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…)
I have to admit that I have never occupied myself with whiskey from the United States that much. Of course, everyone knows Jack Daniel’s and its cheaper equivalents from supermarkets, but that is not what I am talking about. (more…)
There is no question that Helgoland, which is Germany’s only island in the open sea, is my favorite place in my entire homecountry. Not only is that red rock in the North Sea unbelievably beautiful, but it also makes you feel relaxed and chilled from the moment your feet touch its ground. (more…)
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…)
When a friend told me of the enormous whisk(e)y selection the Freudenhaus St. Pauli had on offer, I knew I had to pay this place a visit soon. Located in a side-street of the (in)famous Reeperbahn, the bar (which is adjacent to a restaurant going by the same name) is easily accessible (more…)
Koval, which means “blacksmith” in various Eastern European languages as well as “black sheep” in Yiddish, is the first new distillery that was built in Chicago – a city with a rich bootlegging history throughout the Prohibition period – in more than a hundred years. (more…)
