many people have never been here before . Safer . And taking his standup comedy routine on the road. Rubenstein i became the deputy domestic policy advisor to the president of the united states, a job i obviously wasnt qualified for. But carter wasnt qualified, either, i thought, so. laughter safer well, when you became wealthy enough to sit back, you remained a workaholic. Rubenstein its not work for me. I am not under any pressure or stress when im doing this. When i. Im trying to relax, if i ever do that, thats when im under stress. And i think im more likely to have a heart attack when im relaxing than when im under. Im working. Takes a lot of brains to do what we do looking for a way to make some dough for you safer work now including learning how to rap after carlyle doubled its money in an investment in the Headphone Company beats by dre. Rubenstein we are global were mobile, were aiming to please only goal in mind, serve our l. P. S. Rubenstein i did meet dr. Dre when we were first doing the deal, and we did a takeoff on that for our holiday video. Havent done anything like this really since my bar mitzvah. And when i did it, it was supposed to take five minutes, and it took about four hours. And they had a young rap coach for me to explain how to do this. And he said, mr. Rubenstein you are the whitest man ive ever met in my life. How are the legs . Excellent. Rubenstein i didnt need a defibrillator. I didnt have to go to the hospital. Safer rubenstein may use selfdeprecation as a form of bragging, and if you dont get the message, he puts his name on his good works. 20 million here, 75 million there soon adds up to real money. He even joked he put his initials at the top of the Washington Monument. Rubenstein i took my pen out and i put my initials on the very top of the Washington Monument. So if you ever get there, you will see my initials. Safer how important is the recognition . Because you put your name on most of the things you support. Is that i think what, to use a yiddish word, chutzpah . Rubenstein maybe i have a character flaw, and i havent done it as anonymously because im trying to say to people, i came from very modest circumstances. And look what i was able to do. You could do the same thing. Safer and while the vast majority of his wealth goes to inanimate objects, rubenstein took care of d. C. s favorite residents mama bear mei xiang, papa bear tian tian, and baby bear bao bao when the national zoo ran out of money. Rubenstein i said, okay ill put up the money to keep them here. Because the chinese rent pandas. You pay 1 million a year, more or less, and you get two pandas. And the money goes for panda conservation. Safer sweet potato, right . Rubenstein pandas are the biggest attraction at the zoo. And when the government had its shutdown, people werent calling in to say they werent getting their Social Security checks or congress wasnt moving forward or anything. They were saying the pandacam was shut down. Safer Richard Nixon first brought the pandas to the u. S. After his historic trip to china in 1972. Panda diplomacy may have worked, but panda love life is another matter. You compared the relationship between male and female pandas with the u. S. Congress. Rubenstein members of Congress Know what theyre supposed to do, but they dont know how to do it. The pandas know what theyre supposed to do but they fumble. They come here with the best of intentions, but sometimes things dont work out the way that theyre supposed to. Safer so its byebye, bao bao, and thank you, mr. Rubenstein. Rubenstein so i dont think anything ive said has impressed bao bao. Safer no, no. My name is willy, and this is my aha moment. We opened this food truck, and one of the big things that we do in our food truck is no one ever comes to our food truck and leaves without food, whether they can afford to pay for it or not. Because my foods so special to me, because its my familys recipes and its my grandparents recipes, when i give that food to a homeless person that comes by and they cant afford it to see their smile on their face is like an aha moment we get everyday. Allergies can distract you. So when your symptoms start, doctors recommend taking nondrowsy claritin every day of your allergy season. 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If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision or any symptoms of an allergic reaction stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30tablet trial. Kroft 60 minutes is constantly on the lookout for places weve never been before. So when our late colleague bob simon heard about a magical place in the hebrides islands off the coast of scotland known for making some of the great whiskies in the world, well, the story spoke to him. The place is called islay, and its one of five whisky producing regions in scotland that make an expensive type of scotch called single malt. Islays distilleries turn out relatively small amounts of their own handcrafted brands for a worldwide luxury market thats more than doubled in size in the last decade, and become the spirit equivalent of the fine wine business. Bob liked good scotch and beautiful places, so he went off to scotland. He died before he could finish the piece, leaving behind a stack of video tapes and some random notes. We decided to finish it for him and raise a glass in his memory. Islay is a small island 20 miles off the west coast of scotland. There are few trees, miles of windswept heather, and some of the most fertile Agricultural Land in scotland. There are sheep and cattle everywhere, and an abundance of wildlife. But thats not why people come here. This is. Eight small distilleries that produce some of the worlds finest single malt whiskies. Jim mcewan this is the whole lifeblood of this island and everybody on it. This is all we know. Kroft jim mcewan has been working in islays distilleries since he was 15 years old. Hes now master of the works at bruichladdich. Mcewan i just thank god that he chose the scots and gave them whisky because we appreciate the gift and we look after it. Kroft theyve been making it here since the 15th century