Here comes the sun…

A mercifully short newsletter for you this month due to the hot weather! We recognise that not everyone thinks about drinking whisky in the summer (we don’t get this attitude ourselves obviously) but we keep the flag flying! After a frenetic June when we hosted our Bristol Whisky Festival, Edinburgh Whisky Solstice and our Feis Ile 2015 tasting series, we are now in furious planning mode, both for the rest of this year and into next. We look forward to next weekend’s Secret Garden Party, where Joe and the young ‘uns will be hosting a funky TWL tent with live music and drams galore. Then in August we will be at the New Ebor Street Feast at York Racecourse serving up more of the same. If you are at either please do pop in and say hi! Read on…

UK TASTING SERIES

After our triumphant Feis Ile series last month, we have finally agreed and put up our next series. This is one we have wanted to do for a long time and we are delighted that it has all come together in time for the beginning of our Autumn period.  Kavalan have long been well thought-of in the inner circles of whisky-geekery and those ‘in the know’. They have already amassed an incredible number of awards since their establishment in 2006. They perhaps embody all that is good, whisky-wise, from a new distillery that has been cleverly thought out. So then, the ultimate challenge. Can three whiskies from this youthful ‘whipper-snapper’ of a distillery really hope to match three whiskies from the whisky homeland? We are going to find out and it’s going to be a humdinger!

KAVALAN VS SCOTLAND TASTINGS DATES & VENUES

TUES.    15th SEPT.       SHEFFIELD, The Tap, Sheffield Station, 7pm

WEDS.   16th SEPT.       LONDON, Salt Bar, Seymour St., W2, 7pm

WEDS.   16th SEPT.       LIVERPOOL, Jenny’s Bar, Fenwick St., L2, 7pm

THURS. 17th SEPT.       LEEDS, The Cross Keys, Water Lane, LS2, 7pm

THURS. 24th SEPT.       BRIGHTON, The Hilton Metropole, Kings Street, 7pm

FRI.        25th SEPT.       NEWCASTLE, Blackfriars, Friar St., NE1, 7pm

FRI.        25th SEPT.       MANCHESTER, Britons Protection, Gt. Bridgwater St, 7pm

SAT.       26th SEPT.       YORK, Brigantes, Micklegate, YO1, 7pm

Click on the relevant date and venue for you or, if you can’t make it, you can buy a tasting pack instead by clicking HERE or going to the website. Please note this is on sale now but won’t be available for delivery until September – when we get the tasting stock!

AUTUMN FESTIVALS

Interest in our final three festivals of the year has hotted up to the point where Liverpool is currently sold out (we are trying to organise additional capacity) and the others are not too far behind. Please don’t be caught napping and think that you can book the week before an event you really don’t want to miss! As usual we have the great and the good of the distilling world bringing some cracking stuff with them for you to sample at your leisure. All of these events are bigger and better than previously, with more exhibitors than ever before.

Liverpool Whisky Festival, Saturday 5th September, Met. Cathedral, 12pm-5pm

Yorkshire Whisky Festival, Saturday 12th September, York Racecourse, 12pm-5pm

Manchester Whisky Festival, Saturday 24th October, Town Hall, 11am-3pm, 4pm-8pm

EDINBURGH WHISKY SOLSTICE 2015

It is not often that we blow our own horn – there seems to be plenty of others to do that for us (!) – but we really felt that our Edinburgh event this year needed special mention. An event a year in the making, the 20th June 2015 will live long in our hearts as one of our favourite events ever. Much credit must go to our friends at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for persevering and working tirelessly to secure the use of the amazing Queen Street Gardens. Perhaps a few pictures can help me illustrate…

We were, admittedly, lucky with the weather but what a cracking day. Many thanks once again to all of you who made it plus the distillers and distributors who made the effort and helped make it a success. Biggest thanks to the SMWS once again for making the venue happen and to all the staff there for all their hard work. Shot of the day must go to this incredible capture of our very own Jonny McMillan posing as our… very own Joe Clark. Both of them will be delighted to have won a priceless miniature Bell’s decanter.

WHISKY SCHOOLS

Our Whisky Schools return in the autumn with dates in London, Manchester, York and Newcastle. If you haven’t yet attended and you are free on any of the dates, they are a great way of getting to know your favourite tipple. Small classes of a maximum of 15 mean that you (or your loved one) will have an intimate and intensive day of learning and dramming. All from an independent perspective. Add to this an included tasty lunch at the relevant venue and an educational yet entertaining presenter, you’re in for a treat.

WHISKY SCHOOLS DATES & VENUES

SAT.     5th September       LONDON, Malmaison, Charter House Square, EC1 10am

SAT.     19th September     MANCHESTER, Malmaison, Piccadilly, M1, 10am SAT.     19th September     YORK, Hotel du Vin, The Mount, YO24

SAT.     26th September     NEWCASTLE, Blackfriars, Friar St., NE1

SECRET GARDEN PARTY

Joe and a team of brave, young(ish) whisky missionaries will be heading off this Wednesday to bring whisky to more people than we can shake a stick at this weekend. The Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire is one of the most vibrant and ‘colourful’ music festivals in the land. We first ‘did it’ last year and by all accounts our whisky bar and free classes went down a storm.  So, if you happen to be in the area and attending the festival, don’t forget to come and say hi and partake in some good whisky.

COMPETITION TIME

This month’s competition is another chance to test your visual skills. Simple really. This time around we want you to identify each the whisky ‘personalities’ from the body and face parts of the gorgeous creature below. Perhaps come up with a name for it. Click HERE to email your answers.

Congratulations to Paul Newcombe who was the only person to correctly identify the 6 mills last month!  The correct answers were (from left to right): Ardbeg, Deanston, Glenrothes, Glenburgie, Cotswolds, Pulteney. Top Whisky Geekery right there from Paul!

That’s all for now folks, but enjoy the weather, enjoy some drams and we hope to see you at a TWL event soon.

Sláinte,

Eddie, Amanda and Joe The Whisky Lounge Team.