A good friend of ours (and fellow whisky fan), the brilliant photographer Tomas Whitehouse was over in the UK from Helsinki to visit family. He stopped in for a dram or two during the Christmas period with his partner Tuuli, and we talked long into the night about all manner of things. Along the way,… Continue reading Thinking about taking up smoking
A Christmas toast at the Dubber end
Putting the finishing touches on the year and thought I’d pause to raise a toast to everyone who helped make 2011 a good one for Clutch and I. We visited some lovely places, drank some astonishingly good whisky, met some wonderful people and had the opportunity to taste and write about some incredible drams. Not… Continue reading A Christmas toast at the Dubber end
Northwards To Dalmore
I had the good fortune to be invited along to the opening of Dalmore’s new Visitor Centre a few weeks ago, and had been looking forward to it from the moment I’d received the invite prior to that. Although I’ve passed that way several times, I’ve never had the opportunity to call in, and it’s… Continue reading Northwards To Dalmore
Glenglassaugh – Slight Return
We’ve recently been involved in helping to write part of a new book on whisky. A bit exciting to be asked to join the company of more noted writers in the field than ourselves, and somewhat of a challenge to complete these things to deadlines and not just at our own behest (ahem…looks around guiltily).… Continue reading Glenglassaugh – Slight Return
In The Lair Of The Nose
The other week, we had the good fortune to be heading to Glasgow for a rare chance to pick the brains and be entertained by Whyte & Mackay’s Master Blender and raconteur extraordinaire, Richard Paterson. Dubber was travelling up from Birmingham, and I came a short hop on the train to rendez-vous with him, and… Continue reading In The Lair Of The Nose
Win the Dubber and Clutch Premium Blend whisky
Earlier this week, we made a special, one of a kind blended malt whisky while we were at the Glengoyne distillery. We tasted it and we’re very happy with it, and it’s utterly unique. And this is it right here: the only bottle of Dubber and Clutch Premium Blend whisky in the world. We’d like… Continue reading Win the Dubber and Clutch Premium Blend whisky
Glengoyne distillery tour and master blending
We spent the afternoon at Glengoyne distillery yesterday, which enjoys a reputation as the world’s most beautiful distillery. It really is a lovely place to visit and walk around. As you can see from the photo, it’s at the bottom of a hill – actually an extinct volcano – and at the foot of the… Continue reading Glengoyne distillery tour and master blending
Tasting at Camp Bandcamp
I’m in California this week, working with a music website called Bandcamp. I thought the least I could do was bring a bottle of whisky, so I snuck a bottle of the Jura Prophecy into my suitcase. Of course, my hosts had done their homework, and there was a bottle of Lagavulin 16 waiting for… Continue reading Tasting at Camp Bandcamp
Why you shouldn’t send us whisky
Every now and then, somebody emails us, offering to send us whisky to review on this blog. Which is lovely, of course, and much appreciated. But every now and then something reminds us to make clear that writing reviews of whisky for promotional purposes is not actually what we do. Yesterday, we received a kind… Continue reading Why you shouldn’t send us whisky
Shackleton, Benjamin and Baudrillard walk into a bar
A lot has already been written about the discovery, recovery and restoration of the cases of Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt that Ernest Shackleton took with him on an expedition to the South Pole over 100 years ago. It was buried under the ice for over a century, before being dug out and returned to… Continue reading Shackleton, Benjamin and Baudrillard walk into a bar