I still remember my first Laphroaig 10 – the dram that sparked my love for peated whisky. Back then, my palate was not used to such an uncommon taste and it felt as if someone had tapped the ash from their cigarette directly onto my tongue. (more…)
Author: Tobi@BarleyMania
Bowmore Distillery Tour and Tasting (Tour)
When I told Beam Suntory’s Brand Ambassador Gordon Dundas after his masterclass at BorderShop Whisky Festival that I had a trip to Islay planned, he had but one piece of advice for me: “Go and see Bowmore distillery. (more…)
A visit in Douglas Laing’s sample room (Visit)
I first got into contact with Douglas Laing in spring of 2015. Back then I wrote them an e-mail and asked for a hi-res image of the Timorous Beastie label as a template for a tattoo my girlfriend wanted to get on her ankle. (more…)
Beam Suntory Masterclass with Gordon Dundas (Event)
One of the best ways to improve your whisky knowledge is learning from those who know so much about the topic that you could easily call them a whisky encyclopedia on two legs. One such guy is Gordon Dundas, honorable Keeper of the Quaich (more…)
BorderShop Whisky Festival – April 2017 (Event)
If you have read our blog post on last October’s BorderShop Whisky Festival, you will not be surprised that Aaron and I headed for Puttgarden again this weekend to catch the latest realization of Scandlines’ bi-annual whisky and spirits fair. (more…)
Bushmills 1608 Anniversary Edition (Review)
Having received its license to distill “uisce beatha” from King James I in 1608, Bushmills prides itself to be the “world’s oldest whiskey distillery”. After unfavourable circumstances forced the whiskey makers to operate out of the shadows for quite some time, (more…)
A Remarkable Regional Mix Up! by Douglas Laing (Event)
In recent times, I often stumbled upon Twitter Tastings and other online whisky get-togethers. They always sounded like good fun, but I never managed to take part in any. Until yesterday! Thanks to Douglas Laing’s Marketing Assistant Hannah, I got an invitation (more…)
Ardbeg Kelpie – Committee Release (Review)
In Scottish mythology, kelpies are shape-shifting water spirits that can either take the form of a horse or a human. Spending almost all of their time on the grounds of lakes and other waters, they are elusive beings that are rarely seen and almost never caught. (more…)
Red Snake Raw Cask by Blackadder (Review)
The moment I learned about Blackadder’s Raw Cask series, this unqiue selection of whiskies had me completely under its spell. Bottled straight from the cask without any industrial aid, each expression of the Raw Cask line is as pure a whisky as it gets. (more…)
Full design and key facts of Ardbeg Kelpie revealed (News)
Today, legendary whisky makers Ardbeg revealed the full design as well as the key facts of their annual special bottling 2017. Named Kelpie after a breed of hard-to-catch water spirits from Scottish mythology, the new Ardbeg pays homage to the deep sea (more…)
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