Every year, I buy a Christmas-themed bottle to enjoy during the festive season. This year, my choice fell on Paul John’s Christmas Edition 2018 – to my knowledge the first seasonal bottling from the Indian distillery. While the whisky itself does not bear an age statement (more…)
Though the topics were always great, I did not make it to most of the tastings that took place at the Christiansen’s bar in Hamburg this year. Therefore, I am all the more happy that I got to attend the venue’s traditional pre-Christmas event with Gerd Schmerschneider (more…)
Some distilleries have such a strong standing with the whisky community that their special releases create a world-wide craze. Others are also well regarded, albeit less talked about. Speyburn Distillery, whose latest single cask bottling I will introduce to you in the following (more…)
Normally, getting up early on a Saturday morning to board the train from Hamburg to Bremen is not much fun. Last Saturday, however, me and my friends were more than happy to do so. Cause we knew that round about one and a half hours later, we would be having our first dram (more…)
Sitting on an incredible wealth of casks, Glaswegian indie bottlers Douglas Laing & Co. have the right whisky for pretty much every preference, occasion and wallet in their portfolio. While their Provenance range usually consists of affordable pours, the Old Particular line (more…)
In regard to its setting, line-up and atmosphere, the BorderShop Whisky Festival – which recently got rebranded as Whisky & Rom Festival – is unlike any other fair I ever visited. Last weekend, I went there for the third time. As always, I had an absolute blast strolling from booth to booth (more…)
Bernard Shaw referred to whisky as liquid sunshine. Others call it nectar, juice or essence. But not so Bryan Davis. Inspired by the freaky experiments of a certain Dr. Moreau, the co-founder of the Lost Spirits Distillery boldly named this peaty creation of his an Abomination. (more…)
Three’s a crowd, five’s a handful and eight’s a festival. Although the Whisky Week at Alsterhaus – one of Hamburg’s most uptown shopping malls – was not officially announced as a whisky fair, it certainly felt like one. (more…)
Trick question: What is a better evening activity than attending an awesome whisky tasting? Of course, attending two awesome whisky tastings! That is what Distell’s “double headliner tour” in Hamburg was all about. (more…)
On this day in 2016, I published the very first article on this wee blog o’ mine. It is hard to believe that two full years have passed since then. But looking at the calendar, it does indeed seem as if BarleyMania is celebrating its second anniversary today. (more…)
