You 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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I tend to tell you a lot about those things that “really grinds my gears” around here, so let’s also focus on those things that make me appreciate whisky and encouraged me to grow a passion for the spirit. One of them is slowness. Whisky is not something you can rush: from the raw ingredients it is made from, to the production process it goes …
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You know what really grinds my gears? People telling other people they’re enjoying their whisky wrong. You don’t need to go far to find them, the loyal lieutenants of the whisky police, they are everywhere, like the grown-up version of your high school bullies. But where they tend to annoy me the most is online (because maybe I’m spending too much time on Facebook rage …
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I’ve been writing on this blog since a few years now, trying to share my views and bring a lighter, more approachable tone about whisky (English isn’t even my mother tongue, so it’s not like I could pretend to write like Dave Broom or Charles McLean… Oh, and I’m fine it.) but when I started this blog, I didn’t imagine for a second it would …
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Here it is: during my latest Scottish visit, I realised – once again – that there’s still a very long way to go before visitors can get the most out of their distillery tours. I’m not going into some name-dropping/public shaming here (and anyway, if you follow me on social media, you’ll probably figure out which distillery made me go :/), that’s really not the point …
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So you’ve probably read many articles championing a lighter, less elitist and overall more ‘let’s not give a shit about rules” approach to whisky those past few years. Yes, I’m one of those people believing whisky should be for everyone and can be enjoyed however the hell you want to and shouldn’t come with all the boring and out-of-date rules attached to it. Want to …
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You know what really grinds my gears? Women championing the “Women in Whisky” cause like it’s somehow badass. It’s not. Let’s make it clear, women in whisky have been commonplace for a long time now and – within the industry – they’re really treated as equal as men (I haven’t checked their pay slips though… ;)). You know what? Your favourite malt is probably thought, distilled, …
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You know what really grinds my gears? Whisky for Millennials. First of all, let’s find out who exactly is this alien population that everyone likes to refer to now as the “millennials”, you know, those immature demanding kids… “The term Millennials is usually considered to apply to individuals who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century. The precise delineation varies from one source …
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2016 was quite an hectic year for the whisky world, and while many (MANY) things made my whisky-loving self go “:o :/ :'(” this year (Minimum Pricing, Clichés about Millennials, Brexit, endless NAS/Gender debates…), some other things made 2016 a really fruitful malted year, and here are my top 7 \o/ moments! Compass Box Transparency Campaign (quickly backed by Bruichladdich), launched early 2016 was probably …
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Let’s put it like that: if America dared to elect a blond-haired-political newbie as president, there’s no reason why you couldn’t dare trying out those NAS whiskies you’ve been despising for so long, just because they took the risk to drop the all-mighty age statement. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page here: NAS whiskies refer to “Non Age Statement” whiskies, you …
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