Malt & More!

Enjoy Whisky - or is it whiskey?  
Like to find out more about the dram you drink?
Highland, Lowland, Island, Speyside? 
How do you describe whisky?
How is it made?
What's the difference between Single Malt, Pure Malt and Blended whisky?
What is happening in the industry today?

These questions and a lot more were answered at this new venture which took place at the Carlton House Club in September.     It consisted of an evening learning about and tasting 9 different Malt whiskies under the expert guidance of Michael Hopert, manager of the Bloomsbury Branch of Royal Mile Whiskies, winner of  Whisky Magazine's "Retailer of the Year" 2011.   

Michael has led many tastings throughout the Country and we were delighted that he agreed to come up to Olney to share his experiences with us.

On arrival, everyone had to go through the Whisky Nosing Competition when they were introduced to three malts and were permitted to smell each in turn.    Moving over to a 'blind' sample of one of those just examined, they had to identify which one it was.    Despite quite a few who are new to Malt whisky, we had 100% accuracy and each person was awarded their prize - a Glencairn Whisky Nosing Glass from The English Whisky Company.

The first half saw Highland Park, Old Pulteney, Glengoyne, Glenkinchie and Laphroaig being sampled and as the evening wore on, it was clear from the noise level that everyone was entering into the 'spirit' of the evening.   

During the break, there was an opportunity to visit the many side stalls and attractions as well as taking part in the "Win a bottle of malt for £1" when Prity Hair, from Dawn till Dusk, won the bottle of Benromach.   

The second half saw us tasting Snow Grouse, straight from the freezer, the Celtic Connection Penderyn from Wales and St George Chapter 6 from the English Whisky Company.

The evening ended with a free raffle and auction where two bottles of 7.76 from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society found new homes. 

Was it worth it? From the feedback as folks were leaving the answer was a resounding 'Yes' and fromour treasurers point of view, and equally loud 'Yes' with the club charity account receiving over £500.


The event has been made (financially) possible thanks to the support of a number of players in the whisky world who have made donations of their product or provided considerable assistance in many other ways.   Without them, the evening would not have gone ahead.

 Some Photos from the Night.