The Isle of Raasay is located in the northwest of Scotland, adjacent to the Isle of Skye. It is also from there that the only ferry to Raasay departs; it starts in Sconser and lands in Inverarish about half and hour later. Whereas the island has a long history of illicit distilling, (more…)
When speaking about Waterford Distillery on the Southeast shore of Ireland, one inevitably has to speak about terroir, too. The team around founder and visionary Mark Reynier (formerly of Bruichladdich) strongly believes in the impact of soil conditions, microclimate (more…)
This is a rather special bottling: After all, Starward from Australia is the first distillery outside of Scotland from which renowned indie bottlers Berry Bros & Rudd have released a whisky. That is all the more remarkable if you consider that Berry Bros & Rudd look back at a rich history, (more…)
One thing I love about whisky is the fact that it is so much more than just a rich, versatile and well-tasting drink. It is also a carrier of lore, a bringer of joy, a patron of togetherness and an ignitor of the imagination. Often, it only takes one sniff and one sip to unlock the most amazing thoughts (more…)
Sure thing: For any new distillery and their fans, the release of the first single cask bottling is a special happening. At Glasgow Distillery, the folks making the whisky on site – and the ones drinking it at home – experienced this recently. (more…)
The Vintage 2008 Cuvee Cask Finish is a new limited edition release from The GlenAllachie. It is exclusively available in Germany, where it is being distributed by Kirsch Import. Its story in a nutshell: Billy Walker, the mastermind behind the reinvigorated GlenAllachie Distillery, (more…)
Many people envison a classic Scotch distillery to be located in a picturesque valley at the foot of a towering mountain in the Highlands. And yes, when you travel Scotland you will indeed find several such units here and there. But you will also find many others (more…)
Cheers, pals! Here’s now the most fun part of my annual whisky give-away, namely the announcement of the winner! This year, over 20 of you celebrated BarleyMania’s fourth anniversary with me. Thanks a million to all of you – and to everyone else who has accompanied me (more…)
