About

What’s the blog about?

Well, it’s words about whisky. I love whisky. I also hate pompous reviews of stuff where the tasting notes are completely bizarre. I have never once tasted peaches and cat piss in a malt whisky, so don’t expect to read nonsense like that here.

I will try, where I can, to limit reviews to four categories:

Salt, Smoke, Sweet and Smooth

And scale it from 1-5.

I will then mention any particular smells or tastes which I think are particularly strong, and give it a score.

Whiskies will get three sorts of ratings. Two will be out of five, and one will be out of 100.

Taste: This is the quality of the whisky irrespective of the price. These are your experience bottles. A score of five on this is a must try.

Value: This is the quality vs cost score. Drams with four or more here, are strong quaffing options for the price.

Overall: This is the overall score of the whisky, all things taken into consideration. Anything 80+ is very good.

Who am I and why the hell should you listen to me?

I started drinking whisky about ten years ago and have worked on promotion for whisky brands such as Balvenie.

I was introduced to whisky by my parents, and I still remember being enchanted the first time my Dad opened a Laphroaig, and the briny peat smell that came to dominate the room…

By day I work in tech PR, so this is just a fun way to document some of my favourites, as well as my opinions on drams that I have tasted either at home, exhibitions or launches.

Why should you listen to me? Well, in terms of personal preferences, no-one has the same taste, and the scores on this site are only my opinion, so take them with s pinch of Islay sea salt.

I love a peated whisky, and I am partial to whiskies that have a hint of sweetness – so drams from Islay, or finished or aged in port or sherry casks are likely to score pretty highly. If you like your peat monsters and your sherried Speysides, you’ll probably agree with a lot of this.

If you disagree with anything I write, let me know in the comments or drop me an email. I’m always happy to discuss why you’re wrong… *tongue firmly in cheek*

What can you find here?

I’m going to be updating the blog with various reviews and features as I go along, so expect to see a new whisky or two reviewed on here weekly, as well as guides to some great shops and bars, pairing thoughts and league tables. (I love a league table)

If you want me to try something, please drop me a note on the contact me page, and I will send you my address and contact details.