Dark. Sinister. Mysterious. All words associated with the chat up lines used by Hoban on unsuspecting girls over the weekend, but also words which describe the goings on at Edinburgh Whisky Blog HQ over the past couple of days. As you’ll have noticed, we’ve been taken over by an ethereal spirit of a rather smoky [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/03/31/in-honour-of-peat/

Littlemill. Sadly, an unfamiliar name to the newest whisky-drinking generation due to its demise in 1997 when it was dismantled. To add salt to the wound, the remnants were burned to the ground in a fire in 2004. But before I get all misty-eyed with thoughts of ‘what might have been…’ let’s delve back into [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/03/28/a-lovely-little-littlemill/

A few years ago when I was first broadening my whisky horizon, I was introduced to a bottle of Mortlach Flora and Fauna 16yo. I can still remember that moment to this day; I tried it at the Scotch Whisky Experience with a couple of friends, then immediately phoned my mum and sobbed down the [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/03/10/the-all-new-super-mega-ultra-premium-mortlach-series/

Following my recent post about poor quality no-age-statement releases we have received many comments here on the blog, on social media, by email etc. From all of us here at EWB – massive thank you! The community is what makes this blog tick and we always welcome your opinions. Most of you agreed with what [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/03/05/an-illogical-ageist/

Over the last couple of years, myself and Tiger have been hosting tastings for student whisky societies. It is always an honour, privilege and pleasure to do these tastings, as once we have a budget in mind we have a lot of freedom in terms of what bottles we buy, as we tend to find [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/28/edinburgh-whisky-blog-prohibition-tasting/

Imagine this. You meet a girl or a guy (depending on your preference), you get to know each other and soon it turns out he or she is quite simply perfect. The person in question has the looks of an angel, keen intelligence, lightness of heart and soul that brightens up the world, more money [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/26/johnnie-walker-directors-blend/

Craft is the word of the moment. The alcohol industry alone gives birth to a new ‘craft’ product every second and as Bono was (probably) heard saying: “every time I clap my hands, a new craft beer appears in the local drinking hole.” It has become a buzzword in recent months as absolutely everything is [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/21/balvenie-the-intelligent-hand/

One thing that sets us firmly apart from animals is the ability to think strategically. Sure, all sorts of wild beasts think ahead but I’m pretty sure we’re the only species on the planet with the ability to plot a five-year plan onto a spreadsheet. And it’s not just our big brains and all the [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/12/no-age-statement-whisky/

Yes, I realise I’ve spelled balance with two ‘l’s. I assure you there’s method in the madness, let me explain. Ballantine’s recently launched Ballantine’s Ballance, one of the coolest and craziest servings of a whisky you’re ever likely to see. As you can see from the photo, there are five parts to the Ballance serve, [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/11/ballantines-ballance-competition/

Apart from whisky, one of my main passions, and at times, bain of my life is football. From going to see my first game with my Dad when I was four (Hibs beating Hearts, a highly unusual event at the time) to playing football constantly in my teenage years, to travelling the length and breadth [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/10/a-quick-dram-glenmorangie-companta/

As someone who is quite heavily involved in the drinks industry I always feel a certain sense of responsibility and obligation when around alcohol. A lot of the time this is simply ensuring that folk who attend my tastings don’t knock their whisky back in one go and move on swiftly to the next. Perhaps [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/07/why-is-my-facebook-filled-with-neknominate-videos/

It doesn’t matter who are, where you’re from and what you’re into but we all have our geeky little obsessions that even those closest to us might not understand. You know what? Lets just be honest-they don’t understand. What they probably do is tolerate. They don’t know why you spend hours of your free time [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/06/dramboree-2014/

As some of you will know, AnCnoc have been releasing whisky from consecutive years over the past wee while. I’ve previously reviewed the 1997 vintage while Graeme has given his thoughts on the 1998 vintage. AnCnoc have released the most recent member of this series and, unsurprisingly, it’s the 1999 vintage. This whisky was matured [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/02/04/ancnoc-1999/

If there was not photographic evidence (or physical scarring – more on that in a bit…) then I would never have believed that the Monkey Shoulder Social Club Burns Supper had not been a dream. Hazmat suits, three-eyed-fish soup, human/greyhound races, Carolynn Cumhardy, radioactive haggis, lots of green shit and a stuffed Polar Bear…if anything [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/01/24/burns-night-a-la-monkey-shoulder-via-springfield/

2014. Holy shit. How did that happen? It seems like only a few weeks ago I sat down to write an article about EWB turning 4 years old and here I am writing another one about our humble little blog’s upcoming 5th birthday bash. The past twelve months have certainly flown past, and not just [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2014/01/16/ewbs-5th-birthday-bash/

It’s been a little while since I last spoke about this new, up and coming independent bottler, but things have gone rather well over the past year for Lady of the Glen. I previously reviewed their first two single cask bottlings, a 14yo Benrinnes and 24yo Invergordon, which were very different drams and a solid [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2013/12/18/lady-of-the-glen-caperdonich/

Sometimes, without an apparent cause or a as much as a moment’s warning, the stars align and the great cosmic cycle of chaos and order reaches one of its notoriously elusive peaks. This maj come in various guises to different people but for us, the self-confessed get-a-life drinks enthusiasts, this will more often than not [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2013/12/17/the-stars-align/

The Guardians of Glenlivet. An ancient order sworn to protect the legacy of Guardian General George Smith. Protecting the land and the stills from ruin since the signing of the Distillers License in 1824. Facing trials of sabotage, assassination and reputational ruin. They have now been asked to undertake their biggest challenge to date, the [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2013/12/09/the-glenlivet-guardians-chapter/

It’s been a wee while since I’ve been to a whisky festival and I have just been able to wander about. In recent times, I have been behind a stand, passing on what little knowledge I have about the booze trade to friendly and unfriendly punters alike, while offering them a dram of something, whether [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2013/11/23/glasgow-whisky-festival/

Santa Claus is coming to town on wobbly legs. And he has a stack of Whisky Advent Calendars for good boys and reasonably well behaved girls. I’ve seen some cool things in my time – dancing bears, very ugly babies, women holding hands, but this is up there. When the postie delivered this beautiful big [...]...

Läs mer http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/2013/11/15/whisky-advent-calendar/