The Whisky Lounge – Blind Islay Whisky Tasting

 Once again the seasons turn, summer sun fades into the riot of autumn colours! Temperatures drop and darkness closes over the lands as Samhain approaches and Cailleach Bheur (The Queen of Winter) rises to ascendancy! We wrap up and huddle together to keep winters chill icy fingers from our bones.

Fire provides warmth and light and we are drawn to it naturally! Gone are the cold refreshing drinks of the summer and we crave for something to warm us through and through. What better than Uisage Beatha? In particular, those wonderfully aromatic and intense whiskies hailing from the Isle of Islay. Steeped in mystery and peat and reminiscent of the fires that birthed them, they are the perfect companion on a chilly evening.

Join us as we celebrate with some of the Isle’s finest drams, liberated from The Whisky Lounge’s vaults for your libationous pleasure!

Whether it be the sublime dry, sea air aromas and fresh oily peatiness of Caol Ila or the wonderful dark smokey and intense rich earthiness of Ardbeg. With eight working distilleries and yet only around 3000 inhabitants, Islay’s lifeblood positively courses with whisky.

Back for its ninth jaunt, we will be sampling six of the island’s finest in our Blind Islay tasting this November. In keeping with the Stygian and mysterious nature of the nectar you will be sampling, the tasting will take place in “the blind”. Not until you have tasted and reviewed, in leisurely and amiable company, with the succour of one of The Whisky Lounge’s informed missionaries, will we reveal which whiskies have been partaken of.

In past years this has been one of our most highly anticipated tastings of the years series. Come, genuflect at the altar of Islay and raise a dram or six of the Isle’s finest whisky!

November 17

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Blind Islay Whisky Tasting – Newcastle

Blackfriars

Friar St

Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4XN

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/blind-islay-newcastle-30-nov-2018/

November 21

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Blind Islay Whisky Tasting – Sheffield

The Sheffield Tap

Platform 1B, Sheffield Station

Sheffield, S1 2BP

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/blind-islay-sheffield-21-nov-2018/

November 28

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Blind Islay Whisky Tasting – Liverpool

Fly in The Loaf

13 Hardman Street

Liverpool, L1 9AS

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/blind-islay-liverpool-28-nov-2018/

November 29

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Blind Islay Whisky Tasting – London

The Marlborough Arms

36 Torrington Place

London, WC1E 7LY

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/blind-islay-london-29-nov-2018/

November 30

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Blind Islay Whisky Tasting – Manchester

The Britons Protection

50 Great Bridgewater St.

Manchester, M1 5LE

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/blind-islay-manchester-30-nov-2018/

November 30

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Blind Islay Whisky Tasting – York

Brigantes

114 Micklegate

York, YO1 6JX

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/blind-islay-york-30-nov-2018/

Women’s Whisky Night

Tuesday 6th November – 6.30

This November, the kindly people from Edrington Beam Suntory will be gracing the bar at Milroys for the monthly Women’s Whisky Night. The brands on show will be from Auchentoshan, Bowmore, Macallan, Highland Park, Laphroaig and several other treats and delights. Do not miss this opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in the industry from these brands.

#WWN

Run by women. For women.

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Other Tasting Tickets

Milroy’s of Soho
3 Greek Street
London, England W1D 4NX
United Kingdom

OLD PULTENEY AND ANCNOC WHISKY TASTING – THURSDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2018

Lukasz Dynowiak, Global Brand Ambassador at International Beverage, will be coming along to present our next whisky tasting on Thursday 22nd November and the whiskies featured will be from two of the five distilleries that form the Inver House Distillers portfolio.

One of these is the Old Pulteney distillery, located in Wick, Caithness, whose extreme northerly coastal location and adherence to traditional distilling (with some quirky twists) contribute to this maritime malt’s distinctive profile.  The whiskies we will be sampling are the new core collection, which includes their flagship 12 year old, the mellow and smoky Huddart, the rich and smooth 15 year old and the rather indulgent 18 year old – with the latter two being matured in both bourbon and sherry casks.

Also making an appearance will be two expressions from the Knockdhu distillery.  The whisky itself was renamed as anCnoc in the 1990s (to avoid confusion with Knockando), and, as with Old Pulteney, traditional production methods are at the heart of this Highland single malt.  Fruity and spicy with accompanying honey overtones, this is a delicious whisky that we are going to sample in both its unpeated and peated forms.

Tickets are £15 per person and will be available to buy online from 12.00 noon on Friday 19th October.  Please note, no bookings will be taken before this time and because of the high demand for these tickets the maximum number per booking is 4.

N.B. These events get booked out very quickly so make sure you go online to book yours as soon as they are released.  If you do miss out then please contact us to register your interest and we will add you to the reserves list for any returned tickets.

See below for all the details and if you have any queries just contact us.

Sláinte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

Friday, October 26th, 5-7PM:

Scotch Tasting: Diageo

The distributor behind some of the world’s best loved scotches, Diageo returns for a final tasting at The Whisky Shop! Johnnie Walker, Lagavulin, Talisker, and Oban are just a few of the many single malt scotches in Diageo’s impressive portfolio. Pourlist yet to be finalized – RSVP for updates.

More Details & RSVP

Burns Night at Vic Caledonian – early-bird pricing

Robert Burns Season is fast approaching, and as you know, we have sold out the last 2 years! As a Caley Clan member or Founder-Owner, we thought you would like advance notice of ticket sales; this year will of course be bigger and bolder and we know you don’t want to miss out!

Staying the same this year is the ticket price of $125 inc.tax, however if you pay for your tickets before St.Andrews Day (Scotland’s patron saint) November 30th then tickets will be only $115 each!! Perhaps your inner Scotsperson is smiling right now :).

Please see the attached poster for more details, and either visit the distillery, or
call (778) 401-0410 to reserve your seats. You’ll want to tell us how many are in your group so we can sit you together, and if you desire a wine substitution for the whisky. Sorry, but we cannot do food menu substitutions.

Seats are limited, so we hope you’re lucky enough to get your tickets before they sell out!

Slàinte mhath!

Graeme
__________________________
Graeme Macaloney PhD., PEng., FIChemE.
Founder, President & Whisky Maker
Victoria Caledonian Distiller & Twa Dogs Brewery

www.VCaledonian.com
Facebook: @VictoriaCaledonian; @TwaDogs; Twitter: @VCaledonian; @TwaDogsBeer

Saturday, October 20th, 12-3PM:

Bruichladdich

Trickle Distilled from 100% scottish barley, Bruichladdich distillery’s methods date back to the 19th century – including some of the original Victorian machinery still used today. The process is both time and labor-intensive, but the results are well worth it. Guests will be treated to a variety of Bruichladdich’s highly-rated catalogue, presented by whisky ambassador Trent Simpson.

More Details & RSVP

Friday, October 19th, 5-7PM:

Heaven Hill 

. Established in 1935, Heaven Hill has worked to perfect the craft of distilling, aging and selecting award-winning whiskeys for decades. Elijah Craig, Larceny, Parker’s, and many more beloved American spirits are just a few of their successes. To-date, Heaven Hill is the only American distiller that produces every style of whiskey, and have claimed 12 Whiskey of the Year awards (and 12 more Double Gold Medal awards) for their extensive spirit lineup.

More Details & RSVP

Tasting: Colin Dunn of Diageo 
Monday 15th October at 6.30 pm

Mr Colin Dunn (Diageo) presents –

Whisky Giants…6 stories about 6 people in the whisky industry that have influenced his whisky thinking.

Expect the, unexpected.

£25

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