when, supposedly, some monks taught the locals how to use barley, water, and yeast to make a spirit the scots now call the water of life. They have been perfecting it for 600 years. The distilleries are easy to find, but hard to pronounce ardbeg, bowmore, bruichladdich bunnahabain, caol ila, kilchoman, lagavulin and laphroaig. As bob simon noted, they get harder to pronounce the more you visit. Mcewan for us guys on the west coast of scotland, whisky is a religion, because its a provider. And the great thing about whisky, its not just a drink its much more than that. Have you ever watched some old hollywood movies . Simon yes, i have. Mcewan scotch was always portrayed in hollywood as a whisky, when you were down or you were in trouble, the one thing that was going to get you back on your feet and out there was a scotch. Kroft today, if you are down on your luck, you probably cant afford an islay single malt. The good ones start at around 70 a bottle; the rare ones can go for hundreds of dollars a glass at chic whisky bars around the world, where they are known for their distinctive smokey taste. It comes from peat, the mossy earthen fuel thats cut from bogs on the island. It was used to heat scottish homes for centuries, and is still used to toast the barley at islay distilleries. John campbell is the master distiller at laphroaig, one of the topselling single malts in america. John campbell peat is the thing that makes islay unique, and it really resonates with people and it just engenders a kind of love hate relationship. And the people that love it absolutely love it with a passion. Kroft and there seems to be no shortage of them. Islay is not easy get to usually requiring multipleong drive, and a twohour ferry ride, yet enthusiasts continue to make the pilgrimage, especially for the whisky festival. Mcewan we get literally thousands upon thousands of single malt tourists coming here. They come from all over the world just to set foot on islay. Simon to study it . Mcewan no, to drink it. Its lovely. Its clean. Its fresh. Its vibrant. Kroft officially, whisky fest is a celebration of islays culture, but mostly its about drinking. Mcewan its absolutely beautiful. No off notes at all. Kroft as they listened to jim mcewan extol the virtues of bruichladdich, the novitiates, connoisseurs, and whisky snobs approached each glass with reverence bordering on the religious. Mcewan ah, wow, the fruit in that is incredible. Kroft as the glasses empty the smiles got bigger. But the islanders will tell you that all of this warmth and good feeling comes not from the alcohol in the spirits, but from the spirit of the place. It is almost mystical beautiful, dramatic and quiet. Theres no road rage, barely any traffic. If you do get hung up, its probably because of a farm animal. They have the right of way. And if you do happen upon people, theyll almost always greet you with the islay wave. Ailsa hayes everybody just waves because its just friendly. Theres not so many of us, so you just wave to say hi. Kroft its what ailsa hayes liked about the island when she moved her family here from london to take a managers position at one of islays thriving distilleries. Simon its strange, is it not, that such a small place with so few people, your products are known everywhere in the world . Hayes i know. Well, it makes us all very proud, it does. Theres such a boom, worldwide for single malt. Its fantastic. And you can really feel that on the island, a lot of the distilleries have double production. And so theres a lot of opportunities there, as well. Simon and theres no reason to believe that wont continue . Hayes well, times are good people drink. Times are bad, people drink. laughs simon is it possible to be socially acceptable to be a teetotaler on this island . Hayes yes. Simon are there any . Hayes yes. Not. Im not one of them. laughter kroft over the years, the islands people have learned how to entertain themselves, often at gatherings called ceilidhs, which feature traditional dance and sad songs, mostly about leaving islay and yearning to return. To sit with my love on the bridge above the rippling waterfall to go back home, never more to roam is my dearest wish of all. Dave if this looks and feels a lot like ireland, thats no coincidence. Its only 25 miles away. They come from the same tribe, share the same celtic culture and gaelic language, not to mention a love of good whisky that gets them through Stormy Weather and the long winter nights. There are no movie theaters on islay, no dry cleaners, no supermarket, no mcdonalds, at least in the fastfood business. Jim mcewan says there is a long list of things that islay doesnt have and doesnt want. Mcewan we dont have any crime, we dont have mugging carjacking, house breaking rape, just. Dope, drugs, we dont have that. You can keep that. Youre very welcome to it. Simon how do you explain the fact that theres no crime here . Theres crime everywhere else. Mcewan if you commit a crime in a small community, youll be ostracized and have to leave. Not only that, your family your children and your childrens children will be remembered as the children of the man who committed the crime. Kroft most scots are forthright, practical people who are proud of their country and the fact that their most famous export has withstood the test of time. They see themselves as artisans, and making whisky is more about art and alchemy than manufacturing. Every distiller has their own secrets and superstitions. Well give you the unclassified twominute tour. Sorry we cant offer you free samples. It begins with a bit of trickery on the malting floor when barley thats been soaked in water is spread out and raked over and over to convince the grain its spring and time to germinate releasing the starches that are locked inside. Its then dried with peat smoke to add flavor, and ground into flour, sometimes with 19th century machinery, and then mixed with hot water transforming the starches into a sugary concoction called mash. Mcewan smell that, bob. Isnt that. You can smell the goodness. Kroft yeast is then added, changing the sugar into alcohol, a primitive