Quaffed (2024)

30/05/2024

Really looking forward to The Whisky Event in London on Sunday, 2nd June 5-10pm. Over 600 drams included in the ticket price and there are some fantastic distilleries and indie bottlers there, plus the always fantastic and intriguing Whisky.Auction with rare dream drams.

There's a buffet, free masterclasses and a free cocktail included in the price of the ticket

See you there!

We have gathered together a veritable selection of well-known, and some lesser-known distilleries to feature their products.

25/01/2024

Who's celebrating tonight? I loved the online tasting with Southport Whisky Club during the pandemic - has it really been that long? It's the first time I've really marked the night since then. No braving the cold and wet, waiting for a bus tonight, thanks to 3 great drams from Whisky Me – and there's a special 20% off those bottles for readers

One of my favourite times during lockdown, that strange time when we opened our homes and bottles online, was Burns Night, thanks to an online tasting with Southport Whisky Club. Drams were poured …

07/08/2023

Should you judge a by its label? Absolutely – and I speak as someone who wrote design notes for almost 200 book covers. Dràm Mòr's Dumbarton Rock has a stylised label in shades of purple, including lucky heather, the quality is reflected in the blended whisky which only uses single malts, no grains at all.

I first saw it at Cut Your Wolf Loose in and finally gave it a try. Dràm Mòr's first blended whisky rocks! Give it a try

Sitting in the Brighton whisky bar, Cut Your Wolf Loose, I noticed an eye-catching label. It’s artistic and appealing with a hand-drawn style picture of the volcanic Dumbarton Rock in my favo…

14/06/2023

Happy National Bourbon Day! Beat the heat (or just make it bearable!) with the special Yellowstone Select cocktail – and enjoy a 10% off whisky subscription membership for Whisky Me and their Yellowstone bottles.

Word of warning, judging by how many typos this post had pre-editing, handle the specially created cocktail with care, it's quite something!

Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Whisky Me

We’ve all had that feeling of dread when the parcel with drams for tastings or ones you’ve bought is soggy on arrival. Opening it with trepidation in case it’s an old and rare dra…

13/11/2022

There's something about bubbles that go straight to my head – and that's why I used a spittoon when trying 51 out of 100+ bottles of Champagne at The Whisky Exchange Champagne Show in a setting fit for debutantes.

Mix Champagne with chandeliers and great company and you've got the perfect drink festival. Just don't mention the trains...

Tickets for The Whisky Exchange Cognac Show in March are now available

What do I have in common with debutantes who made their entrée at Queen Charlotte’s Ball in 2022? We both drank Champagne at One Great George Street, near Westminster Abbey. Although, judging…

18/10/2022

3 days, 114 drams, plus 13 queue drams, it's The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2022 and I loved it! A chance to try rare drams, drams in progress, non-whisky and meet friends, old and new.

It was great to be back at The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show at Old Billingsgate, near London Bridge for all 3 days and have the chance to try drams we might not otherwise have the chance to sample –…

14/10/2022

When the great and the good of the rum world tell you that you just have to try rum by new distillery Retribution Distilling Co at The Whisky Exchange Rum Show, you obviously listen – well, I did and I discovered not just great tots but that they're producing whisky, too!

It reminded me of Bimber and I didn't want to miss out this time when I heard they have Founders' Clubs for both their whisky and rum... but vets bills and a leaking roof delayed things so I missed out on the Bronze level but there's still Silver and Gold for whisky lovers, depending on your pocket and a great offer for their rum club.

They're also going to be standing at the English Whisky Festival in Birmingham in November so you can discover more

The word on the street, literally on the street outside The Whisky Exchange’s Rum Show at Glaziers Hall near London Bridge this July, was that Retribution Rum was from an exciting new distill…

12/10/2022

Rebels are getting older! Rebel Single Barrel 10 yo Bourbon

The very first Tweet Tastings I did with The Whisky Wire involved three bottles of Rebel whiskey. Full-sized bottles. This is the life, I thought, generous people send whole bottles of whiskey or w…

29/08/2022

Before whisky, there's new make. It's the base spirit and some of its tasting notes will carry through to the finished drams. Always full of funk, new make is exciting and full of promise. I'm sure the whisky that started life as Douglas Laing's Strathearn The Heart Single Malt New Make Spirit Drink will more than live up to its potential, the indie bottler producing their own spirit at their very own distillery after over seven decades of bottling other people's whisky. I can't wait to try it when it's bottled

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/08/29/raw-spirit-douglas-laings-strathearn-distillery-the-heart-single-malt-new-make-spirit-drink/

One of the most interesting tastings I ever did was actually a two-parter with NEWAS (North East Whisky Appreciation Group) where Karl Glenn arranged for us to sample 12 new makes – the raw spirit.…

01/08/2022

74 tots, 1 cocktail and 2 days in London talking to rum producers and rum lovers at The Whisky Exchange Rum Show 2022. All that and a dodo!

