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"The longest period of time is the time between drinks" - D.C.M.

A collection of articles to while away the time...

Drawing

Burns Suppers "The first recorded Burns Supper was held a mere five years after the poet's death, in the summer of 1801. Then, as now, its purpose was to recollect and celebrate his life and work."
The Day the Bubble Burst "The Pattison family started in business in Edinburgh as dairy wholesalers but were sharp enough to seize the chance of making a fortune in whisky."
A Christmas Mystery "Koshkenkorva is a kind of schnapps made in Lapland - I discovered this from a lady in the Finnish Embassy - but it is my belief that Santa favours reindeer urine."
Highland Spring "Do the Scots take their water for granted? After all, we see enough of the stuff from one year to the next."
Early Encounters with Malt "In November 1944 I found myself back in Edinburgh on leave for a week. I picked up a copy of Neil Gunn's Whisky and Scotland for the sum of five shillings (25p). This book changed my life."
The Quaich "Quaichs have a rich heritage in Scotland - indeed, they are a uniquely Scottish invention, having no apparent connection to any other European drinking vessel."
The Whisky School "In February 1996, the Society ran the first of its 'Whisky Schools'. Charles MacLean records his impressions."
The Vaults, Leith "Beneath the Society's commodious offices in Leith lie four vaulted cellars, used since time immemorial for the storage of wine. Tradition has it that they were built before 1200..."
Pronouncing Distillery Names "If you have a good uvular fricative, there are many malt whiskies you can order...without suffering embarrassment or misunderstanding. Auchentoshan, Glenfiddich, Caperdonich, Craigellachie, Benromach, Balmenach, Bladnoch, Glenlochy, Glentauchers..."
Whisky Detectives "Blenders began to notice it during the 1970s, and by 1985 it was clear that something had to be done: almost a quarter of the aged malt whiskies they wanted to use in their blends were turning out to be immature when they were sampled prior to disgorging."
Stand by your Dram "At those traditional gatherings, when the drinks tray was offered round, it was expected of men that they should reach for a glass of whisky. It was never, however, expected of women that they should do so too. Oh no."
The Language of Whisky Tasting: A Chemist Speaks "Single malt whiskies are chemically complex and are known to contain several hundreds of individual components (congeners) including a variety of alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters and phenols, as well as carbonyl-, sulphur- and nitrogen-containing compounds. Many of these contribute to the flavour of a whisky..."

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