As someone who’s more known for championing the cause of single malt, it’s very rare for me to pour myself a blended whisky, let alone to then sit down and ponder it for half an hour or so. It’s even rarer for me to subsequently then make some tasting notes and to give a blend a write up. But, sometimes, you just can’t turn your back on a good whisky…
Tag: Scotch
Why nagging about NAS is just noise
Out there in whisky consumerville right now, there are three little letters causing a stir: N.A.S. NAS whisky. But what does NAS mean? What is NAS whisky?
Neutral Alcohol Spirit?
New Amber Strathisla?
How about Non Aggressive Speysiders?
No, it’s “No age statement”. If you read the spite and vitriol from some commentators – mostly chided bloggers who feel the industry owes them something – you’d think it was the most sinful development in whisky since Robert Pattison turned to his brother Walter and asked, “Why don’t we buy some parrots?”
The Top Six distilleries to visit before you die
Everyone has a bucket list, and I daresay most whisky drinkers would probably list visiting their favourite distillery for a distillery tour as a “must do” at some stage in their life. But if you’re really serious about your whiskies and you could actually get yourself to six distilleries before qualifying for your entitlement of the angels’ share, what are the Top Six to visit? In no particular order…
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The Top 5 things whisky drinkers are doing wrong
“How to drink whisky?” is a common question asked by many, but enjoying whisky goes way beyond the actual drinking of the spirit. From the most recent whisky-newbie to the more seasoned long-term malt enthusiast, we all fall for the same traps and mistakes – repeatedly. Here are the Top Five things that whisky drinkers are doing wrong…
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When fixation on peat and PPM gets OTT
If you’re a fan of peat and peaty whiskies and you do a bit of reading or googling on the subject, it’s not too long before you encounter the letters “ppm”. And never have three letters caused so much excitement, passion, enthusiasm…and confusion: Parts Per Million.
A lot of whisky appreciation these days revolves around comparison and relativity. Examples? We measure or define how sherried a whisky might be by comparing it to a well-known benchmark: “The Macallan Fine Oak isn’t as heavily sherried as Aberlour a’Bunadh.” Or, “If you like the smokiness of Talisker 10, you’ll probably enjoy Bowmore 12.”
Where ppm sticks its nose in and causes problems is that people use it as a yardstick for comparing smokiness and peatiness in whisky. And that in itself causes dramas, as there are plenty of people out there who still don’t appreciate that smokiness and peatiness are two different things. Yes, you can have one without the other. More on that in a moment.
What’s wrong with Diageo?
In recent times, it’s become fashionable to moan about and berate the big boys of the whisky game. Let’s not beat about the bush – I refer specifically to malt snobs, blogs, and the cognoscenti getting stuck into the likes of Diageo and whinging about either their bottlings, the quality of the latest release or the price tag attached, or perhaps even lamenting that a particular expression isn’t made available in their local market. “What’s wrong with Diageo?” is a question you might hear asked occasionally.
Well, as fashionable as it is to bag and complain about Diageo, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to stand up for them. Not that they need the likes of little old me to get vocal about anything on their behalf, but I figure some balance and perspective is due. This article was originally published under the title, “Standing up for the big boys“.