Are you getting value or a bargain. Or neither? There has been a bottle kill in the Scotty’s Drams household. But not the kind of bottle kill you would expect when reading a blog mostly concerned with whisky. This one is probably more important than any spirit as you can take it any time, any place and is vital for a decent fish finger sandwich. Of course, I’m speaking of Tomato ketchup. Mrs Drams has repeatedly said that she doesn’t like the Heinz Ketchup as it’s tasteless, but she’s used to the more piquant Polish variety from the Eastern European shelves of the supermarket. A discussion ens ..read more

Taste Review #154 Lindores Abbey Duo Few scotch whisky geeks should need an introduction to Lindores Abbey. It’s the first recorded place of whisky production in Scotland, thanks to Friar John Cor asking for 8 bolls of malt to make Aquavitae. Things have come a long way since 1494, yet time hasn’t been kind to Friars, Abbeys and Catholicism in Scotland ever since, thanks to King Henry VIII, Elizabeth the 1st and the odd knuckle draggers who celebrate 1690 every July. For whisky followers it’s puzzling to think why somebody commemorates the Battle of Cromdale, which took place on the lands arou ..read more

“We’ve never had it so good” is an oft repeated phrase when people talk about the amount of choices that are available to aficionados of whisky. While this may be true as the range of techniques and availability of different barrels have evolved, it’s worth thinking about the fact that there were more whisky distilleries in Scotland at the turn of the 20th century than there is currently. There was a whopping 159 in 1900 alone, with an all time low of 8 in 1918, though we must take into account the effects of World War 1 and conscription. Post WWI in 1921, the peak reached a maximum of 134, b ..read more

The past year has taught me something. Don’t hold something back for special moments; it’s pointless. What you may fail to realise is that special moments are all around us, happening all the time and we just don’t realise it. They slip into the mundane drudgery of the day to day and unless you truly live in the moment and are focused on something else, it’s easy to fail to acknowledge the little bits of joy that flood our lives. We don’t need to celebrate like a Premier League footballer in every little situation where we feel a ray of happiness creep in, yet we need to make sure that we feel ..read more

Why should buying whisky be my only vice?? I am very proud to say that it is not just me in the Scotty’s Drams household that has a problem. I am not making out that all who live in my house are dysfunctional, indeed we are all fully functional – sort of. But just as I have a problem in not being able to go to a whisky shop or distillery without making a purchase, my long suffering wife has a book addiction. This is a great affliction to have, as books are things that we take time to read and understand. Being the often grumpy fellow that I can be, part of me eschews the modern fashion for eve ..read more

Taste Review 151 – Glen Elgin 14 (Whisky Shop Dufftown Exclusive) Some things come out of the blue when you are least expecting it. Like a review from myself when I’ve been silent for so long. It’s mainly because of work and family life, but also there is an aspect of I couldn’t be bothered. For those of you who followed my twitter account, I guess that my disappearance was a bit of a surprise, but it had to happen. I’m ambivalent about Twitter now, whether or not the Scotty’s Drams account re-appears is still in the balance. I was recently at work in Newcastle during a dry dock period for my ..read more

All good things come to an end – a message to my Twitter followers. It may have come to your attention that recently I deactivated my drams_s Twitter account. If you haven’t, then sit up and pay attention, for I have an announcement to make. No, I’m not dying, incapacitated, hacked or being forced off the internet against my will. I’ve just come to the conclusion that I’m feeling disillusioned about social media in general. To continue my titles usual tie in with a musical theme, it could be said that “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” and that to this end I need to make a hard decis ..read more

Taste Review #150 – Linkwood Madeira Cask (Murray McDavid Cask Craft) Have you ever had something so precious or important to you that you won’t share it with anybody else? I’m sure that most of us have that little secret that we don’t want to share. There is always in the background that little pleasure that you know of something that nobody else does and for one moment you have got one up on your contemporaries and peers. These small bits of internally held glories can often be as a result of hard work and perseverance and not something you want to give away too readily, lest that wee advant ..read more

Taste Review #149 – Glenugie 32 (SV) “Times, they are a changing” sang Bob Dylan. Whilst it is true that nothing stands still, as human beings most of us thrive on being surrounded by things that are familiar, that we are comfortable using, things that make us feel happy. People like things, it’s no secret. For me, my first love is music. While I’m not a talented musician in any way, shape or form despite owning a handful of musical instruments, I do love listening to music and have a CD / record collection to back that up. I’m sitting here wondering how many readers have actually noticed that ..read more

Taste Review 148 – Smokehead Christmas. Done and dusted for another year and good riddance to it all. I really cannot be doing with all the hustle and bustle of people getting ready for some festival that pretty much most people don’t seem to believe in and spending money that they may not be truly able to afford to waste. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome during 336AD, which is quite fitting, for the gluttony that traditionally takes place at this time of year wouldn’t be out of place in a Roman orgy. Perhaps nothing much has changed after all? I had decided that this year ..read more