ale, which is then cooked a couple of times in copper stills, where the vapor is collected and condensed into this clear liquid. Mcewan and thats the stuff we want to go into the barrel. Simon but what im looking at, this looks like rubbing alcohol. This is, in fact, the whisky. Mcewan its very good if you need a rub, theres no doubt about it. Simon i bet it would be good. But once this goes into the barrel, from then, its just time . Mcewan its just time. Its a great journey, you know. This is a child, but the cask is the mother, and thats what makes the journey. If you get a good cask, youre bound to get a good child, its that simple. Kroft it take less than three weeks to make, but requires at least ten years of aging in these oak casks, which add flavor and color, to turn it into worldclass single malt whisky. Mcewan youll see some of the names. Theres clermont springs buffalo trace, jim beam. Kroft bob was surprised to learn that 97 of the casks used to make single malt whisky had been previously used to age american bourbon, and bought secondhand from u. S. Distillers. Its testimony to the ingenuity and frugality of the scots, who have very few oak trees. Mcewan without the american barrels, there would be no whisky industry. Its as simple as that. Kroft a sophisticated palate will detect a hint of the oak and bourbon in islays single malt, as well as the sweetness of sherry that comes from wine casks bought in europe. Before the final product is sold, it will have done time in a number of different casks. Master distiller jim mcewan is the one who decides when to rotate them and when each barrel is ready to be bottled. He opened a young cask for bob to sample. Mcewan i would describe that as mellow yellow. Absolutely pure. Simon and its only seven years old . Mcewan thats right. Young whiskies are like young people theyre vibrant theyre full of life. In fact, this for me is like coming home from work at the end of the day. I worked really hard nobody appreciates me, my wife doesnt appreciate me, my kids dont appreciate me, lifes a bitch. Simon couple glasses of that and it doesnt matter. Mcewan couple of shots of that and i am the king of the world. Simon absolutely. You know, frankly i never liked this stuff, but the way. Youre talking me into it. Mcewan but youve got to check every barrel. Simon i certainly hope so. Cheers. Kroft mcewan is the man responsible for the taste and consistency of the whiskies at bruichladdich, which requires a very personal involvement with the product. Simon i have heard you described as the cask whisperer. Mcewan i do talk to casks. Theres no doubt about it. Simon in what language . Mcewan mainly english. Depends how many whiskeys ive had. If ive had a few whiskies, i tend to revert to the gaelic language when im talking to the casks. Its just one of these things you go into the warehouse and you pop the bung out. You draw your sample, yeah, and you look at it. And you think, wow, you know, beautiful. But youre not just ready yet. Tell you what, im going to come back and see you in three months, okay. And other times, you find a cask which is so incredibly good, you cant not speak oh, my god, you are the most beautiful thing i have ever tasted in my life. You know, and its like, oh geez, i just want to share this with somebody. But theres nobody around. Theres just me and the casks. Simon well stay. laughter kroft on most days, mcewan devotes several hours to quality control, checking up on several hundred casks. Mcewan but its a fantastic job nosing and tasting whiskies. Simon and you can still walk out of here in the evening . Mcewan occasionally, i need some help. Theres no doubt about that, yeah. Kroft dying devotion to ones whisky is apparently not all that unusual. While we were on islay, the camera crew ran into a party of canadians, the friends and family of a deceased single malt lover named bill who wanted his ashes scattered in the waters opposite his favorite distillery. Funds for the pilgrimage were set aside in his will. Its what he wanted. Its good. Its good. To bill to bill. Now, hes happy. Now, hes happy. Kroft after that, the only thing left was for bob to say goodbye to jim mcewan. And now, it turned out to be last call for our old pal, bob simon. Mcewan cheers, bob. Hope youve enjoyed this little visit here. Simon youre speaking in the past. Its not over. Mcewan yeah, ive got to get you out of here, man. laughter this is. Youre costing me a fortune. Picking up the pieces how bob simons unfinished Whiskey Island story finally made it on the air. Go to 60minutesovertime. Com. Sunday dinners at my house. Its a full day for me, and i love it. But when i started having back pain my sister had to come help. I dont like asking for help. I took tylenol but i had to take six pills to get through the day. So my daughter brought over some aleve. Its just two pills, all day and now, im back aleve. Two pills. All day strong, all day long. And for a good nights rest, try aleve pm for a better am. Kohls has two days of savings on gifts for your active mom save on new running shoes. Keep her on pace with the fitbit flex. Reenergize with ninja. And new at kohls gaiam yoga apparel and more. This tuesday and wednesday. Find your yes. Kohls. There is no royal blood in this country. Nothing is reserved for anyone. Its all just out there. Waiting. For someone to reach out. And take it. And the ones who do. These are the kings and queens of america. Kroft in the mail, comments on the story we called the battle above, about the vulnerabilities of american satellites. Why does the American Press think they have to blab our military secrets . A colorado viewer wrote this one sentence really caught my attention the important thing is to avoid a shooting war that could create so much debris that it might become impossible to put satellites or astronauts into orbit. i suppose that debris would also make it impossible for hostile alien invaders to get through from space. Im steve kroft. Well be back next week with another edition of 60 minutes. Tomorrow be sure to watch cbs this morning. 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