WIN Tickets To Whisky Live London 2014

Hootendrammy! It’s very nearly that time of the year again, when Whisky Live rolls into London.  The world’s premier whisky tasting event returns to the stunning surroundings of the Honourable Artillery Company in the heart of the City on the 21st and 22nd of March.

In addition to the multitude of exhibiting whisky brands from all over the world, there will also be a whole host of other whisky based dramanagins including masterclasses, food pairings and live entertainment.

This year we’re thrilled to be teaming up again with Whisky Live London to give away two pairs of tickets to this year’s dramstravaganza. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is Click Here and email us your contact details along with the following phrase that dramming pays:

"Whisk me away to Whisky Live London and allow me to discover a wide and very wondrous world of dramspankingly delicious drammage".

*Remember to mark the subject line of your email with either: Whisky Live Friday or Whisky Live Saturday, depending on which day you would like to attend.

If you’re just too eager to secure your tickets before they sell out, and why wouldn’t you, we’d like to offer all our readers a 10% ticket discount to this year’s event. Click Here to buy your tickets remembering to add discount code: WW10 when checking out.

We'll be there on the Friday evening, and it'd be great to share a dram or two on what promises to be a great weekend of whisky in London!

For full details and updates visit: whiskylive.com

Competition closes at 6pm GMT on Friday 7th of March 2014. You have to be aged 18 years or over to enter. No cash alternative available. Competition winners will have to provide own transport/accommodation.

Whisky Insiders Interview - Mark Littler

Company:
Hellyers Road Distillery

Job:
Head Distiller

Website:
hellyersroaddistillery.com.au



How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
I’ve now been in the industry for 11 years. I started work with Hellyers Road in 2003 after a background in the Dairy Industry, which remains my ‘second hat’.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?

There have been several highlights but I think being chosen as ‘Best New World Whisky’ in blind tastings conducted at Whisky Live Paris in September this year was right up there. It was for our Pinot Noir Finish variety.

 

Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?

I certainly can. It was a tried and true favourite of my fathers; Glenlivet. I still enjoy the odd dram of it every now and then but I sincerely believe Hellyers Road is up there with the best from anywhere!

 

What does whisky mean to you?

It’s a major part of my life now. The success of Hellyers Road has given me the belief that we are producing single malts that will stand the test of time.

 

Where would you like to see yourself in five years’ time?

Our aim is to take the Hellyers Road brand to the world which we are achieving by stealth, hard work and patience. A greater footprint in Europe and Asia would be a nice landing place five years from now.

 

What was your last dram?

A Hellyers Road 10 Year Old Original. It’s my favourite of the six varieties we produce. I do like trying other single malts to compare them to our varieties. The most recent of these would have been from the Bowmore range.

 

Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?

I really enjoy Tasmania’s Bruny Island Cheese and crackers complimented with our unique, award-winning Pinot Noir Finish single malt. To me the flavours of this beautiful creamy cheese combined with the peppery and spicy nose of the Pinot Noir is a delightful match.

 

What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?

Following a hard day’s work, a nice meal and whilst enjoying a good book. Also when spending time with my family, although I normally wait until the kids are in bed before I imbibe.

 

What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?

Tasmania is the island state of Australia with climatic conditions that are very conducive to single malt production. We have several fine distilleries here that are grabbing serious attention from single malt lovers everywhere.

 

The Tasmanian State Government has recently recognised the success of the industry and is helping to initiate a Whisky Trail, designed to attract tourists who are single malt lovers.

 

What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?

I couldn’t live without Hellyers Road. It plays a significant part in my life, aside from it being a quality spirit!

 

Many thanks to Mark Littler. Who will be the next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!

The Whisky Wire's 12 Drams of Christmas 2013

 

For the last three years we’ve brought you our ’12 Drams of Christmas’ as chosen by you. So we thought it would only be rude not to do the same again this year, and use it as a great excuse to start getting into the festive spirit.

Since November 25th you’ve been nominating your top three favourite festive drams in abundance, and after trawling through all the entries and tallying up all the nominations here are our '12 Drams of Christmas' in ranking order as chosen by you!

just in case you're thinking of picking up any of the aforementioned drops of dramspanking festive drammage as a gift or indeed for yourself, we've done the hard work and have also included the most current and competitive retail details. Hootendrammy!

 

A huge thanks to all those who took part and entered, the response was absolutely phenomenal. In return for your nominations we added the names of everyone who entered into our virtual Santa hat for a chance to win a bottle of The Balvenie 15 Year Old.

We’re delighted to announce that Claire Andrews from Gloucester had her name drawn from the hat and is our winner, congratulations!

Highland Park Secret Tweet Tasting

Shhh! Can you keep a secret? Continuing our hugely successful string of Tweet Tastings, we’re absolutely thrilled to announce one of our first tastings for 2014. On Friday February 7th, we’ll be teaming up for the third time with our friends at Highland Park for an evening of all things dramspankingly Orcadian.

I would love to tell you more, but everything including the drams which will be tasted blind on the night, is all of a big secret at the moment, infact if I told you I’d have to…

If you can keep a secret and would like to take part in an evening of marvellous malted mystery in our Highland Park, hootendrammy, hat trick of a Tweet Tasting, register your interest by emailing your name, postal address and Twitter handle via the contact tab, remembering to mark the subject line: #HPSecretTT

The closing date to register is December 19th, and if you are registering to take part please make sure that you will actually be free on the night!!!

