A Client of our web design company has just purchased one of our whisky presents.
We have a bit of a contra deal whereby Richard Denny, provides us with sales and marketing training, and we help them promote their new website.
To get a better view of the sort of thing the Richard Denny Group can offer I strongly recommend checking out their e book on Written Communication.
From chatting with Richard we found out that he had an interest in whisky, and so it was only a matter of time before Richard succomed to his own sales training, and purchased a certificate for one of our bottles of whisky.
We think these make great presents for a wide range of people, so next time you want a quirky present to say thank you to a client, why not consider a bottle of whisky.
OK, it’s still more than a week away, but have you thought about your whisky choice for the 25th? Your Burns night whisky is one of the more important drink choices of your year (probably right up there with your Hogmanay whisky).
Now this year, unfortunately we have to make do with a school night for Burns night. Whisky will be in order, but it might be an idea to pick something a little softer and easier on the head than my usual favourite big Islay whisky (as opposed to Isla who’s really quite small).
The whiskies
I’m torn between a few old favourites and some new additions to the collection:
- 17 y.o. SMWS Glenkinchie that tastes of peaches and fizzes on the tongue like sherbert
- a Springbank (either my new favourite ‘everyday’ whisky the 10 y.o. or the close to all-time favourite 21 y.o. of which I only have a dram or two remaining)
- a Benromach – new addition to the collection as a Christmas present – probably not a whisky I would have chosen for myself, but a nice, sweet dram not dissimilar to my favourite Speyside, the Glenlivet.
Haggis
I don’t know if I will be eating haggis this year – we had a fun party at home last year, but with the 26th bringing an unfortunate early start, I suspect a quieter evening might be in order. Whether Burns night brings haggis or not, I’m hoping that there won’t be too long to wait for a real Scottish meal – we’re planning another trip to Boisdale.
On Saturday, my girlfriend and I went to Croydon Cats Protection and got a little tabby cat. She’s about 3 (we’d have loved a kitten but we’re not home enough to look after a kitten properly) and she’s called Islay Isla!
A real whisky cat… I’ll try to get a picture to upload.
Arran, the source of the whisky for our little venture selling whisky presents (A Dram in Time) and a favourite distillery of mine has been in the news a bit recently.
The Herald talks about Arran in an article about the pressures on smaller players in the whisky market. It’s good to hear that they have been profitable through much of 2006. The article came out just before the end of the year, so I haven’t heard whether that extends to the whole of 2006, but it’s good news either way. I’ve seen similar articles pop up in a few places recently – it’s nice to see them doing a good job with their PR.
There is some controversy about pairing whisky with food – many people feel it taints both, but The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival seems to think it’s ok (I saw the story in The Publican online ). They are running a competition for chefs to demonstrate some innovative Speyside / food combinations.
I am a fan of some pairings – I enjoy a dram alongside haggis and dark chocolate can be an excellent after-dinner accompaniment, but I would like to experiment a bit more – there are a number of combinations of food and whisky that I haven’t tried yet. Some that are supposed to be good but haven’t tried include:
- big Islay plus blue cheese (Lagavulin plus rocquefort?)
- something like a Dalmore with gamey meat (Venison / hare)
- a speyside (or Japanese whisky!) with Japanese food
- a hot, spicy dish with any whisky that can hold its own