Quaffed

29/05/2025

What I love about whisky festivals is that you discover drams you might not know and can find new favourites. My go-to dram for years has been Douglas Laing Big Peat, I don't need to think about it, just pour and unwind but it has competition now from Old Ballantruan, made at the Tomintoul distillery in Speyside – peated Speyside drams.

I tried their Smokey Original, the classic version at Whisky Live, 10 year old at The Whisky Exchange Welcome to Whisky and came home with their third bottle, the 15 year old, after The Whisky Event.

Great quality, great value smokey drams and they make a perfect flight of whisky. The glasses shown are from the events where I saw them.

My old publishing nerd was very excited by their use of foil, it was a sad day when my old publisher cut costs by taking the foil off our masthead and just used ordinary print for the title, no wrap. No such short cuts at Old Ballantruan and they really are such good value, you need to try them all

My go-to dram is a comforting blended peated malt whisky from Islay. I drink it when I’m tired, in pain or want a dram that I don’t need to analyse but can just enjoy and relax, whether…

27/05/2025

I spoke to a journalist at The Whisky Event who was looking for an angle for her piece and I suggested the art of the label and bottles in whisky/ey, pointing out a few examples such as That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Curious Whiskies, Vintage Bottlers and the stand we were right in front of, Brave New Spirits. Plus Wireworks bottles. Thompson Brothers and Chorlton weren't there or I'd have highlighted them, too.

Her article went a different way, sadly, but I love art on labels, it helps them stand out in a crowded market and I cannot resist animals or birds on labels, they draw me in which is why I loved That Boutique-y Whisky Company's American Bourbon Whisky 10yo bull label, a new addition to their core range series and in proper sized bottles, 70cl!

Two things to note about this 45.8% ABV bottle of That Boutique-y Whisky Company American Bourbon Whiskey are that it’s a 70cl/700ml bottle – great to see – and also that the distinctive labe…

15/04/2025

I was initially just going to go to one session of the new brand show from The Whisky Exchange, Welcome to Whisky – until the dram list kept increasing and included over 300 drams in the ticket price. I went for both days.

Billed as an introduction to whisky for those just starting on their whisky journey, it's so much more than that and included distilleries I've never encountered before, drams yet to be released and even distillery exclusive bottlings.

In theory, all bottles had to be under £100 but even TWE broke their own rule and a few were over but there were many in the sweet £40-60 bracket, even some in the £20s. Truly whisky for everyone who drinks it, including cask strength drams and bottles exclusive to The Whisky Exchange.

Then there was the dram with my most intriguing/alarming ever tasting note...

Held in Glaziers Hall, near London Bridge, on 11-12 April 2025, The Whisky Exchange’s Welcome to Whisky sought to target a new audience as an introduction to whisky but ended up delivering so…

10/03/2025

I loved The Whisky Exchange Cognac Show at London's Glazier Hall 7-8 March. It's a drink with such a rich heritage and makes you think about French history, especially the casks produced during the German Occupation and the Ladies Harvest of 1914. So much to learn, so much to sample but what a fantastic show

When you attend drinks festivals such as The Whisky Exchange Cognac Show, there’s always so much to sample and it’s not easy to remember everything you managed to try. It’s why I …

18/02/2025

Fantastic day at the Speciality Drinks portfolio tasting yesterday. The next Cocktail Hour radio show will be based on it which meant working out not just how many drinks I tried (50) but how many countries were covered (21) – The Isle of Man counts as a country in this context! And all my lovely numbers disappeared when being pasted here.

A spittoon and plenty of water were used for responsible drinking and I wrote tasting notes and took photos of everything tried – more info, inc ABVs, available if anyone's curious. The list below is just basic for me but thought some of you might be interested.

I loved the flavour profile stands, great way to get us to taste liquids outside our comfort zones – not just spirits but liqueurs and fortified wines. Leeds-made Lemoncello was one of the highlights, as was the Ukrainian corn vodka with its hint of melon, so smooth and elegant. And the Blandy's 10yo Malmsey Madeira was fabulous!

Whisky highlights were the Millstone PX 12 yo, Longmorn 18yo 2023 edition and Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries. It would have been interesting to have tried the Beyoncé SirDavis whiskey without knowing the connection – it's actually an easy quaffer and I liked the bottle, some great tactile bottles at the show, including the Wildmoor Dark Moorland 23yo whose ridged back reflects the topography of the area.

I skipped the Herbaceous and Grassy profile and ran out of time for the No and Low Alcohol stand which is a shame and I'd love to know what was there. I also couldn't try a single bitter on the Sweet and Bitters stand as they also contained tea and I have a caffeine allergy. So frustrating, same for not being able to try the Matcha liqueur which looked interesting.

50 drinks, 21 countries – and this list needs a good edit!

