A blog devoted to news on the world of Scotch Malt Whisky and Whiskey
From the category archives:
Who?
I think many of you might wonder, who the hell is Matt Mullenweg. Well, he’s actually the reason why this blog exists. In a far far way that is. Matt is the founding developer of WordPress, the technical platform loved by thousands of bloggers around the world – me included.
So, when I noted that Matt was featured in the Single Malt Scotch Episode on Wine Library TV together with Gary Vaynerchuk it was a ‘must-post’
Thanks Matt for your commitment in WordPress!
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It gives me great pleasure to announce that William William Grant & Sons USA has announced the appointment of Sam Simmons a.k.a “Dr Whisky” as the first-ever Balvenie Brand Ambassador.
I personally have gotten to know Sam through his excellent blog Dr Whisky where he posts all his tasting notes. And by God does he post. Dr Whisky should probably be called Dr Frenzy based on the amount of postings. Among other things Sam’s blog received the People’s Choice Award at the 2007 Drammies, and was featured in Scotland on Sunday and The Malt Whisky Yearbook 2008.
Apart from blogging away Sam has also been busy serving as the the first Society Ambassador of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and hosted whisky history and distillery tours throughout England and Scotland. His nosing and tasting skills have earned him invitations to sit on the judging panels of the World Whisky Awards as well as the International Wine and Spirits Competition.
“Sam’s vast knowledge and immense passion for Scotch whisky makes him a great asset to William Grant & Sons,” said Lynn Raynault, The Balvenie Marketing Manager. “His respect for craftsmanship and maintaining the integrity of 115 years of whisky traditions make him an ideal representative of The Balvenie.”
And smart move you Balvenians.
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Last night was the first evening of my vacation. To celebrate, me and my family boarded our boat and enjoyed a 10 minute ride from Södermöja to a near island called Ingmarsö to grab some food.
To say that the waters outside Stockholm are filled with restaurants would be far from true. Then to say that they all serve a good variety of whisky would be to partner with the devil. Basically, to get a glass of single malt whisky in a restaurant is almost non-existent (except when you order your own as stated before), to be able to choose between more than 20 different ones is not happening. Yet yesterday it turned out Ingmarsö Steak House was well equipped.
Ingmarsö Steak House sits perfectly by the sea (North 59° 27,900 – East 18° 45, 040) with seating on the bridge. They serve quite a modest yet wonderful menu. Their speciality is not very surprising things served of the charcoal grill that stands almost on the water. The BBQ Ribs with Corn, Coleslaw and French Fries made my day. On the contrary to the food menu the drink menu is more varied. They serve a variety of white and red wines and the bar serves most drinks you can think of. (Not including the strange ones no one ever heard of)
Since this is a whisky blog their stock of whisky is of course the reason for this blog post. The range of whiskies cannot of course not compare to any well sorted retailer in a metropolitan city. But the fact that the place is situated about an hours boat ride outside Stockholm in the middle of nowhere and probably don’t have that many whisky connoisseurs anchoring up I was impressed.
The evening we visited the stock included Bowmore 10, 15 and 17yrs. From Lagavulin both a 12yrs, a 16 yrs and 18 yrs Distillers Edition smiled at me. The Macallan 12 yrs was squeezed in between a Famous Grouse Vintage Malt, another Famous Black and the ordinary Famous Grouse. Laphroaig, Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Glenmorangie, Talisker, Auchentoshan and Oban looked great beside a Black Ribbon 10yrs. The ordinary stuff – J&B, Jameson, Black Bush, Bushmill, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Lauders lined up besides a bottle of Buhannabin. The only think I was sad about was the lack of Mackmyra. After all, we’re in Sweden and Mackmyra is almost as exotic as the archipelago.
All in all, I can definitely see myself dropping by to try some whisky while looking at people doing their best not to fall in the water when boarding.
Yesterday? Well, the bottle containing Bowmore 17yrs was opened up for some air. Then I ended the evening with a glass of the Famous Black, an exclusive for the scandinavian market…and not tried by me before. They both were nice, but the Bowmore 17yrs is probably the one pulling me out to high seas again.
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Tonight it’s Midsummer evé in Sweden. This means all Swedes go to the country side, collect flowers all day and drink all night. To round it up we all end up in the grass with someone and make love until the morning comes.
Eh, or as Wikipedia explains it:
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place 24 June and the preceding evening. European midsummer-related holidays, traditions and celebrations, which are pre-Christian in origin and have been tried to be Christianised as celebrations of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist as “Saint John’s Day” festivals, are particularly important in Northern Europe and Sweden
Anyway. Happy Midsummer to all of you! I’m of to the country side and I’ll collec….eh…sorry.
(I’m also of to vacation, meaning there might be fewer blog posts the next couple of weeks)
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Well, think no more. I’ve posted a short “About us” page that tells you more.
Slainte
The Man in The Grotto
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