Disclaimer: Yes, I’m working as a whisky auctioneer (here), so if you think I’m not being objective, you’re free to close this page – I’d rather think it puts me in a great position to understand the ins and outs of the whisky auction world 😉 As I’ve been wandering around the World Wide Whisky Web, I regularly come across the usual “auction shamer”, claiming …
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New small start-up distilleries enter the market each and every year in all parts of the globe, from the hills of Scotland to the fields of Australia – and they’re likely to all face the same challenges when introducing their spirits to the public… –> They need to be unique but some people will get pissed if they can’t access bottlings. –> They need to …
Continue readingYou probably haven’t missed the “big” news of this past week: Diageo has registered Jane Walker trademark, and while the firm has for the moment refused to comment the documents, meaning that we don’t actually know much about the content of this future edition (not even its launch date… Although some have been talking about the 8th of March, International Women’s Day…), the whole whisky …
Continue readingI used to be one of those “cool” kids getting shit-faced with cheap booze several times a week when I was younger, probably wilder… But definitely not wiser 😉 – oh don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy my fair share of drunken nights out, and drinking warm beer cans outside in a parking lot will never be an obstacle when the occasion calls for …
Continue readingWhile many have been pointing out the bad and ugly of the whisky industry lately in their 2017 summaries (prices, quality, fakes, lack of transparency and diversity…) , I feel like I need to do what I’m here for, and what this blog is all about in the first place: stay fucking positive (which has sometimes proved quite hard this year as you may have …
Continue readingLike the legend of the Phoenix… ooh ooh – Diageo recently (well, not that recently anymore… ) announced they were to re-open their sleeping beauties Port Ellen and Brora by 2020, quickly followed by a second breaking news in the whisky world: Rosebank was to distill again as well! And those 2 announcements instantly gave birth to a whole online war between the usual dark …
Continue readingFlavour doesn’t depend upon age. Just back from one of those phone calls that really resonate with me and ring a bell in my head “Are we still discussing this??” – one cannot but notice that YES, we are, NAS and clichés about young whiskies are still a thorny issue within the industry. What was this phone call about? Em… Please excuse my lack of …
Continue readingIt’s this time of the year again when the whole whisky world is getting excited or deeply annoyed by one man proclaiming this or that whisky is supposedly the “best in the world” in a so-called “bible”. You know what ? I’ve never been into religion. No worries guys if you can’t put your hands on this new must-have whisk(e)y, new awards and titles of …
Continue readingYou know what really grinds my gears? Whisky clickbaits. I can’t remember who posted it (if you see this article, please make yourself known so that I can give you inspiration credits ;)) a few weeks ago on Facebook, but I recently came accross this status highlighting a few of those whisky-related “news” that journos seem to particularly like and that got me thinking… As …
Continue readingYou know what really grinds my gears? a world where every next-door-pub bartender pouring some not-that-mainstream whisky is regarded as a whisky expert. Disclaimer: This isn’t about pointing out anyone. To make things clear, I know it’s not necessarily your fault if you gave an interview to a publication and they decide to call you the “world’s leading whisky expert” or any other shiny title …
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