2013 June Whisky Hosting and Bees
Wee summary to date
It’s been a busy period for me personally; I have managed to get a new job, doing something outside financial services which is great and I’m getting ready for my wedding in September which is nerve-racking. With these events in mind I will have a two week honeymoon in September, during which Lady of the Glen will be inactive and in the future I might be relocating Lady of the Glen to South Lanarkshire. However, until then I can give an insight into what I’ve been doing.
My Whisky Hosting
A number of weeks ago saw me host my first whisky tasting at a friend’s house (Jonathan Dodsworth, good guy). The participants had varied levels of exposure to Whisky, so it was a great opportunity for me to get some hosting experience with a varied audience.
After an ice-breaker sensory perception game we began sampling. I selected my 24 Year old Invergordon Highland Grain (good response and was notably enjoyed with water and those new to Whisky) the 14 year old Beninnes Speyside Malt (more popular with the regular Whisky drinkers and was noted because of the cask strength kick). I then brought out some Jameson Irish Whisky (okay response and went down easily enough). Finally, I had a mystery Islay and this was really good because all though some people loved it, others felt it was the sort of Whisky flavour they had come to recognise and not like. The mystery Islay was good because it put everyone on the same level in that they could only go off their own taste buds and not their knowledge of what that particular brand normally tastes (so participants could not just rattle off some tasting notes they had read on a bottle before).
In advance of the tasting I read Dominic Roskrows whisky tasting article ‘I can taste a rainbow’. It was really helpful for me to engage the audience and spark reactions from everyone, by asking folks what seasons they tasted, colours everything…not bound by limitations of food flavours. I was happy because everyone was bringing creative and wonderful interpretations of the Whisky.
Lady of the Glen News
The product design. My goodness, it seems like an eternity I have banged on about this. We are almost there with it and once it is ready I will launch the complete ideal gift package. The gift package of Lady of the Glen will be the perfect present for a Whisky lover or newbie who wants something wholly unique and beautiful. Although the process has taken its time, I would not have done it any other way. I set out with goal to use an inventive Scottish design enterprise which held similar values to myself and it takes time to find these artists. I believe Bespoke Atelier is ideal.
Lady of the Glen is giving away free wild flower seeds with each delivery made from our website. With Bee populations dropping (According to the first Scottish bee health survey, the number of beekeepers experiencing loss increased by 40% since 2011-12). Action is required and I want to encourage customers to do everything they can to support their local bee populations. By giving away wild flowers we can at least give Bees more flowers to forage. Please visit The Bee Guardian Foundation website to find out what else you can do.