Hamish's Whisky Blog

Every year in the last week of May our wee town swells with dram-seekers from around the globe. The Islay Festival (or Fèis Ìle to give it its Sunday name) is perhaps the biggest event in the whisky calendar. Here on the West Coast, Inveraray is a natural stopping place for the hordes of whisky pilgrims on their way to...

Time to tackle some of those great debates we get day in and day out from our visitors.

In some of my previous blog entries I’ve covered Islay and Speyside whiskies and now it’s time to indulge in the best The Highlands have to offer. Let’s dive in!

We recently caught up with Dillon Barrie of Raise The Bar Glasgow as he gives the perfect twist to The Loch Fyne Whiskies that we all know and love.Raise The Bar Glasgow deliver outstanding bespoke cocktails with the friendliness and warmness that you’d expect coming out of Glasgow. The service is second to none and what makes them truly unique...

A good blended whisky. To be honest with you I don’t think there’s much that can beat it. Now that might come as a bit of a controversial statement from a keen whisky head like myself but let me explain and tell you a bit more about blended whisky.Did you know that by sales volume, blended Scotch whisky is the...

Fife Whisky Festival kicks off this Friday and it’s sure to be a richt belter!Taking place in the exquisite Corn Exchange there’ll be over 30 distilleries and independent bottlers present from all over Scotland and beyond. Before we get onto my favourite distilleries that’ll be represented at the festival let’s take a wee moment to appreciate the spectacular venue –...

Credit: Cairngorms Business Partnership Oft, as much I enjoy a smoky island whisky there’s just something about a Speyside Malt that oozes class and quality.That might be because they have enough practice making malts up there, I mean did you know Speyside is home to over half the distilleries in Scotland and has the greatest concentration of malt whisky producers...

Hello there! Hamish here.Now you probably know it’s Burns Night on Friday but do you know why we started celebrating the late great Rabbie Burns and everything Scottish on this fine day? Let me tell you a bit more about it…Burns Night is a great big celebration of the life and poetry of ‘The Bard’ Robert Burns and it’s celebrated...

Hello there!Hamish here. Let me ask you a wee question – have you ever been at a dinner party or simply with friends, sat around the cheese board, wondering what cheese (if any) would complement your dram?Well I’ve got you covered, let’s take a wee look at my favourite cheese and whisky pairings 1. Roquefort & Talisker 18 Year Old...

Ah, nothing reminds me of home more than a good peaty whisky. Known as being the marmite of whisky, not due to tasting like marmite, but well… you either love it or hate it. If you love peaty whiskies you’re at the right place. If you’re not much of a fan perhaps you haven’t found the right one yet. In...