There wouldn’t be whisky without water. In fact, the word whisky comes from the Gaelic word uisge meaning water, which, in turn, comes from Latin aqua vitae (uisge beatha in Scottish Gaelic), as in water of life. Everyone appreciates the importance of the water source when it comes to making whisky. If you’ve read my […]
During my recent visit to Scotland, I also had an evening at Lindores Abbey distillery, which is located in north-west Fife. Lindores Abbey is a fairly new single malt distillery built in the grounds of a former abbey. It really is the perfect place for a party! The highlight of the evening was a whisky tasting […]
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 40th anniversary celebrations continue in the form of an exclusive ‘New Wave’ whisky series. A series of ten bottles has been released around the world, which all have an illustration by Bob Dewar, the artist who created the original artwork 40 years ago. If you have ever visited The Vaults […]
Does the style of glassware actually matter when it comes to whisky tasting? There are several glassware options for whisky drinking, some especially designed to improve your nosing and tasting experience. You can choose from tasting glasses with or without a stem, different shapes and sizes, bigger openings and heavier bases…. I decided to test […]
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a special bottling appropriately named Maverick. The definition of a maverick is an unorthodox or independent-minded person. In 1983, Pip Hills founded The SMWS based on an idea that everyone said wouldn’t work. Pip wanted to bottle whisky straight from the cask, unadulterated, […]
A while back I was on a press trip visiting Glenfiddich distillery when their malt master Brian Kinsman mentioned some dogs that work at the distillery. Of course, I’ve previously heard about famous cats like Towser the Mouser who keep distillery buildings mouse-free, but I never really encountered working dogs at distilleries. That gave me […]
The story of Glenfiddich began in the summer of 1886 when William Grant started building his distillery near to the river Fiddich. It had been a dream of his for some time. He quit his job as the manager of Mortlach and decided to make his dreams come true with the help of his wife […]
It is the season for hot toddies, those warming drinks made with hot water, honey, lemon and a good measure of something stronger. Anything from whisky, rum, brandy or even gin. Alcohol has for a long time been used for medicinal purposes. You often hear people say they are going to have a hot toddy […]
The Glenturret is Scotland’s oldest working distillery – the earliest record of it is from 1763. The recent change of ownership really has improved the distillery’s releases and helped to put The Glenturret back on the whisky map. It is finally getting the recognition it deserves rather than being in the shadow of Famous Grouse, […]