On Saturday, I was lucky enough to attend The Nip – the reincarnation of the Inverness Whisky Festival. The festival first took place in 2011 but has been rebranded and expanded this year to recognise the burgeoning Scottish gin scene. Running across five days, the Festival took in a whole host of events, including city
Continue reading...
This review first appeared in April 2015 At the start of the year, I was disappointed to see that The Vintage, which used to be located at the end of my road, was to close. It did one of the best brunches in Leith and, as the baby of the Williams Bros, had a great
Continue reading...
For years, the only food that most people would associate with beer was either a curry or a packet of crisps in the pub. Unfortunately, both of these were merely a sales ploy to dehydrate customers and get them to drink more (awful) beer. However, as the focus on beer has moved from quantity to
Continue reading...
In recent years, think cocktails and the majority of people will think vodka. Or gin. But whisky? Surely that old man’s drink shouldn’t even go near a cocktail shaker? This attitude has prevailed for many years but finally, the spirit which gave birth to the Whiskey Sour, the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned, seems to
Continue reading...
Think gin and you immediately think England, or be more specific, London. It was first brought to the UK from Holland by William of Orange when he took the British throne in 1689. The tipple remained popular right through to the early 20th century, hitting its peak in the 1920s and 1930s, when it was
Continue reading...
Just before the Christmas holidays (yes, this idea has been brewing (pun very much intended) for a while!), it occurred to me that the new drink drive laws in Scotland meant I would have to restrict my alcohol consumption over the festive period. However, I don’t really like fizzy drinks and no-one wants to turn
Continue reading...
Things have been super busy in the non-whisky world, so for this week, you’ll have to make do with my most recent article for Calibre Quarterly. Published last week, it focuses on Quality vs. Quantity, with a look at Glengoyne, Kilchoman and The Balvenie. Normal service should return next week. Happy reading!!
Continue reading...
With the Six Nations currently in full flow, it’s the perfect chance to take stock and take a look at the whisky industries in the rest of the Home Nations. Ireland can lay claim to being the true home of whiskey in the British Isles, with the first recorded distillation taking place in 1405 –
Continue reading...
Last April, Morrison Street’s Spider’s Web pub wrapped itself in a cocoon and closed its doors for the last time. Now, after ten months and almost three-quarters of a million pounds, the once old man pub has been reborn as Edinburgh’s newest gin bar – The Jolly Botanist. I say newest gin bar but it
Continue reading...
I’ve always found the craft of blending fascinating. The way that Scotland’s master blenders are able to bring together a whole variety of whiskies and still achieve a consistency of flavour is nothing short of magical. So I jumped at the chance to head up to The Scotch Whisky Experience and try out one of
Continue reading...