Keep it slow, keep it easy, keep it unagitated. In the fast-moving times we are living in, it is sometimes wiser to shift a gear down rather than up. Leisure and relaxation are invaluable goods to which we should all treat ourselves from time to time. Douglas Laing know this very well. (more…)
The island of Helgoland is a popular holiday destination for German drammers. Since it is located in the open sea, the taxes on tobacco and alcohol are not as high there as they are on the mainland. Therefore, you can score all kinds of awesome bargains in Helgoland’s many liquor stores. (more…)
Usually when talking about a whisky, we ask questions like “How old is it?”, “In what cask was it matured?” or “Which region does it come from?”. Rarely if ever, we discuss the barley or yeast varieties that were used in the production. Yet, they play an important role (more…)
“Grandfather, tell me a story,” the little boy asked. “All right,” replied the old man, “Go and get your storybook.” The youngster shook his head: “No, no. Not one of those. A real story! Tell me about the last whisky you had!” The grandfather’s eyes lit up: “Well, then … (more…)
Most of the time when I review samples, I try to group them together thematically. For example, I have done review flights for whiskies that all came from the same company, the same product line or the same country. In this case, however, there is not really a common thread. (more…)
At the last Bottle Market in Bremen, the limited Vintage 2010 by Kilchoman was one of my favorite drams. I drank it at the booth of Vibrant Stills, who distribute Islay’s farm distillery here in Germany. Though I was deeply impressed by this multi-layered smokester’s clarity and refinement (more…)
Merry Christmas, dear BarleyMania readers! I hope you all have a good pour put aside for tonight. As in the years before, I will enjoy a dram of Big Peat’s annual Christmas Edition on December 24. After all, the holiest of nights would feel incomplete without a visit from my favorite Ileach. (more…)
“I traced the shorelines through a thousand histories / To remind me an island is my home / An island is my home…” – These beautiful words from Frank Turner’s song “Rivers” are not only true for the people living in Great Britain, but also for the distilleries located on the Scottish isles. (more…)
Spirit-wise, one of my favorite parts of the festive season is sipping the annual X-mas bottling from Big Peat. This year, Douglas Laing’s bearded Ileach will again delight us with a heavily peated blended malt encompassing some of Islay’s most popular distilleries. (more…)
I had cast an eye on the Laphroaig expression of Ovenbird’s “Whisky Coffee Collection” for quite some time. The idea und story behind it sounded super-intriguing to me. However, there was one hurdle to take: as I am based in Germany, I had to purchase it from abroad. (more…)
