I love how tight-knit and intimate the whisky community is! At this year’s Winter edition of the bi-annual Whisky & Rom Festival at BorderShop in Puttgarden, I got reminded of this several times. The first incident happened at the stand of Pernod Ricard. (more…)
Normally, Gerd Schmerschneider makes a living as the German importer of brands like Port Askaig, The English Whisky Company and others. During his traditional pre-Christmas tasting at Christiansen’s on November 4, however, he took over another profession (more…)
“We’re at Man’s World this weekend, because we want to show people that Stauning is a little different. We honor traditions, of course. But we also like to try new stuff. We’re not the kind of whisky that your grandpa drinks in his study room,” says Kristian Schweitzer (more…)
In 2015, Jes Mosgaard quit his job as an engineer and turned his hobby – brewing and distilling – into a profession. In his own production site, Mosgaard Distillery, he began to create exactly the kind of spirit that he himself enjoyed best: a fruity, sweet and soft distillate (more…)
Hats off to Kirsch Whisky! Their North-German tasting tour for Mars Whisky – a Japanese brand they distribute here in Germany – was a lot more than just another promo event. Following up on the Whisky Live exhibition in Paris, Kirsch’s very own Andre Haberecht hit the road (more…)
Every now and then, I gotta take a detour from the whisky routine and broaden my spiritual horizon. On June 3, I did so by attending a Botucal rum rasting at Christiansen’s bar in Hamburg. The name of the place should ring a bell for those among you (more…)
When you are looking for a whisky tasting with a twist in Hamburg, Gearoid O’Callaghan, also known as The Whisky Jack, is the man to talk to. In addition to Scottish and Irish whisk(e)y, he is also well-versed in coffee, craft beer and trend food. (more…)
Located right next to where I live, the Weinquelle Lühmann shop in Hamburg is my favorite liquor store of all. It is there that I bought my first bottle of single malt Scotch whisky about four years ago (which was Jura’s wonderful Diurach’s Own, if I remember correctly). (more…)
“When you set forth to buy a Scotch distillery”, whisky entrepreneur David Prior smirked, “you won’t find one. The distillery will find you”. With this remark, the well-spoken Australian referred to the fact that it is incredibly hard to obtain a whisky production site on Scottish soil (more…)
For nearly two years, Chris Rickert (owner of Hansemalt and organizer of Hanse Spirit) was the official brand ambassador for The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in my hometown of Hamburg. Sadly, the two parties went separate ways at the end of 2018. (more…)