Even if you're not one of the selected Tweet Tasters, it'd be great to have you following all the night’s dramspankery, so we look forward to seeing you over on Twitter on February 7th at 7pm via hash tag #HPSecretTT

Until then Happy Dramlaxing!

For more information on Highland Park: highlandpark.co.uk

Quick Fire Whisky Tasting Notes #30

GlenDronach 1993

Abbey Whisky Exclusive 

 

 

Nose: Bourbon and sherry soaked sultanas, stewed prunes, demerara rum drenched dates, mixed citrus peel, sugared almonds, maple syrup, Luxardo maraschino cherries, Waitrose sticky toffee pudding, a traditionally made black forest gateau, vanilla custard, sweet espresso, Lindor 60% Cacao chocolate, warming whiffs of varnish and something rather grain-gasmic.

 

Palate: Oloroso sherry soaked dried fruits, toffee apples, Sainsbury’s sweet and sticky treacle tart, Tunes cherry lozenges, orange peel, Bonne Maman damson plum conserve, Jamaican spiced bun, sugared almonds, caramelised demerara sugar, dark chocolate coated coffee beans, waves of winter spice, sweet distinguished overtones of oak and something lusciously oily and grain-esque.

 

Finish: A deep dark and deliciously long lush, oozing opulent sweet sumptuous sensation of a finish!

 

Summary: Massive kudos to GlenDronach and to those responsible for picking the cask at Abbey Whisky. Not only is this my number one recommendation for Christmas, it also falls quite easily into my top ten drams of the year.

 

 

The 12 Drams of Christmas 2013

For the last three years we’ve brought you our ’12 Drams of Christmas’ as chosen by you! So we thought it would only be rude not to do the same again this year, and use it as a great excuse to start getting into the festive spirit.

Between now and Thursday the 12th of December we’d love to hear your nominations for your favourite festive whiskies. Then on Monday the 16th of December we’ll publish the list of the top 12 drops of festive drammage in ranking order, as chosen by you! Along with accompanying retail details so they can be enjoyed by all over the festive period and indeed beyond.

To take part click here and email us your top three favourite festive whiskies, that we’ll then use to help compile our ’12 Drams of Christmas 2013’. Please remember to mark the subject line of your email ’12 Drams of Crimbo’.

Everyone who enters will automatically have their name added into our virtual Santa hat, for a chance to win a 70cl bottle of one of our favourite festive dramspankers; Balvenie 15 Year Old. The winner of which will be announced on December 16th. Hootendrammy!

Which drams will make the final 12?

You decide!

t&c’s You must be over 18 years of age enter in the UK and over the legal drinking age of your respective country if entering outside the UK. No cash alternative available. Competition closes on December 12th 2013 at 11:59pm GMT.

Quick Fire Whisky Tasting Notes #29

Wemyss Seaweed on the Rocks

1991 Bunnahabhain

 

 

Nose: Fresh sea breeze, brine soaked seaweed, light wisps of smoke, sweet oak, sour apple Chewits, comic pears, preserved lemons, ground white pepper, Waitrose pickled cornichons with dill flower, Marabou Swedish milk chocolate, Asda key lime cheesecake and a tray of warm homemade flapjacks.

 

Palate: Ash, preserved lemons, cold crisp mackerel skin, sea spray, dried oak, wood spice, Hartley’s gooseberry jam, Braeburn apples, vanilla fudge, aniseed twists and something rather vivaciously vinous.

 

Finish: A lush lingering, coastal cracker of a finish.

 

Summary: Yet another bountiful, balanced single cask belter from Wemyss, which as always does exactly what it says on the tin, or in this case the bottle.

 

 

Festive Five Tweet Tasting

Not only are we thrilled to announce another dramspanking dose of tweet tastery, we’re getting into the festive spirit, quite literally by teaming up with our friends at Arkwright’s Whisky and Wines to bring you a Festive Five tweet tasting on December 11th.

On the night we’ll be blind tasting five drams which we think will go down a treat over the festive period, and we’re not just talking about those usual dramming suspects, oh no there will be a few surprises and alternatives in the mix.

So if you would like to take part in what promises to be an evening of fine festive frolics, register your interest by emailing your name, postal address and Twitter handle via the contact tab, remembering to mark the subject line #FestiveDrams

The closing date to register is November 22nd, and if you’re registering to take part please make sure that you’ll actually be free on the night!

Even if you're not one of the selected Tweet Tasters, it'd be great to have you following all the nights dramspankery, so we look forward to seeing you over on Twitter on December 11th at 7pm via #FestiveDrams

Until then Happy Dramlaxing!

Aberlour Tweet Tasting

 

Continuing our hugely successful string of Tweet Tastings, we’re absolutely thrilled to announce that on December 2nd we’ll be spending an evening exploring an abundance of alluring whisky wares from the Aberlour Distillery.

On the night a specially invited international ensemble of whisky weavers will get to take part in a special event which… Oops! I nearly said too much. We can’t spill any of the beans just yet, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled for more details over the next couple of weeks!

We'd love for you to follow all the evening’s dramspankery, so join us with a dram in hand over on Twitter on December 2nd at 19:30 GMT via #AberlourTT

For more information on Aberlour visit: aberlour.com