What better day to launch my new website than International Whisky Day! On the eve of departing Australia with my dad for our Scotland whisky adventure and coincidentally World Whisky Day 2018, I am proud to announce the launch of the new-look Whisky Dad website:  whiskydad.com.au I will continue to maintain whiskydad.net for the time being, however, from this point on I will be posting all my new content at whiskydad.com.au. I will transfer most of my original content over to the new flashier website in the near future, but from tomorrow, look forward to followi ..read more

So with our trip to Scotland only two months away, I thought I would update you on our plans for the first week. Things may change slightly between now and arriving in the UK, but the closer we get the firmer the plans become. I'm starting to get excited! Day One - Monday 21 May My dad and I fly into Manchester Airport at around noon on the the 21st of May, from there we pick up our hire car and should have a spare hour or two before visiting my uncle who lives nearby and driving north to Motherwell in Scotland. Motherwell is close to Mossend, where my dad spent some of his childhood but mo ..read more

I remember not that long ago when the interwebs were abuzz with talk of adding salt to your coffee as an alternative to sugar. At the time, I thought it was some of the biggest wank I had ever heard…But I tried it anyway. The theory behind this seemingly counterproductive practice is that sodium chloride (or common table salt) acts as a flavour enhancer when added to our food; it makes everything taste better, in moderation. Humans have been aware of the amazing properties of salt for thousands of years, using it not only to enhance flavours but also for food preservation and to hide the tas ..read more

Have you ever wondered where the term ‘alcohol proof’ came from or what ‘100 proof’ means or why 100 proof in the UK is different to 100 proof in the US? Well, wonder no more. The term ‘alcohol proof’ was first coined in 16th century England and refers to a test to demonstrate the potency of an alcoholic spirit. Historical accounts of the test vary and it quite possibly could have been conducted using a number of methods, all with similar base principles. That said, there are many false truths regarding the origin and intent of this test in circulation and it took some investigating to separ ..read more

What is it? Distillery: The Macallan Name: 12 Year Old Double Cask Make: Single Malt Scotch Whisky Extra Info: The Macallan are very particular about the casks they select to age their whisky in, believing the cask wood to be responsible for imparting two-thirds of the whisky’s final aromas and flavours. Fast growing American Oak, from Ohio and Missouri, is selected for its dense tight grain structure which imparts lighter flavours of vanilla and fresh fruits to the spirit. Slower growing European Oak, from the northwest of Spain, is selected for its porous grain str ..read more

Prominently displayed on the most recent reissue cover of Whisky, by Aeneas MacDonald, sits a quote from renowned whisky expert Dave Broom, which reads: The finest whisky book ever  That’s quite a bold statement to make but much like the mysterious Aeneas Macdonald himself, it should be considered in context. Whisky, is an odd book; in fact, the original published in 1930 was one of the first books written on the subject, quite surprising considering whisky has been around for much longer than that. The best feature of this 2016 edition is the addition of commentary and annotations b ..read more

I started WhiskyDad.net in October 2016 as a hobby and it has proven to be an enjoyable and rewarding endeavour. I love whisky and I love writing, so creating my own whisky blog has been a great way to combine my two loves. The blog legitimises my whisky drinking and allows me to express my creative side without becoming unmanageable. It has had the added bonus of increasing my knowledge about whisky and introducing me to some wonderful people within the local industry and bloggers who share my interests from all over the world. Now in my second year, the time has come to get serious an ..read more

What is it? Distillery: Longrow Name: Red, Malbec Cask Matured, Aged 13 Years Make: Single Malt Scotch Whisky Extra Info: Malbec (sometimes called Côt and Auxxerois) is a purple grape variety used in making red wine and is grown predominantly in Argentina. Malbec is known for its blackberry, plum and black cherry flavours and a sweet tobacco finish – a perfect match for a peated whisky perhaps? Why did I buy it? I have been chasing a Longrow Red for a long time and snapped up this expression when it became available locally. Longrow Red is a limited release from Longrow and each batch uses ..read more

It has been a little while since I shared my travel plans for the big trip to Scotland next year and I have had a chance to incorporate many of the great suggestions I received last time. So here’s where it's at, as of now. Flights are booked My dad and I will fly into Manchester Airport around midday on the 21st of May 2018 and depart Manchester on our way back to Australia on the evening of the 18th of June. We will be hiring a car for the whole trip to get around in. To Scotland (21st May) My dad and I will visit my uncle Harry briefly on our way to Scotland but our first overnight stop ..read more

I began 2017 by moving from easily the most distillery dense state in Australia, Tasmania, to easily the most public servant dense, the Australian Capital Territory. Canberra and the ACT in general is highly regarded for wine production with some of Australia’s best wineries are located nearby, but what about distilled spirits? I enlisted the help of local entrepreneur and founder of Local Spirit tours, Ben Osborne to take me and my friends on one of his Luxury Distillery Tours. We met at Grease Monkey, not a distillery, but a great place to grab a tasty burger on the north side of Canberra ..read more