http://bbblog.org.uk One man's excuse... Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:49:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I like big butts and I cannot lie... My week up in Scotland recently not only introduced me to Benromach whisky, but also to the idea of putting whisky in new casks. Now, this may not sound like a particularly wild idea, but the majority of whisky is matured in casks ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/03/new-wood/ Dark Star Hophead - I rather like hops so this was pretty much always going to be a favourite. I grabbed a pint at The Wenlock Arms the other night, while popping in briefly for a meeting (meetings in pubs are the best). It's light and golden with a bitter ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/03/quick-tastings/ After 25 years of visiting Aviemore, one of Scotland's biggest skiing resorts, it still surprises me when there's enough snow to ski and not so much that you can't get up the mountain. This year, however, we were treated to the most perfect snowy weather that I've heard of in ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/03/ptarmigan/ Being of that strange breed who can eat such things sober, I stopped off on Queensway on the way home this evening to visit one of my old haunts - Taza Kebab House. I used to live a street away and was a regular there during the lovely days of ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/02/zhigulevskoe-pivo/ The Cairngorm brewery hides on an industrial estate at the northern end of Aviemore, conveniently a mere 5 minute walk from the timeshare village that my family have been visiting for the last 25 years - longer than the brewery has existed. It first came to my attention when I ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/02/cairngorm-brewery/ I've been up in Scotland for the last week and, in traditional manner, had 'wander around a distillery' on my holiday todo list. I've been going up to the highlands almost every year for the last 25 years, staying in Aviemore a stone's throw from the River Spey, and have ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/02/benromach-distillery/ I don't travel much, being afraid of places were I don't speak the language as I am, but my comfort zone was well and truly kicked in 2008 when I ended up in Bulgaria for a friend's wedding. In standard fashion I used the opportunity to sample the local booze ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/02/mastika-peshtera/ I don't make many new year's resolutions, but I decided this year that I needed to go to more booze tastings. After last week's Talisker evening I managed to pick up a couple of tickets to The Whisky Exchange's first tasting of the year - a celebration of Glenmorangie, with ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/01/glenmorangie-tasting-the-whisky-exchange-with-annabel-meikle/ Partly an excuse to post a picture, shot in my ghetto studio mk2 with my new polarising filter, partly a real news story - it seems that there's an Angostura bitters shortage on. I've recently heard tales that the company that makes Angostura had gone out of business and as such ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/01/whither-angostura/ Some background - I like Brewdog1. I like them enough that I've even invested in them (closes 19th February) and not only because of the lifetime 20% off I now get on their website. I've yet to find one of their beers that I didn't actively like and am, so ... http://bbblog.org.uk/2010/01/brewdog-hardcore-ipa/