Ever wanted to make your own gin? Crossbill Distillery in Glasgow is running a gin school where you can learn more about gin in general while you distil your own gin recipe. The distillery is the first to make gin using only Scottish botanicals. Their gins are made using only two botanicals, juniper and rosehip, […]
Ever dreamed of cycling along remote roads and beautiful landscapes with diverse wildlife? Islay is a wonderful island to discover by bike. The roads are reasonably flat and single-track, the places aren’t far apart and there are many beautiful locations to stop. And there’s whisky. Earlier this month we did a quick trip to the […]
What if you could stay on an island right next to a distillery overlooking the magical Isle of Skye? Now you can literally do just that, but is the reality as good as the idea? I had to go and investigate. The wonderful Isle of Raasay lies off the west coast of Scotland in the […]
International Scottish Gin Day is fast approaching, so I thought it would be a nice to get to know the power couple behind the event and learn more about The Gin Cooperative. Obviously, as with many things right now, COVID has caused some changes to their plans, but the show must go on… Both Natalie […]
Cleopatra’s bath time, Cerealism, Delicate masculinity, Drink me you swine!, Thatcher’s tea break, Umami heaven, Sassy lassie in a leather skirt… Like the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s many bottles, we are all unique and different, but united by our interest in whisky. I paid a visit to the SMWS’s latest members-only venue in Glasgow to […]
When you think of Scotland’s spirits scene, whisky and gin are the first that come to mind. Rum, however, is probably the last thing you would expect from the northern European country. But Scotland, especially Glasgow, has a long history of rum. When sailors introduced rum to the UK in the 17th century, the spirit […]
Sweet vermouth is a fortified wine that has been aromatised with a range of botanicals. It is also known as red vermouth (vermouth rosso) due to its colour or as Italian vermouth due to its origin. Today, sweet vermouths aren’t just limited to Italy. In the 16th century in Piedmont, a shopkeeper known as Alessio […]
Too often I hear someone say they’re interested in getting into scotch whisky but find the whole category intimidating. There are too many things you need to take into consideration or just a lot of choice to know where to start. With this guide to scotch whisky I wanted to cover some basics to help […]
Highland Park distillery has been in (legitimate) operation since 1798 and has always remained in the original spot where Magnus Eunson, a direct descendant of the Vikings, ran his illicit distilling production. At one point, the distillery was called High Park due to its location, overlooking Kirkwall. High enough to see the taxman’s arrival! The […]