James Hope
London Whisky Club
Members’ Notes – Jay Chung
Those with zero familiarity with whisky may have a difficult time understanding what I’m about to describe. That’s not because I’m discussing the esoteric details about distillation, specific local barley strains [SB Local Barley…yummmm], or unique cask varieties. Rather, it’s simply because the generosity and kindness in this story I’m about to tell…
Macallan & Mortlach
Ian Robinson
Macallan. The heaviest hitting distillery of them all? Certainly the one that consistently pushes out increasingly old, limited and expensive releases, and one with an extensive and well-funded fan base and unbelievable auction results. Brilliantly marketed to the public, the distillery increasingly seems to suffer from an image problem amongst whisky aficionados…
Glen Scotia Tasting
Glen Scotia has a fair old pedigree, with the distillery having been founded all the way back in 1832, and is located square in the middle of the Victorian whisky capital of the world, Campbeltown. It’s one of just three surviving distilleries in the region, when once there were more than ten times that number. I’ve heard numerous stories about why…
Buffalo Trace Tasting
Sattu Sarang
Since the late 1700’s, Buffalo Trace (@buffalotrace) has survived the challenges of Mother Nature and those of politics alike, but has produced exquisite whisky without compromise. The timeless dedication of the people behind the scenes has been elemental in shaping the distillery to what it is today and with it, a splendid story that has…
Worm Tubs
July has started very well indeed. Not only are days warm and nights long but events at the club have been going from strength to strength. On Wednesday 10th July the club met once again at The Bottlescrue in St Pauls for a geeky night of whisky fun. The theme for the night was distilleries that use worm tub condensers…
Campbeltown Malts Festival 2019 Review Part 2
Toby Grimes
The Springbank Open Day. This was the big one. The only challenge at a time like this really is ascertaining exactly how to achieve everything you want to do, which is effectively the same as dividing by zero. Having been spooked by stories of rabid travellers camping overnight…
Campbeltown Malts Festival 2019 Review Part 1
Following previous club excursions to Speyside, Auchentoshan, Waterford and Loch Lomond, the Kintynre peninsula beckoned and, well, what better time than festival season? With planning going back nearly a year and a generous hold baggage allowance in tow…
Cotswolds Tasting
June is a time when the countryside starts to show off its beauty with lush green fields, colourful flowers and bright sunny days. It only seemed fitting therefore to host a tasting by a distillery that prides itself on creating a spirit that mirrors its magnificent country setting. The Cotswolds have to be one of the most beautiful areas in England…
Visit to Loch Lomond Distillery
Daniel Price
This all started at The London whisky Club’s Loch Lomond tasting, hosted by the fascinating and entertaining Ibon Mendiguren who threw out an open invitation to members to contact him and arrange a visit if they were ever up that way – giving him a month’s notice to arrange. Cheekily I immediately piped up and asked if I could come visit…
Young Whisky
In the past a Whisky’s reputation was built upon successful marketing and word of mouth. Age was but a number and many whiskies succeeded because companies were happy to push out solid whiskies where their age statement was a minimum assurance as opposed to a number to aim at. In the boom times after WW2 capacity increased dramatically…