A while ago now (useless blogger) I went to the Jameson Irish Whiskey Academy. In some ways, it’s quite difficult to describe the Irish Whiskey Academy in detail, as you would really have to go, to really get your head around it. Basically, it is a two day academy that educates you in the production [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/12/06/an-education-the-irish-whiskey-academy-part-1/

Bunnahabhain has always kinda sneaked in unnoticed, in my opinion, when people think of Islay whisky. The big boys on the south shore, Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig, are usually the first distilleries people think of when you mention Islay. Then comes Bowmore, Caol Ila, Bruichladdich, and Kilchoman… and if the person you’re talking to mentions [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/11/24/bunnahabhain-ceobanach/

It’s quite nice to come home from work to find a “Sorry, you were out…” card from Royal Mail, as it usually means making a trip to my local Post Office and returning home with some whisky. Either that or I end up walking along the road with an expensive bouquet of flowers sent up [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/11/04/lady-of-the-glens-latest-releases/

‘They say it’s not the bonniest, but the view makes up for it. What other distillery gets this?’ – David Wood, the new Distillery Manager at Caol Ila, draws a wide semi-circle with his hand, pointing to the Sound of Islay, after which the distillery is named, the Paps over on Jura and beyond. There [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/10/02/caol-ila/

A high percentage of the time, when I hear about whisky auctions, it’s on a whisky forum, and the general gist of the conversation is “that is an insane price for a bottle!” followed by “the bubble is gonna burst, with these sky high prices, I tell ya” and the such like. Now I’m not saying [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/09/26/a-quick-dram-old-pulteney-1994-sauterne-finish-gm-private-collection/

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/09/26/a-quick-dram-old-pulteney-1994-sauterne-finish-gm-private-collection/

If you follow us on Twitter you know I was on Islay last weekend. What a glorious few days. One of the highlights for me was the visit to Caol Ila. It’s a malthead’s cliché but it really is one of my favourite distilleries. Over the years they have been more consistent than any other [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/09/15/caol-ila-30-year-old-1983-a-fine-whisky-for-a-more-civilised-age/

For most of the week, I have been in Ireland visiting the Irish Whiskey Academy, as a guest of Jameson, down at their Midleton distillery near Cork. It has been an excellent trip, both for tasting and for learning. The training school finished Tuesday afternoon, and then there was a stroke of luck. Franciscan Well [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/09/05/jameson-franciscan-pale-ale/

I’m just back from Ireland, where I have been with the fine folks from Irish Distillers (Midleton, Jameson, Green Spot, Yellow Spot, Redbreast and more) at their hugely impressive distilling complex in Midleton. This site has nearly 200 years history, with it originally being an old mill (handy for water and barley) in the late [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/09/04/an-education-visiting-the-irish-whiskey-school-with-jameson-so-far/

Dufftown is a distillery that has flown a bit under the radar really. Over 100 years of history, and it has done what any distillery should do really; continue to make whisky. There are no epic stories of pirates, gangsters or people talking in hush tone about the magical secret whisky at Dufftown Distillery, just [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/08/24/dufftown-sunray-and-tailfire/

The Place: Heads & Tales Bar, Below the Rutland Hotel, Edinburgh. The Time: Sunday Afternoon. The Reason: to visit the most exciting new bar in Edinburgh. When I got an invite to pop down and visit Heads & Tales on a Sunday afternoon, and have a chance to chat to bartender extraordinaire and fountain of [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/08/14/heads-tales-bar-edinburgh/

What’s your last night out made up of memories? And I mean just memories- not a virtual breadcrumb trail of “check-ins” and photo filters but a slice of time that exists only within the gooey bits of your noggin, time that you just went out an enjoyed the company at hand which made that particular [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/25/you-actually-know-quite-a-lot-grey-goose/

When I was but a growing child anything even remotely within the world of the supernatural used to turn me into a jabbering, quivering wreck. Every single time my parents turned off the bedroom light, in the hope I’d drift off into the soft embrace of a candy-coated dreamland, I would pull my covers over [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/23/cu-bocan-1989/

For a humble whisky blogger used to Charlie MacLean’s moustache being the hottest celebrity on the events circuit, a bash such as last night’s Grey Goose martini extravaganza at Devil’s Advocate in Edinburgh could be a bit of a shock. Accustomed to sitting firmly in the middle of the world coolness scale, not quite your [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/18/you-know-nothing-grey-goose/

Highland Park’s latest offering sees them return to their roots, and I mean really return to their roots: pre-distillery foundation roots. Legend has it that the founder of Highland Park, Magnus Eunson, was a beadle and butcher by day, and one of the most cunning and ingenious smugglers of illicit whisky by night. In honour [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/18/highland-park-dark-origins/

About a month ago, I wrote about a fantastic evening that myself, the folks from the brilliant BeerCast, and the great folks from Harviestoun (read about it here, here and here). The purpose of the evening was to look at combining the flavours of beer and whisky, and trying to get to a match that [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/08/a-few-beer-whisky-combinations/

It is almost a year to the day since I wrote my first article about the Rare Cask releases from Abbey Whisky. Last time they launched a ridiculously good Caperdonich and a nice delicate Bunnahabhain. This year the Rare Cask releases are a Ben Nevis 16 year old and a Glencadam 22 year old. Each release [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/06/the-rare-casks-abbey-whisky-2/

Despite the title, this isn’t about a Game of Thrones or Ice Road Truckers episode, and it’s certainly not a patriotic Braveheart-esque call to arms about Scottish independence. Having said that, what I am going to write about is an American distillery which sees itself as a bit of a revolutionary, which is pretty apt [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/04/sons-of-liberty-battle-cry/

Somewhat ashamedly, I spent a week in Portugal and did not have a single drop of Port. Fail. I had plenty of beer (Superbock and Sagres), tried many non-fortified wines (red, white and the unbelievably drinkable Vinho Verde)  and even drank the morello cherry brandy Ginjinha from a tasty chocolate shot glass.Yet, not a smidgen of [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/01/tomatin-1988-and-14yo-port-wood-finish/

It’s always a good day when an email from Gregor Hannah, Director of the independent bottlers ‘Lady of the Glen’, arrives in my inbox. Invariably it’s to let me know they’re about to release another cracking single cask bottling and that I should wait by my letterbox with the same eager anticipation of a needy [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/07/01/lady-of-the-glen-bunnahabhain-26yo/