When we do our marketing for our Summer Festival (this year on 27th June), we like to get creative.
So, to announce the return of @meatrobot to our York-based festival of fantastic whisky 🥃, we've gone a bit super hero with this one.
Last year, to test his good nature, we suggested online that he bring some of the ‘dusty bottles’ from cellars and he didn’t disappoint with a 1940’s Haig & Haig 12yr blend (43.4%, £399) with an old style Spring Cap lid.
This year, I think we're testing his good nature enough with this graphic so we'll leave the choice of fine drams to him!
#York #WhiskyFestival
Finally got round to organising my piccies from @spirit_speyside . In usual fashion: I didn’t take many. I was up to host a beer and whisky pairing session with @glenmorayiain (turned into a competition that I won by evil genius @glenmorayemma ), but managed to pop into a few more events. Spent the weekend at @tormoredistillery with @oliverchilton and the gang, heckling bung-sniffer @sherryhound and heading to a “Would I Lie to You?” blind tasting where I guessed nothing correctly, before the excellent @whiskyjess and @swedescot gave me a lift back to Glasgow. Now to prep for IWSC judging and the Campbeltown whisky festival. I will sleep sometime around mid-June.
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#whisky #dram26 #tormore #glenmoray
A week of training and tasting. As ever, no real@piccies of the former, but I did remember the second…a bit. Top turns at @whiskysquad for @englishwhiskyweek and at @new_union_kendal for a @whiskyexchange exclusives run through. The New Union is excellent for beer, and having 3 Fonteinen Pruim Voelge Tolse rather a rare feat, especially in the UK. @philkendalwhisky (pictured here being uncertain about the quality of the view on his daily commute) must have some impressive blackmail material hidden somewhere. Along with all that: celebratory awamori after my first teaching of the WSET Level 3 Spirits Asian spirits module, and a delivery (finally) of another final release of one of my favourite beers. I how there are many more…
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Next week: more training and Spirit of Speyside. Hopefully see some you there.
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#whisky #whiskytasting #lambic #awamori
Our tasting celebrating @englishwhiskyweek went rather well. We chose a lineup with English whiskies from distilleries we’ve not had at Whisky Squad before, and there were a few surprises.
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We kicked off with @theheartcut ’s Barley English whisky blend (crossing off the 5 distilleries which make up the blend), before moving on to @circumstancedistillery ’s wheat single grain, @spiritofbirmingham ’s inaugural release, @retributiondistilling ’s PR003 oloroso cask, @ludlowdistillery ’s Distiller’s Cut First Edition, and @westmidlandsdistillery Roweilia, their second release. Bright and grain forward to rich and sweet, with a touch of peat along the way. A lineup showing off the breadth of character that English producers are making.
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Many thanks to the excellent @thecarparms for hosting us – they now do very tasty sausage rolls as well as giving us a space to hold tastings and keeping a very good pint of Harvey’s.
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Details and tickets for our next squad session coming soon: pop 13 May in your calendar.
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#whiskysquad #whisky #englishwhisky
The past couple of weeks have been quite busy. Busy enough that I’ve not really taken any pictures. Fortunately other folks have. In short: @cognacshow was ace, and I poured lots of armagnac as well as tempting a few folks to agree that it’s better than cognac The rest of the week was taken up@with WSET Level 3 Spirits, with @whiskyalex72 and I teaching the first bit of our first course. Only another 4 days and about 50 bottles of booze to go. And last weekend I went to see @ambiguousdogsbody . We went to the pub.
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📷 @sometimesnotdrunk , @therunningsomm , @thehannahboyle and me.
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#signssayingtothepubofinstagram #cognacshow #armagnacftw #armagnac
Last night, I was honoured with induction into the @keepersofthequaich , an excellent bunch of Scotch whisky folks, at Blair Castle, along with top chap @whiskyalex72 and a selection of other lovely people. Despite the rumours, there were no swords (other than those filling every bit of wall space that didn’t have a deer skull on it) and there was *definitely* no goat involved in the ceremony, although having @richard.paterson.wolfcraig reading an almost hagiographic citation of my deeds is one of the best things that has happened to me in the 15 years since I fled the world of finance and computing. It was great catching up with so many people I’ve not seen for ages and meet lots of new folks, and it was fantastic to hear of the Pacific-conquering exploits of @themacleanbrothers from the chaps themselves.
