On 28 March 2017, the wonderful people at Douglas Laing invited me to join the ranks of their honorary ambassadors. Going by the amiable name of the Fellows, these good-humored whisky enthusiasts help Douglas Laing to spread the word about their products, offers (more…)
When they reach their 40s or 50s, people often look for new things to spice up their lives. Some buy a sportscar or a motorcyle. Others do a round-the-world trip. And yet again others – like Robert and Benny from the Netherlands – build their own micro distillery. Yeah, that’s right. (more…)
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…)
Though I only discovered Dutch whisky company The Barrel Baron recently, I am already a fan. After all, co-founder Marcel Kip and his partners are total malt maniacs offering both top-quality indie bottlings and exclusive cask shares. (more…)
Started in 2009, Fary Lochan is Denmark’s first distillery that was custom-built from scratch for whisky making. In the conception and realization of the place, its late founder and visionary Jens-Erik Jørgensen left nothing to chance. His attention to detail and his passion for the water of life (more…)
Lindores Abbey is a young distillery. And yet the place is rich with lore and history. After all, it is the home turf of the fabled monk John Cor, whose name is inseperably attached to the first-ever mention of whisky or uisge beatha in recorded history. (more…)
With Billy Walker at the helm, The GlenAllachie has undergone a terrific transformation! Whereas the Speyside unit was mostly a supplier for blends in the past, it has now made a name for itself as a #1 source for single malts, single casks and even premium blends (more…)
For Iain Croucher, the founder and mainman of Scottish indie bottler North Star Spirits, whisky is a pretty simple thing. At the end of the day, he claims, a good bottling must only meet four criteria: It must be honest. It must be fun. It must be tasty. And it must be opened and shared. (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…)