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/08/01/great-tots-the-whisky-exchange-rum-show-2022/

Whenever I go to a drinks festival, I try to discover the star dram – or tot in the case of The Whisky Exchange Rum Show which was held at Glaziers Hall, near London Bridge 22nd-23rd July, 2022. It…

14/06/2022

What better way to celebrate than pour a dram of Kentucky Straight Whiskey - free delivery if you order two bottles from Ocado (depending where you live).

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/06/14/yellowstone-select-kentucky-straight-bourbon/

It’s National Bourbon Day which means a quick trip to Kentucky via Ocado and a dram of Yellowstone Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon to celebrate. Named after the National Park, Yellowstone Bo…

23/03/2022

Email after PR email remind us that it's Mother's Day this Sunday but they all seem to have missed a vital fact – women drink whisky, too. Shame on every whisky distiller who just markets the gin they produce to celebrate the day BUT there's still time to turn it around, to promote whisky for mothers this Mothering Sunday.

It was so, so hard for me not to name names or tag anyone but please don't forget mothers love whisky. Even though I'm not actually a mother but I do have a whisky-loving one

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/03/23/mothering-sunday-wheres-the-whisky/

It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday and I won’t be celebrating it except to wish my wonderful mum an ironic happy day. I was brought up by her to dismiss the day as commercial rot, espe…

12/03/2022

Flippers beware...

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/03/12/flipping-is-murder-a-short-story-by-fi-shoop/

Joseph hit the refresh button. It was almost noon, almost time for the latest distillery bottling to go live. There were only 216 cask strength bottles in the release, three casks in total, all fin…

11/01/2022

Gin tasting! Join me virtually for the Persie Gin tasting at The Spirits Embassy on 21st January – we'll be talking dog and cat rescue, plus gin and cocktails

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/11/persie-gin-tasting-with-the-spirits-embassy-on-21st-january/

What better way to celebrate a New Year than to have another gin tasting with me at The Spirits Embassy on 21st January? I’ll be joined by the Persie Gin Brand Ambassador and we’ll be t…

07/01/2022

'Alexa, please say hello to everyone and let them know I missed them!'

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/07/d-for-danger-and-drama/

You might have noticed that the final 2 days of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas drams are late. I couldn’t post them. My phoneline went down, then the broadband and I couldn’t…

02/01/2022

Day 10 and it's a Whiskies of Scotland Glen Moray 1994 – and mentions the 1 remaining 20cl bottle of Whiskies of Scotland 1971 Glen Moray at The Spirits Embassy!

Not easy posting this with unreliable broadband so sharing whilst I can. See you tomorrow for Whiskies of Scotland Bunnahabhain 1991 on the 11th Day of Christmas

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/02/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-10-whiskies-of-scotland-glen-moray-1994/

Can anything beat Day 9’s Whiskies of Scotland Strathclyde 1990 46% version? A big challenge for Day 10 and it’s the second of the 4 Whiskies of Scotland drams, a Duncan Taylor Whiskies…

02/01/2022

This is the best dram so far in Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas drams and I love it! It's the 46% version of The Spirits Embassy's exclusive Whiskies of Scotland Strathclyde 1990 - can you believe that 1990 was over 30 years ago?? I feel so old now 😂🥃

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/02/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-9-whiskies-of-scotland-strathclyde-1990-46-abv-version/

Day 9 and we’re on our final set of four drams and these are all from Whiskies of Scotland, a Duncan Taylor Whiskies brand sold exclusively by Whiskies of Scotland and The Spirits Embassy sho…

01/01/2022

What better dram to have on Day 8 of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas drams than one of The Octave Collection from Duncan Taylor – 2010 Strathmill, 11 Year Old Sherry Cask and it's the 54% ABV version, currently available at Tyndrum Whisky – but also buy the 53.9% ABV one at The Spirits Embassy to see the difference these smaller casks make for intense maturing

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/01/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-8-duncan-taylor-the-octave-strathmill-2010-11-year-old-sherry-cask-54-abv-version/

Day 8 sees the last of the four Duncan Taylor single malt drams in the Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 dram set from The Spirits Embassy, the first four being Duncan Taylor blended d…

01/01/2022

Best dram of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas drams so far! Love this Duncan Taylor Dimensions Glenrothes 2012, 9 Year Old – look at that colour!

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/01/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-7-duncan-taylor-dimensions-glenrothes-2012-9-year-old-sherry-cask/

Day 7 was the third of the 8 single grain or malt whiskies in the Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 set from The Spirits Embassy. It’s from the Duncan Taylor Dimensions Collectio…

01/01/2022

And it's Day 6 of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas Drams, a Duncan Taylor 10 year old Culdrain produced for the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games 2021 before the event had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.

I really like this dram, these geese are definitely a-laying a great selection of whiskies

Haven't heard of Culdrain? Read on... https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/01/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-6-duncan-taylor-culdrain-10-year-old/

Day 6 was the second of the single grain or malt whiskies in the Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 set from The Spirits Embassy. It’s a Duncan Taylor Single Malts Culdrain 10 Yea…

01/01/2022

A slight delay thanks to migraine treatment but the drams have been poured and I'm merrily singing Five Go-old Rings in the New Year with Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas drams and it's a Duncan Taylor Iconic Speyside 7 Year Old.

