A lot of people look to enter the world of whisky but just don’t know where to start or they just stick to the bog standard. Not that there’s anything wrong with the bog standard if you have looked around and that makes you happy. There are just so many bottles out there that you will be missing out on if you don’t have the knowledge of where to start.

I have recently gone through this with a friend who pretty much sticks with standard Jameson on the rocks or a Kentucky mule. Now again, absolutely nothing wrong with standard Jameson, but he was really interested about what else was out there, he just did not know enough to venture out. As with anything, people stick with what they are comfortable with because they know they won’t be disappointed if their venturing out yields bad results. To me that is the fun in it, especially with good food and drink! Will every new dram of something be a winner? Absolutely not, but you will know more of what you don’t like.

So, what my friend told me was every time we were out and he was going to have a drink, that he wanted me to choose it. I was very happy to do that because I love helping people experience new things. Was bound and determined to find him a new favourite. Which I may realise might not happen, because people are creatures of habit.

While our experiment is still ongoing, I have definitely made some progress. With the knowledge of Jameson and Kentucky mules, I knew I wanted to start with the sweeter softer whiskies. I have not been going by any rules of you have to try THIS because you like THAT. Nah! Some people want to over complicate the process of whisky introductions, and with some people that will put them off! You don’t need to tell them that they’re going to taste the leather of a newly crafted Italian shoe in the summer time. You know, THOSE tasting notes. Nope, just keep it simple.

So, for him, it was just trial and error depending on what the bar or restaurant has on the shelf. Some have a boring selection, others quite eclectic! So far, he has tried, Oban DE, Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve, Balvenie 12 Doublewood, Teeling Single Malt, Knob Creek, Readbreast 12, Basil Hayden, and Ardbeg 10. Something I’m not too surprised about is his favourite so far has been the Balvenie Doublewood. He said it was so incredibly smooth and easy to drink. Least favourite unsurprisingly was the Ardbeg, cause pretty sure he has never had peat before! With the addition of a fair amount of water he started to appreciate it…kind of. Having tried all those, he is now excited to try new ones and looks behind the bar to see what else they have.

So, if you know anybody that are looking at opening up their palate to new drams, have fun with it! Don’t make it a serious endeavour. Everyone is going to have a different opinion on what people should try, just go with what sounds good to you! Don’t let anyone tell you what YOU like isn’t good.

Slainte,

Anthony

We are big fans of gin here and are always on the lookout for delicious gins. Well, Isle of Harris Gin is at the top of that list. Besides having a fantastic tasting product, they are a great family distillery that cares about putting out a gin rooted in true Scottish values.

Located on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, this is a true community distillery. Built on the spirit of the island and a desire to share that spirit with the world. They embrace the nature of the people and try to connect you to part of their community.

As for the gin, they use 9 carefully selected botanicals, one of which being sugar kelp seaweed. The sugar kelp that is a local ingredient that is hand harvested in the springtime by a friend of the distillery. This local diver gathers the sea kelp from underwater harvests in local sea-lochs in a sustainable harvest. This botanical gives the gin that wonderfully intricate maritime flavour. The 8 other botanicals include: juniper, coriander seed, cassia bark, Angelica root, bitter orange peel, cubebs (Indonesian spice), liquorice root and orris root.

Crafted in a small copper still and bottled by hand in a bottle designed to represent the distillery spirit. All done on the island creating a truly unique Hebridean gin.

They have a different way of getting their bottles. You have to either order it on their site for delivery or order click & collect. They partner with local shops to work as the pickup locations and our Turmeaus locations are included in that network! If you are feeling adventurous, you can venture up there for a bottle in person and meet the lovely people.

Check them out for yourself – ​Harris Distillery

Anthony

This Friday, Westland is releasing their new American single malt in partnership with Filson Company. Coldfoot. The name comes from a pilgrimage that 2000 determined fortune seekers took to 175 miles above the arctic circle to the remote area of Coldfoot, Alaska. Out of those 2000 travelers only 200 made it through the grueling journey to stake their claim in the frozen north. They forged their own path, and they stayed for the independence that journey awarded them.

This whiskey was created by these two companies to honour those tough folk’s ceaseless spirit and serve as an inspiration to stay the course! Though Westland and Filson create different products, this whiskey represents their shared commitment forge an authentic path with true integrity!

Coldfoot will be limited to 978 bottles. Matured for 60 months in 1st fill ex-bourbon, new American oak, and Oloroso butt. This American single malt offering will be peated. Since we don’t have our hands on a bottle yet, we will have to provide you the distillery’s tasting notes:

“On the nose dried apple slices and walnuts lead before dessert notes of waffle cone and whipped cream join in. The palate is rich and complex with more creaminess, dried blueberry, and cacao but also deeper notes of marble rye and espresso.”

We can’t wait to get a bottle on this side of the pond! Until then, check out some of the company’s other bottlings!

Untill next time,

Sláinte

Anthony.

Hope everyone out there is having a wonderful February!

We just finished a fun and eventful 10-day sailing trip from the east to west coast of Florida! It was full of mostly fun and sometimes stressful times. We had friends and family popping on and off at different times during the trip. Made for some good laughs.

To get from where we were in south Palm Beach to Clearwater, we had to cut right through the centre of Florida. Locking through was a blast and managed well by the lock keepers. When we hit historic Okeechobee, it was rough and chilly, the Navionics failed to detect shoals there as well. That proved to be slightly problematic, but luckily our crew could handle what was thrown at them! My son was with us for a couple different legs of the trip, it was almost like he could bend the boat and the waters to his will! Poseidon hath blessed some with control over the waters. 🙂

Despite the weather being sometimes sunny and others record cold, it did not take away from amazing scenery! The wildlife was another stand out! Plenty of tropical birds, and when we made it to the west coast, we had dolphins following us a good distance. Amazingly fun to watch. Some of the memorable stops were Cabbage Key, Longboat Key and the final lock was a campground run by the Army Corps of Engineers.

A trip like that wouldn’t be complete without some good cigars and tasty drams. We were able to enjoy a variety of Bolivar, Alec Bradley and of course Inca Nation! On the whisky side to compliment our smokes we had our Stalla Dhu Islay, Saorsa, and some delicious Springbank!

Here’s to more adventures!

Slánte,

Ron

If you have not yet gotten a hold of or seen Arran’s redesign from last year, you should change that! Last year the brand went over a complete design overhaul. Brand new bespoke bottles, with new labels and gift tubes. The redesign is like a breath of fresh air. This new look comes after the opening of their new distillery at Lagg, the south side of the island. With Arran distillery situated at Lochranza on the north, they decided it was a perfect time to for a rebrand to make a clear distinction between the spirits made on both ends of the island.

‘We’ve taken inspiration from the elements that make Lochranza so special to produce a unique and beautiful new pack, which does justice to the liquid it contains.’ Says James Mactaggart, distillery manager at Arran. They have incorporated natural materials and colour tones across all of the packaging. The simple clean design suits this this delicious whisky.

The core range is going to consist of their much loved 10 YO and Quarter cask ‘The Bothy’ expression. In addition to those two, they have added a couple of new exciting expressions. 1) The Barrel Reserve which is 100% Bourbon Barrel matured and 2) a sherry matured ‘The Bodega’. The last two that have taken on the rebrand are their aged 18 & 21 yr olds.

We definitely look forward to more from the Isle of Arran distillers. Until then grab a bottle for yourself!

Slanje, Anthony