https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal The online journal from the team at Whisky Marketplace Symphony https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-our-christmas-whisky-selection As winter's embrace tightens and festive lights twinkle, there's something magical about sharing an exceptional whisky. This Christmas, we've curated four remarkable spirits that embody both luxury and warmth - perfect for sophisticated entertaining or those precious moments of solitary indulgence. While these selections represent exceptional craftsmanship, they remain within reach, each offering a unique expression of holiday opulence without breaking the bank. Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:39:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-our-christmas-whisky-selection https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-november-2024 We’re not diving into full holiday mode just yet, but here at Whisky Marketplace HQ, we're definitely feeling the chill in the air and noticing the early sunsets. Naturally, our minds are drifting to cozy, fireside drams—the kind that warm you up from the inside out. From the richly spiced Boann PX Finish Single Pot Still and the creamy depth of Penderyn Portwood to the bold, rye-forward character of Inchdairnie Ryelaw and the timeless warmth of Blanton’s Original, each of these whiskies is p… Mon, 18 Nov 2024 17:08:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-november-2024 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-october-2024 We’ve been quite Scotch focussed in recent months. So this month we thought we’d turn our attention across the Irish Sea to a quartet of whiskeys from the Emerald Isle. An unusual Rye from Powers, something very special from Redbreast and a couple of Spots from that clever Mitchell clan. Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:28:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-october-2024 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-september-2024 At Whisky Marketplace, we love discovering exceptional bottles that stand out for their flavour, craftsmanship, and uniqueness. This month, our picks include a standout Irish whiskey and three remarkable Scottish single malts. From Jameson’s rich and smooth Black Barrel to innovative releases from Bowmore, Glenmorangie, and Ardbeg. Remarkable whiskies that offer something for every palate, from rich, full-bodied expressions to innovative collaborations. Wed, 11 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-september-2024 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-august-2024 Welcome to this month’s Staff Picks. As usual, we've curated four standout selections. We journey to the Isle of Arran with the Arran 11 Year Old Barrel Bonfire Signature Series Edition 2, next we’re off to Japan with Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries, followed by a trip to the Highlands with anCnoc 2007 13 Year Old - Spirit of Art 2020. Lastly, we stop off on Islay with the Ardbeg Vintage Y2K 23 Year Old - a taste of history, celebrating a new era of production from the millennium year. Thu, 01 Aug 2024 07:30:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-august-2024 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-july-2024 Explore this month's Staff Picks, featuring four exceptional whiskies. The bold Dalmore Port Wood Reserve, the exciting re-release Laphroaig 18 Year Old, the elegant Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection Vat 1, and the rich Morris Signature Australian Single Malt. Mon, 01 Jul 2024 15:20:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-july-2024 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-june-2024 A fabulous foursome of Scotch whiskies for your this month. Something a little arty from Glen Garioch bottled by Robert Graham. A superb 32 year old from the sadly silent Rosebank stills. An unusual expression from the folks at Ardbeg. And finally a Manzanilla finished dram from Wolfburn. These four whiskies each offer something special, whether it’s a connection to lost distilleries, innovative cask finishes, or artistic collaborations. Thu, 30 May 2024 12:56:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-june-2024 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-eye-catching-new-spirit-releases This month, our staff has handpicked exceptional whiskies for your enjoyment. From Glenmorangie's rich 14-year-aged expression, featuring a spectrum of flavors from fruitiness to dark chocolate, to Bruichladdich's farm-to-glass single malt with its juicy fruit and honey notes, each bottle promises a memorable tasting experience. For a taste of American single malt excellence, try Westland's homage to Pilot barley, offering a blend of apple cider, chamomile tea, and almond flavors. And don't miss… Wed, 01 May 2024 11:14:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-eye-catching-new-spirit-releases https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-july-2016-bitters-for-whisky-cocktails It would be fair to say that over the years we’ve changed our position on the adulteration of whisky. Simply put, we used to be strict whisky purists who considered putting anything other than a drop of water in whisky to be a crime. And as for cooling whisky in any way, we wouldn’t even speak to you if you mentioned it. Well things change, people move on and, frankly, we’ve become quite partial to the occasional whisky cocktail. As any accomplished mixologist will tell you, one of the most … Fri, 01 Jul 2016 08:53:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-july-2016-bitters-for-whisky-cocktails https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/does-inchdairnie-distillery-point-the-way-for-scotch-whisky “Save the date for the opening of an innovative new distillery” cried the invite. “Aha!", I thought, "Another craft distillery with a gimmicky twist on production techniques.” What was it to be this time? Would the visitors centre be open before a drop of whisky had been matured? Was I to learn of an imaginative business plan that involved selling raspberry gin until the whisky is ready? And when the whisky goes on sale after three years, will it actually be ready? If I sound jaded, it’s probably… Thu, 19 May 2016 12:29:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/does-inchdairnie-distillery-point-the-way-for-scotch-whisky https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-february-2016-valentines-whisky-and-chocolate-pairings Chocolate makes an obvious Valentine’s present. So does whisky. So how about whisky and chocolate?! We picked out some readily available whiskies and paired them with some interesting chocolates. And some Maltesers! We had one chocolate pick left over - Super