I must confess, I’ve never really liked whisky. But after accepting a recent invitation to a tasting evening with Lady of the Glen, I’m happy to report that I now appreciate its complexities and sensory delights. Lady of the Glen is an independent bottler of Scottish premium cask whiskies, founded…
I wrote about my experience blending whisky at The Scotch Whisky Experience last year. To kick-start this year, I accepted an invitation to try the Taste of Scotland menu at Amber, the Experience’s restaurant and whisky bar. Walking up the hill from the Mound gives you an impressive view of…
When the Scotch Malt Whisky Society asks me if I want to come and try whiskies, I say an enthusiastic yes. This time, the invitation was particularly intriguing: an international whiskies tasting. Two Japanese grains, two Japanese malts, an Irish whiskey and an American bourbon. To guide us, we had…
As a student, worked summers and weekends at The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, now The Scotch Whisky Experience. It was a dream: for three years, I worked as a guide in a whisky museum next to the castle. In that time, I learned first to drink and then love whisky. Every…
I’m sitting at a table with people I haven’t met before, waving what looks like a perfume test strip in front of my nose and exclaiming: ‘it smells a lot more like grass if you inhale it!’. This is what can happen when you’re trying whisky at the Signet Library.…
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society throws a fun party. Last week I went to the Queen Street club for hauf ‘n hauf a beer and whisky tasting, an event that was part of Clans & Drams, SMWS’s celebration for whisky month. I made my way up to the second floor and a…
We left Edinburgh on a Friday afternoon and promptly got stuck trying to get over the Forth Road Bridge. Our sat nav seemed desperate to send us via the Erskine Bridge. We stuck to our guns. It was actually a good journey and we arrived at the Craigellachie Hotel without…
Recently I was invited to Chaophraya to eat Thai accompanied with Glenfiddich whisky. Whisky and food matching is a challenge: I love the idea, but it can be tricky to manage. If you’re used to drinking wine with food whisky can seem too strong, too concentrated. At my whisky-matched meal,…
On a truly glorious Autumn day, St. Andrews Square, Edinburgh was transformed into a whisky fête. There were tutored tastings with The Balvenie’s Brand Ambassador Dr. Andrew Forrester, and workshops with The Balvenie’s craft partners.
The Macallan launched their new range of whiskies a couple of weeks ago, in the Pompadour at the Caledonian. There were whisky cocktails, scrumptious canapés and the main attraction: The 1824 Series. The Series is an interesting addition to their existing range and takes a completely new approach. We’re used…