1) Michel Forgeron VSOP – France
2) Domaine des Hautes Glaces Epistémè single track spelt whisky – France
3) Scapa 16 – Scotland
4) Outlier Millions of Peaches 3yo Manx rum – Isle of Man
5) Domaine des Hautes Glaces Vulson rye eau de vie – France
6) Domaine des Hautes Glaces Indigene single malt whisky – France
7) SBS Dominican Republic Aroma Grande single origin rum – Dominican Republic
8 ) Agave Australis – Australia
9) Xinghuacun Fen Chiew baijiu – China
10) Blandy's 10 Sercial Dry Madeira – Island of Madeira, Portugal
11) Blandy's 10 Malmsey Madeira – Island of Madeira, Portugal
12) Reizinho Rum Agricola da Madeira 3 yo – Island of Madeira, Portugal
13) Martell Single Cru Petite Champagne Cognac – France
14) Antiquary 21yo blended Scotch – Scotland
15) Longmorn 18yo 2023 release – Scotland
16) Teerenpeli Kulo 7yo sherry matured whisky (oloroso and PX casks) – Finland
17) Blanton's Original single barrel Kentucky straight Bourbon whiskey – USA
18) Woven Hemispheres blended world whisky, blend of North British and Thomson Manuka whisky – Scotland and New Zealand
19) Glendronach Ode to the Dark PX sherry cask – Scotland
20) Meikle Tòir The Chinquapin One Speyside whisky (Glenallachie distillery) – Scotland
21) Teerenpeli Savu gently peated whisky – Finland
22) Agitator Chestnut Cask – Sweden
23) Agitator Single Malt Whisky Rõk (Islay whisky cask) – Sweden
24) New Riff Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon – USA
25) Thy Single Malt – Denmark
26) McKenzie Irish-style whiskey – USA
27) Burdekin Premium Aged Rum – Australia
28) Cointreau Citrus Series Corsican Pomelo Distillate – France
29) Lemoncello – England
30) Gattertop Damson Vodka No. 12 (liqueur) – England
31) (Karminia) Kinato Barolo Chinato – Italy
32) Mikolasch single farm (corn) vodka – Ukraine
33) Don Julio Rosado Tequila Reposado – Mexico
34) Indri Single Malt Indian Whisky Trini – The Three Wood (wine, PX and Bourbon casks) – India
35) Wildmoor Dark Moorland 23yo blended whisky – Scotland
36) Kanosuke Double Distillery Japanese Whisky – Japan
37) Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries – Japan
38) Jeptha Creed Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky – USA
39) Worthy Park 6yo rum – Jamaica
40) Millstone PX 12yo – The Netherlands
41) Westland Single Cask 6296 American Single Malt Whiskey – USA
42) Signatory Vintage Mortlach 10yo Wine Cask Series, 1st Fill Bolgheri Hogshead – Scotland
43) Winter The Seasons: Blair Athol 16yo – Scotland
44) Winter The Seasons: Orkney Distillery 10yo – Scotland
45) Winter The Seasons: Laphroaig 8yo – Scotland
46) Briottet cocktail – Figue Rob Roy (Torabhaig Legacy Cnoc na Moine whisky), Briottet Figue (Fig), Sweet Vermouth, Bitters)
47) Goslings Spirited Seas Ocean Aged Bermuda Rum – Bermuda
48) SirDavis Whiskey (Beyoncé's American rye whiskey) – USA
49) Kanosuke Single Malt Japanese Whiskey 2023 – Japan
50) Suave Reposado Tequila – Mexico

21 countries:
France
Scotland
Isle of Man
Dominican Republic
Australia
China
Island of Madeira, Portugal
Finland
USA
New Zealand
Sweden
Denmark
England
Italy
Ukraine
Mexico
India
Japan
Jamaica
The Netherlands
Bermuda

30/05/2024

Really looking forward to The Whisky Event in London on Sunday, 2nd June 5-10pm. Over 600 drams included in the ticket price and there are some fantastic distilleries and indie bottlers there, plus the always fantastic and intriguing Whisky.Auction with rare dream drams.

There's a buffet, free masterclasses and a free cocktail included in the price of the ticket

See you there!

We have gathered together a veritable selection of well-known, and some lesser-known distilleries to feature their products.

25/01/2024

Who's celebrating tonight? I loved the online tasting with Southport Whisky Club during the pandemic - has it really been that long? It's the first time I've really marked the night since then. No braving the cold and wet, waiting for a bus tonight, thanks to 3 great drams from Whisky Me – and there's a special 20% off those bottles for readers

One of my favourite times during lockdown, that strange time when we opened our homes and bottles online, was Burns Night, thanks to an online tasting with Southport Whisky Club. Drams were poured …

07/08/2023

Should you judge a by its label? Absolutely – and I speak as someone who wrote design notes for almost 200 book covers. Dràm Mòr's Dumbarton Rock has a stylised label in shades of purple, including lucky heather, the quality is reflected in the blended whisky which only uses single malts, no grains at all.

I first saw it at Cut Your Wolf Loose in and finally gave it a try. Dràm Mòr's first blended whisky rocks! Give it a try

Sitting in the Brighton whisky bar, Cut Your Wolf Loose, I noticed an eye-catching label. It’s artistic and appealing with a hand-drawn style picture of the volcanic Dumbarton Rock in my favo…

14/06/2023

Happy National Bourbon Day! Beat the heat (or just make it bearable!) with the special Yellowstone Select cocktail – and enjoy a 10% off whisky subscription membership for Whisky Me and their Yellowstone bottles.

Word of warning, judging by how many typos this post had pre-editing, handle the specially created cocktail with care, it's quite something!

Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Whisky Me

We’ve all had that feeling of dread when the parcel with drams for tastings or ones you’ve bought is soggy on arrival. Opening it with trepidation in case it’s an old and rare dra…