It is said that about 70 per cent of a whisky’s flavor and 100 per cent of its (natural) color come from the cask. When you put a sub-par distillate into top-quality wood, the result will usually be decent at least. But when you fill excellent new make into weak barrels (more…)
The Diageo-owned bourbon brand Bulleit and the Hamburg-based micro-brewery ÜberQuell make a mighty fine pair. I first learned this last November, when I attended the two company’s joint “BBQ, Boilermaker & Bowery” tasting in Hamburg. As the event was a big success (more…)
When the recent heat wave was at its height, I was okay with the fact that my t-shirts got soaking wet as soon as I moved a limb. And I also made my peace with the sore throat I got from having a fan running in the bedroom all night long. What got me worked up, however, was this: (more…)
Originally, Noah’s Mill Bourbon was recommended to me by the barkeeper of one of my favorite drinking joints in town, The Rabbithole. As he is a cool dude who definitely knows his spirits, I followed up on his advice and scored a bottle of Noah’s Mill (more…)
Exactly one month from now, on June 14, whiskey folks across the pond celebrate National Bourbon Day. Of course, us drammers on the old continent are more than happy to chime in from afar and drink a glass of top-notch American whiskey on that day as well. (more…)
This year’s Hanse Spirit is over. So now it is time for me to reminisce the events of the last two days once more; an undertaking that is easier said than done considering the sheer flood of impressions and sensations that rained down on me over the course of the weekend. (more…)
The year 2017 has come to an end… And what a year it was! With the whisk(e)y blogging machinery constantly running hot, no less than 166 articles got published on BarleyMania in 2017, resulting in more than 12,000 blog visits and over 30,000 page hits. (more…)
Here in Hamburg, a boilermaker is called a “Herrengedeck”. You can order it in every bar or tavern, no matter how run-down the place or how small their assortment. When you ask for it, you will normally receive a bottle of Holsten or Astra and a shot of hard liquor. (more…)
A few days ago, I received an e-mail from Florian Weiß of Kammer Kirsch – which is both a distillery in Southern Germany and an importer of brands like Arran, BenRiach, Glen Moray and GlenDronach. He invited me to a beautiful old-fashioned cinema (more…)
In late 2016, North Star launched their first series of whiskies which consisted of six exquisite Scotch expressions – each of which was drawn from a single cask. Recently, the Glasgow-based company put out their second batch of bottlings. (more…)
