17 August 2015
Mankind first discovered alcohol centuries ago but even historians find it difficult to pinpoint exactly when, where and by whom the conversion from ordinary foods to a liquid form of pleasure and goodness was made.
You can’t even begin to imagine how dubious the quality of this first type of alcohol was but, personally, my own curiosity would definitely tempt me to taste it, even if it was only a sip and no more!
It’s no surprise that during all this time, mankind has always tried to disguise alcohol in all its forms, masking its unpleasantness and highlighting its merits where and whenever appropriate. The most common method of doing this is via the ‘cocktail’ of course.
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23 July 2015
It is 9pm and I am in 7 Grand in Los Angeles, a bar well known for not only its great whisk(e)y selection but also its well crafted cocktails. I order a Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Fashioned from Pedro Shanahan, who is the head of the extensive whisky program there and also someone I have come to know very well over the past five years from living in California. Pedro does not bat an eyelid at my order; some may do so when ordering a 15 Year Old scotch whisky in a cocktail, but Pedro gets to it straight away. He takes his time and puts in a lot of effort to create this fabulous drink, which tastes fantastic as always. Back in my bartending days I always told my guests that a lot of love went into making this drink, and to make it right this is definitely the case.
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21 July 2015
So, here we are again, a few friends sitting around a table asking that long debated question. When should you add water to whisky?
Before I begin, let’s get something straight. When it comes to whisky, blended, malt or otherwise, there are NO RULES. I hear all sorts of “you must always” or “you should never” in my travels, which make me shiver. The whisky we drink today is rather far removed from its origins, so over time, rituals and rules have been added to create a sense of belonging. You know the rules - you join the club.
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22 June 2015
You'd be surprised how much I get asked about whisky investment. It is a hot topic right now and one that is only set to grow and gather momentum as the world turns on to the fact that returns on whisky are far better than any returns from, in the UK's case, any high street bank or building society.
There is also a feeling of 'winning' about it, and not in the Charlie Sheen sense of the term as, like any investment, you are playing a long or short form of gambling.
The benefit of whisky investment vs. traditional stock market investment is, in its most simplistic of rationale, the fact that the liquid very rarely goes down in price.
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21 April 2015
With its rich, sweet and exotic taste, having been finished in casks that once contained our very own specially made Caribbean rum, Glenfiddich 21 Year Old is a truly special expression.
To celebrate its unique place amongst our range of single malts and to bring to life its distinguished history, we recently unveiled this famous whisky in a new, exciting and altogether ground breaking way. You may have seen it:
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