Great Glengoyne!

It was with some trepidation that I ventured out into the icy wind yesterday, to visit the picturesque waterfall that cascades down the hills behind the Glengoyne Distillery, located just few miles north of Glasgow. Guests of the distillery owners, the cold chill of the air was swiftly subdued by a generous dram of Glengoyne 17YO single malt whisky, poured by our hosts Stuart Hendry and Iain Weir. This delicious warming spirit was just a foretaste of what was to come on a day full of exploration and information.

Returning inside we were all put through our olfactory paces in the distilleries brand new Sampling Room. This proved quite a tricky challenge as some of the aromas that we had to identify proved quite difficult. Although not a wining score,  my of 66 out of 100 feel into the field of good, though the winning 78 was rated extremely good. After all this exertion it was outside again, this time for a tour of the distillery itself.

With its gleaming whiste washed walls and black painted brick work, the Glengoyne Distillery is was of the prettiest in Scotland. With only one wash still and two spirit stills, it is one of the smaller distilleries, yet it produces a single malt of exceptional quality. A quality that Duncan the Stillman was eager to impress on us.

After a very informative and detailed tour of the distilling complex, we were once again presented with a selection of some very fine single cask, natural strength whiskies, as chosen by some of the distillery workers. I must admit of all of them the Pedro Ximenez aged 19 year old was my favourite, full of wonderful aromas and a taste that seemed to go on forever, sheer bliss.

The final event of the day was a detailled tour through the bonded warehouses and an insight into the wood policy at the distillery. It seems remarkable that so much time and money is invested into oak barrels to ensure only the finest flavours develop in the whisky whilst it is maturing.

All in all it was a thoroughly pleasant day and if you wish to experience the unique environment of a working distillery, you will find it hard to beat Glengoyne.

Hopefully in the next few months I will be able to offer you access to some of the gems that we unearthed there yesterday.

Robert.

What a busy couple of weeks!

Well where has all that time gone? The last few weeks have passed in a bit of a blur, I have been involved in discussions to acquire some interesting new single cask bottlings for The Whisky Connoisseur, hopefully, all being well, it won’t be too long before you get the opportunity to try them.

It has also been a rather interesting few weeks for the whisky world in general. Diageo recently announced that it is to invest a considerable amount of money into its scotch whisky business and build a brand new distillery at Roseisle, where they currently have a malting plant. This is great news as it reinforces the current position of scotch whisky as one of the world’s biggest selling spirits and one where demand is likely to increase in the future. This is especially true of the emerging markets of China and India where whisky is just beginning to make inroads into these massive economies. This along with the news that Vijay Mallya is in negotiations to buy the whisky firm of Whyte & Mackay means that there are going to be some interesting times ahead.

One word of caution to all this excitement is that for drinkers in the U.K. there could be an impact on the choice of single malts available, as the big distillers gear up for the increase in demand overseas. However, despite this the Whisky Connoisseur will still strive to bring you the best that there is of Scotland’s national drink. You can find a great choice at www.enjoywhisky.com and if you have any queries or comments then don’t forget to ask and I will try to help.

 Robert

The Big Event

This weekend sees the return of the Whisky Connoisseur’s Collector’s Corner Clearout event. For two weeks only, it has to end on the 4th of February, all our rare and collectable bottles will be marked down in order to clear some space for this years new products. If you want to obtain a bottle or two of Scotland’s unique distilling heritage then go to www.enjoywhisky.com. There is sure to be something to tempt you there.

 Robert

Winter’s wonderful weather

As I sit here in the office, with the windows gently creaking as another gust of wind blows by it would seem that the winter weather has finally arrived. Rain, gales, floods, it certainly puts you in the mood just to stay in and curl up on the couch with something warm and soothing.

I have found that a really good liqueur is the perfect thing for warming the cockles of your heart, with their rich, smooth character and gently fortified nature they make the perfect accompaniment to a good night in. As they are not as strong as a single malt or brandy, you enjoy a few more glasses. Do you have any favourite ways of keeping the winter chills at bay?

Robert

We’re back!

Well after all the excess of the holiday period it’s back to work, the Hogmanay hangovers have been put to bed for another year.

If you are looking for a special restorative tipple to keep you ‘hale and hearty’ through those cold January nights then why not visit our website - www.enjoywhisky.com - where our January sale is under way. There is a huge selection of bottles all marked down, I need to clear some space in the stock room for the new exciting items that will be on offer in 2007.

Happy browsing.

Robert

Merry Christmas & A Good New Year!

Well that’s it for the Christmas rush, I am off on holiday over the Festive period, so I will wish you all a Merry Christmas and a good New Year.

Here’s to 2007.

Robert

It’s crazy in here!

The last minute Christmas rush is now upon us, the next few days will see us despatch out our last orders for guaranteed delivery before Christmas. If you have left it late to buy your loved one that special gift, then we can still help you, but we must have your order by mid-day tomorrow the 20th of December. After this it will be too late for Christmas delivery, however it would make for a nice start to the New Year.

 Robert

2007…………..

As the crazy period before Christmas picks up momentum, I have managed to take a small pause and look ahead into the New Year. We have a few new developments in the pipeline, which should interest quite a few of you and I hope to be able to add a large number of extra products onto the website in the early Spring.

But, enough of this star gazing, back to reality, if you are still looking for that last minute gift for Christmas then click onto our new website at - www.enjoywhisky.com.

Robert

Gift buying headache?

At this time of year it can be really difficult to come up with that unusual or different gift for friends and family, so why not visit the Whisky Connoisseur website - www.enjoywhisky.com - and have a look at our range of personalised bottles.

We stock a range of different spirits and champagne that can all be specially personalied with your own message, you can even add a picture too.

So why not give it a go, what ever you choose it is sure to go down well with the lucky recipient.

 Robert

It’s finally here!!!

Well, after many long hours and many emails back and forth, the new Whisky Connoisseur website - www.enjoywhisky.com  - is now officially live. Despite some trepidation, it appears to have gained a fair amount of interest from whisky afficionados, we took several orders within hours of going live.

The site is packed with a host of great interactive links and far more detailed information than I can fit into the normal brochure. So why not have a look and explore it, you might just come across that special bottle you have been looking for.

 Robert