UK - Leg 1: Bedford/London. Whisky, friends, food and more whisky!

It was supposed to be our last trip to Scotland for a little while as we had decided we wanted to see other countries as well as distilleries around the world. June 2015: Glasgow airport and I'm choking back a few tears as we fly over Islay. Graham hands me a tissue: "We are coming back again next year, aren't we?" I squeeze his hand: "Thank you". 


And so the planning immediately began. Three weeks in the UK from April 21 - May 15th. The trip would take me all over Scotland yet again. Another thing that is very important when I'm away I also try to spend time with the people I've gotten to know over the last few years. Dave Worthington is one of those people. We've become more than just friends since those early twitter days. He's very much the older brother I never had. If you don't know Dave, he writes a blog with his daughter Kat Presley and they live in Bedford which is about an hour outside of London. It's the perfect way to start or end my trips over to Scotland.

Dave's wife Kiat is from Thailand and as soon as we walked through the door on April 21st, the whole house was permeated with the smell of her cooking. (She has ruined me for life when it comes to Thai food). That first night was spent eating very well, catching up, lots of laughing and then Dave and I retreated to the living room where the whisky madness always begins. Total we tried 9 whiskies (all new to me).

Those that really had the wow factor that night: Cadenhead's Lowland 1990, Cadenhead's Mortlach 26 year old, Douglas Laing Director's Cut Highland Park 21 year old and the Yamazaki Pure Malt 15 year old. Needless to say I can blame the long sleep that ensued on a bit of jet lag but mostly a satisfied whisky soul too. 

The next few days were spent being tourists. We explored Bedford, ate at some of the local haunts but also made our way into London to visit the British Museum, Chinatown London Market and meet some #whiskyfabric friends at SMWS. Highlight of our Saturday was getting to visit a great place I would highly recommend called: Salt Whisky Bar & Dining Room.  www.saltbar.com. Food was incredible and the whisky selection vast and affordable.

It was a short couple of days but beyond the best way to start my UK trip. By the time Kat and I left for Cumbria early that Sunday morning I had logged 58km of walking and placed 22 new whisky discoveries on my spreadsheet. The trip had certainly started on the right foot!

Dave, thank you for your friendship, brotherhood, whiskies and everything else we appreciate about each other. May you always be a ray of sunshine on my face and a kick in the pants when I need it. Huzzah my whisky brother ;)

Next stop: Lakes Distillery!

Lassie

Memorable 2013 drams - Dram #9, Lesson in pronunciation & blends...

 Many will complain there are TOO MANY twitter tastings taking place. On the date of this being published, there are 2 to 3 a week. I suppose for most people just sitting on the sidelines that could be quite frustrating considering the twitter sphere blows up and is "busy" with hashtag, tasting notes and conversation for 2-3 hours. But for the people taking part, it can be lots of fun trying new whiskies and being engaged in fantastic conversations. I love good twitter tastings and I've been very fortunate to be one of the few North Americans who gets to take part in the UK tastings. This year I was fortunate enough to be a part of: Compass Box, Balblair, Mackmyra, Tomatin and Wemyss.

The last one especially - Wemyss, was so much fun because it was a surprise. My good friend Dave Worthington (@whiskydiscovery) was super kind and sent me 1/2 of the samples he received for their twitter tasting but we kept it a surprise. The day of the tasting I joined in and we had a blast. 

I had never tried the Wemyss Whiskies before and I loved them so much I bought them. So, don't discount twitter tastings too much, they might be a bit of an annoyance to some but I think they help in promoting and allowing consumers to try whiskies they may not have otherwise. 

If you'd like more information about Wemyss please check out their website:

http://www.wemyssmalts.com/

Dram 9 - King

So in July when we were travelling I finally got the chance to buy a few bottles and I opened one that I hadn't tried in the twitter tasting called Spice King 8 year old. Here are my notes:

Color: Golden yellow with long skinny legs. Seems quite viscous in the glass.

Nose: A bit of a maritimish aroma to this (which confused me), hints of iodine? Dark bananas. After I let is sit for awhile the spices become quite predominant but it seemed to take a bit of time. 

Palate: Full bodied with an oily mouthfeel. wow - does not match the nose, what a surprise! Salted chocolate caramels. Huge spice explosion.

Finish: Long, warm and lingering. What a deliciously sinful dram.

This dram really surprised me and I fell in love with it. It opened my eyes to another company doing blends very well. I also found out that the major component of Spice King is Talisker, which happens to be a distillery close to my heart.

So thank you to Dave Worthington for having a big heart and sharing without him I doubt that I would have discovered this lovely whisky and the fine Malts of Wemyss. 

OH, by the way the pronunciation is "Wheems". Never did find out why, but not one I'll soon forget.

Wemyss malts are available in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. This particular bottle cost me $50.00 and I deem it a fantastic value for money whisky discovery for 2013.

See you tomorrow when number 8 will be revealed.

Cheers!

Lassie