Happy New Year!

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2022/01/01/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-5-duncan-taylor-iconic-speyside-7-year-old/

On Day 5 of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 from The Spirits Embassy, I was in hospital, being prodded with an obscene amount of needles to help control my migraines and wasn’t…

31/12/2021

The end of a difficult year and the beginning of one full of hope and promises. Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!

See you in 2022 and I'll be raising a glass to you all before the clock strikes midnight - and wakes me up!

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/31/happy-new-year/

Well, we’re almost there, it’s almost the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. It’s been one of those weeks. I had 33 injections of Botox for migraines on the 5th Day o…

28/12/2021

Loving Day 4's dram from Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas – Duncan Taylor Black Bull 12 Year Old AND it's currently The Spirits Embassy's Malt of the Month for December with a special 15% off deal. Buy it, it's fab! Longer tasting notes available on the blog 🥃

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/28/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-4-duncan-taylor-black-bull-12-year-old/

It’s Day 4 of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 from The Spirits Embassy and the birds are calling out in excitement over today’s dram, Duncan Taylor Black Bull 12 Year Old…

27/12/2021

Day 3 of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas and it's Duncan Taylor The Big Smoke 46, the perfect session dram for this wet and windy night with its stormy Islay beach tasting notes

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/27/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-3-duncan-taylor-the-big-smoke-46/

It’s Day 3 of Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 from The Spirits Embassy and there are no Gallic chickens but a dram I first tasted at The Whiskey Affair’s whisky festival …

26/12/2021

£15 for a bottle of whisky?? Yes, please! Great value blend from Duncan Taylor – and perfect for NYE parties, as well as enjoying at home neat or in cocktails

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/26/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-day-2-duncan-taylor-scottish-glory/

On the second day of Christmas, my true love is still whisky, and the beautifully presented set, Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 from The Spirits Embassy, revealed not two turtle dov…

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas, hope you're all having a lovely day and Santa was good to you. V excited by my 30 yo sherry which will be opened after the 12 Days of Christmas - because I'll be sharing drams with you for the next 12 days, starting with Duncan Taylor's Smokin'

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/25/whiskies-of-scotland-12-days-of-christmas-2021-dram-1-duncan-taylor-smokin/

It’s Christmas Day, the first day of Christmas and I don’t have a partridge in a pear tree but something even better, Whiskies of Scotland 12 Days of Christmas 2021 from The Spirits Emb…

21/12/2021

I love knowing how things are made – too many dogs have shown me exactly how a sofa is created by scratching or chewing through the different layers (thanks, Jazzy!) but we never really get to see the different stages of whisky if we don't work at a distillery, beyond tasting new makes if we're lucky.

Circumstance Distillery is exciting, they cater for whisky nerds with their pre-whisky releases, including a barley spirit that was released as part of The Dram Team's special English Edition. It's baby whisky, you can see where it's going and I love those ramen notes which were also in their rice and barley spirit, Circumstantial Rice 1:8:1:8:21.

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/21/drinks-advent-calendar-day-12-circumstance-distillery-barley-in-progress-aged-1-year/

It’s Day 12 and a barley spirit which will become whisky in two years’ time. The Bristol distillery, which, like Bimber in London, is based on an industrial estate, is fascinating and v…

21/12/2021

I've wanted to try this dram for ages and my gave me the perfect opportunity to load up my special Dram Tree with special samples, including this one from The Dram Team. I love the colour and really want to explore orange wine after Christmas – esp after discovering several bottles in Seven Cellars at Brighton Station!

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/21/drinks-advent-calendar-day-11-the-lakes-distillery-the-one-orange-wine-cask-finish/

I’ve wanted to try this intriguing whisky for ages. I was given a dram by a friend when it was first released but haven’t got round to sampling it until today – and this 25ml bottle is …

21/12/2021

The best part of having a new Macbook where every single key works on the keyboard (thanks for the free replacement, Apple!) means that the Drink is back and this was Day 10's dram, a House Blend from Whiskies of Scotland, thanks to a free tasting set with The Spirits Embassy, part of their Black Friday deal.

And I look forward to sampling 4 more Whiskies of Scotland drams with their 12 Days of Christmas Whiskies of Scotland set

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/21/drinks-advent-calendar-day-10-whiskies-of-scotland-house-blend-46-abv/

Day 10’s dram, a blend from Whiskies of Scotland, was from a tasting set with The Spirits Embassy which I was sent as part of their special Black Friday deal. Whiskies of Scotland, The Spirit…

09/12/2021

Day 9 of the Drinks Advent Calendar is a small batch single malt whisky from SMWS, Black Oak – and I want a bottle!

https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2021/12/09/drinks-advent-calendar-day-9-smws-black-oak-single-malt-whisky-8-years/

Day 9 is a dram I received with a bottle of SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society) whisky and I’ve been really looking forward to trying it. Whilst they specialise in single cask whiskies, the ind…

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