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Many thanks to the excellent @ontheroadwithroyalsalute for organising all the things, and keeping us fed, watered and appropriately entertained with stories of roaming the world with a bottle of whisky or two in his bag.
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Now to head back to London and return to the real world…
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Many thanks to @shannontofts for making me look beautiful in my official portrait. An impressive feat.
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#keepersofthequaich #blaircastle #appropriatelyridiculous #quiche
Just over a week ago, I got to sit down with a whisky hero, Mr Billy Abbott.
Now, I have known Billy for a long-ish time, but over the last year or so he's become a proper mate, and like many I blooming adore him!!
So, this is a what3whiskies/long read crossover, with emphasis on long read.
Another recorded conversation, transcribed. It's a good 25mins to read. It bounces all over the place, because, well, because it's Billy.
So put some time aside, pour a coffee, dram or whatever floats your boat and settle in.
Copy and paste link: /p/meet-billy-abbot
And remember, follow/subscribe and get all my articles dropped into your inbox as soon as they are published.
I’ve been on holiday this week (other than the online beer tasting I accidentally offered to host from my windowless hotel room), bimbling between Edinburgh and Glasgow, catching up with friends and family, and drinking an occasional whisky. Along with stopping in at a bunch of my favourite pubs, I also got to see some of my chums in their natural habitats: @malted_pete in the @wovenwhisky blending room, Jonny and Colas from @kythedistillery at the almost-built distillery, and @highlandmarc in the @edringtonuk sample room. I’ve learned a load, had a great time, and now have a bunch of things to research… Ta muchly to all the lovely people I’ve hung out with for letting me come and play.
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#scotland #allegedholiday #imnotverygoodatholidaying
As everyone else seems to have said, I didn’t get a chance to take any piccies at @independent_spirits_festival , “apart from this one”. Year one was a success and year two a veritable triumph: lovely people in front and behind the stands with drams to match. I poured some tasty @whiskyexchange things, with our new Zodiac whiskies complemented by The Caoneaig (heavily peated Ben Nevis), an excellent sherried Blair Athol and my beautiful, oily and filthy face-labelled bottling (another Ben Nevis).
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Next day, I headed to see @archibaldpaul of @rhythmandboozerecords and the @casklesens /@whiskyconcerto /@ruiseartspirits gestalt entity of @viiniwinnie and Richard for a tasting of their latest releases at @caskandvine_royalmile . Much tastiness, including their joint bottling – an album (qr code to listen on the label) by @nicole.cassandra.smit with a blend by @viiniwinnie in the bottle – and a joint bottling with @shilton.almeida . Hopefully some tasting notes and a blogpost coming soon…
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#whisky #indiespirits #tastemyface
This week, I’ve mostly been drinking. Responsibly, obvs. Lots of things to taste, lots of people to see, and not quite enough time..
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Training at @whiskyexchange , rum at @merchant_hse with @dropworks.distillery and @distlondon , nattering with @what3whiskies , impromptu @pauljohnwhisky and @milroysofsoho whisky at @3greekstreetsoho , Darrenmas drams (hope you are enjoying my drinking diary, @colindunnwhisky 😛), more Zodiac whisky at @whiskyexchange , and the unfettered beauty of @whiskyjoel .
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Now to be on holiday. I’ve only booked myself in to host one tasting and do two meetings while away, which counts as ‘most relaxed holiday ever’ for me. I am not very good at holidaying.
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#whisky #rum #darrenmas #upthenoseornotatall
Did I mention that I’m in the video about the new @compassboxwhiskyco Hedonism? Well, I am :) It’s been, in usual fashion, a bit of a week. First there was the sharing of the vid (more publicly than its previous exclusive with The Ancient Enemy) while I was writing notes on Hedonism for a @whiskysquad tasting that stated an hour later, then the tasting, then some @laizhoudistillery training, a day at @whiskyexchange Covent Garden and an evening of Irish whiskey at TWE London Bridge (where I poured some secret Laizhou), and then @croydonwhiskyfestival with lots of lovely people. Also, some tasty Tormore (thanks @singlemaltrussell !) and a fruity @smws_uk x @dunvillesirishwhiskey collab. And an excellent breakfast sandwich. Now to eat an apple and get sorted for next week. With a dram of Hedonism.
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#whisky #laizhou #whiskyexchange #compassbox #excellentsandwich