Dark Truffles by Vosges - these go with just about any whisky you can think of so we didn’t bother narrowing it down to just one!!!! Fri, 05 Feb 2016 15:07:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-february-2016-valentines-whisky-and-chocolate-pairings https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/recipe-merry-christmas-puddings-with-whisky Make Christmas extra special this year with homemade whisky infused desserts. Whisky and Orange Cream Ingredients: 1 cup whipping cream Whisky and Orange Cream ½ orange 3 tablespoons Famous Grouse Blended Scotch whisky 3 tablespoons icing sugar Directions: Juice half an orange for festive flavouring Combine cream, icing sugar and fresh orange juice in bowl and whip until cream thickens Quickly fold in the whisky Flaming Surprise Christmas Pudding Ingredients: 250g mixed dried fruit… Mon, 14 Dec 2015 15:30:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/recipe-merry-christmas-puddings-with-whisky https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/marketplace-christmas-picks-the-whisky-vault In the run up to Christmas this year, we've asked our Whisky Marketplace retailers to have a look through their shelves to select some whisky recommendations that would make great presents or enhance your festive whisky cabinet. First up is Richard Hawley from The Whisky Vault. To begin with, we asked him tell us a little about his business and how he became interested in whisky. "The Whisky Vault was born from ideas created with my Father, Philip, after he had begun to collect whiskies many… Tue, 08 Dec 2015 14:14:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/marketplace-christmas-picks-the-whisky-vault https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/merry-malt-marmalade This whisky inspired marmalade will make the perfect gift this Christmas (if you can bear to part with it). It’s easy to make and you could even get your kids involved. Just make one large batch and share it out between jars. The jars could be decorated with a homemade label, festive ribbon, cinnamon stick, dried orange and berries etc. If your kids aren’t interested in cooking maybe you could get them involved an art project, decorating the labels and lids. This would make a great, cost efficient… Mon, 16 Nov 2015 20:26:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/merry-malt-marmalade https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-november-2015-first-loves-and-old-flames This month’s staff picks collection is inspired by a conversation we were having here at Whisky Marketplace HQ about how we fell in love with whisky and, more importantly, which whiskies made that happen. Our 'first loves' if you will. Not the rarest or most expensive whiskies we’ve ever tasted but the whiskies which really started our journey. Expressions that keep us coming back for more. I’m sure most of you can relate to the experience, you may have tried whisky on a number of occasions b… Fri, 13 Nov 2015 14:41:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-november-2015-first-loves-and-old-flames https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/this-is-not-a-luxury-whisky-by-compass-box A stunning modern blended whisky by Compass Box, which challenges our perception of what defines luxury. 'This is not a luxury whisky' is a brand new 2015 limited edition release, from award winning Compass Box. The blended Scotch whisky was inspired by René Magritte’s Surrealist 1929 painting ‘The Treachery of images’, depicting a smoker’s pipe accompanied by the caption ‘Ceci n'est pas une pipe’, translation: ‘This is not a pipe’. Compass Box is widely regarded as a pioneer in the whisky i… Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:00:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/this-is-not-a-luxury-whisky-by-compass-box https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/halloween-whisky-glazed-sweet-potato-fries Simple and quick to make, these sweet potato fries will make the perfect addition to any meal! Ingredients: 2 large sweet potatoes ¾ cup Canadian Club whisky ¾ cup maple sugar 3 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice Salt and ground black pepper Directions: Scrub sweet potatoes until clean and then slice into 1/4 rounds. Use mini cookie cutters to cut stars and pumpkins into the center of each sweet potato slice. Or, use a small knife and carve a Halloween icon into the sweet … Tue, 27 Oct 2015 09:00:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/halloween-whisky-glazed-sweet-potato-fries https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-october-2015-diageo-special-releases Every year since 2001, Diageo, owners and custodians of some of Scotland's most treasured whisky distilleries, have released a limited selection of single cask whiskies. Earlier this week we were lucky enough to attend the launch of 2015's "Special Releases" and, having sampled the full range of these sublime liquids, our recommendations for this month almost pick themselves. The whiskies are always special, always rare, and always selected with the utmost care from the best stocks available to … Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:30:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-october-2015-diageo-special-releases https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-september-2015-premium-blended-whiskies It is a common misconception that blended whiskies are inferior to single malts and I was reminded of this recently when I overheard a conversation in the pub. "Single malts are far better than the blended whiskies" boomed a voice at the bar "go for the Macallan 10". It goes to show that a little information can be a dangerous thing, I have nothing against Macallan's entry level malts, but the pair had overlooked some really nice blends behind the bar including Ballantine's 17 Year Old and a very… Wed, 30 Sep 2015 14:04:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/staff-picks-september-2015-premium-blended-whiskies https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/the-deveron-the-last-great-malts Built in 1962, the Macduff distillery is something of a whippersnapper in scotch whisky terms. Given the Scotch industry’s tendency to trade on its heritage that could be considered a hindrance. Not benefiting from the excitement and goodwill afforded to new distilleries but lacking the history of the older names, a distillery like Macduff has to rely on the quality of its output to impress people. It has released whisky under the name Macduff and Glen Deveron. Now, with its latest releases, the… Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:28:00 +0100 https://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/journal/the-deveron-the-last-great-malts