Many people who love whisky will tell you they remember the first time they tried the “water of life” and fell for its beautiful charms.
The Milroy's shop on Greek Street (photo credit: Ewan-M)
This happened to me one cold night in February nearly four years ago when I headed to a tasting at what was then, to me, an unknown shop on Greek Street called Milroy’s of Soho. I didn’t really want to go, having never liked whisky before and finding myself still reeling from memories of a night in my past when I drank too much of a cheap bottle of Grant’s. So, it came as a great surprise when, during the event, my taste buds suddenly decided to find a liking for the golden liquid. In fact, they liked it so much that I’ve never looked back. I am a true, tried and tested whisky lover.
Since that fateful night, Milroy’s has become my staple choice of venue and every Christmas (and often birthday) I head to the small shop and ask the knowledgeable staff if they have any recommendations for me to pick up.
So, when I was starting up this new site, I thought: what better way to launch something than to begin back at the beginning?
As such, I headed this week to a tasting at Milroy’s with Diageo’s brand ambassador Colin Dunn, who was there to talk about and dole out some drams of its special releases for 2011 including the Brora 32-year old and the now sold-out Port Ellen 32-year-old. A review of these, and the other five I tried that night, will be up soon in the reviews section of the site.
The aim of Miss Whisky is to get people who wouldn’t normally try whisky interested in taking the plunge like I did back in 2008. I want to reach out to a younger, fresh crowd – especially women – who will be keen to give it a go and develop a lifelong story with the drink. I will also tell the stories of other whisky lovers and make a special point to profile all the fantastic other ladies out there who already love the drink or who work in the industry, shedding a greater light on their role. Each month, a couple of profiles will go up of these lovely lasses under the “Whisky Women” category, found on the menu above. The first, Ms Cat Spencer from Albannach Bar, is profiled in the section now. Us women, do after all, love whisky – despite what many people seem to think!
I shall also be out and about in the whisky world as Miss Whisky, bringing you news from shows, events and tastings. You can follow my updates on Twitter, where I’m listed as @themisswhisky. Please feel free to follow and leave any feedback you have on the posts below.
And most importantly, if you have any ideas of things I should be covering or want me to review any of your drams, please do get in touch. I won’t pretend to be an expert, simply a lover – but I hope to bring a vibrant and sometimes cheeky, female approach to all things whisky.
Last but not least, I hope to make many a new beginning for people who’ve never tried whisky. After all, you always remember your first.
