GlenDronach distillery has a cult following in the world of whisky. Revered under the ownership of the BenRiach Company (now acquired by US drinks giant Brown-Forman) the distillery is famed for the uber-classy sherry barrel maturation of its whiskies, but this is actually not a recent phenomenon. It was a skill that also flourished under previous owns Allied Distillers and William Teachers. This was made clear to me when I received a flight of 12 single cask, cask strength samples of whiskies from these earlier days in GlenDronach's history.
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Rosemary's MoonBeams podcasts featuring interviews about Food, Life and Whisky. You can subscribe on iTunes here.
Moonbeams #20: A Capital whisky and cheese pairing
A perfect pair - a whisky and cheese tasting at London’s The Capital Hotel with Cesar da Silva.
Whisky tastings are not just for Burn’s Night - although tastings are ramped up around the world to celebrate the Bard’s birthday on January 25th. The Capital Hotel is one of the hottest destinations in London for an expertly tutored tasting under the guidance of Bar Manager Cesar da Silva, who loves to pair whiskies with beautifully aged cheeses - a real treat.
Read MoreMoonbeams #19: The Bottle Bunker #5 - Souvenirs from Islay with Olly Langmead
Back from a trip to Islay, home to the peaty whiskies that Olly loves so much, Rosemary is keen to share some of the more unusual whiskies gathered on her travels with her friend in his Bottle Bunker.
Read MoreMoonBeams #18: The Bottle Bunker #4 - When whisky met rugby
When whisky meets rugby! Olly and I took sides in the Bottle Bunker ahead of the first RWC15 semi-final. He is shouting for South Africa with Three Ships and I am backing the All Blacks with a New Zealand Doublewood.
Read MoreMoonBeams #17 : The Bottle Bunker #3 - Celebrating September as National Bourbon Month with Olly Langmead
I met up again with Olly, creator and owner of The Bottle Bunker, to taste and share our favourite American drams in celebration of National Bourbon Month. Choosing two bottles each we tasted bourbons from Knob Creek, Willets and Blantons and finished off with a whiskey from Michter’s.
Read MoreMoonBeams #16: The Extra Virgin Whisky Podcast
Judy Ridgeway is known in the Twitter world as @JudyOliveOil. She and I have been friends for many years. I really respect the way in which she has made a completely new career, moving on from PR then food and wine writing, and becoming a leading authority in the world of olive oil. Internationally respected, Judy is also a whisky lover and I have been hoping to catch up with her to record a podcast for ages. Now you can eavesdrop on our conversations about olive oils, whiskies and flavours.
Read MoreMoonBeams #15: The Bottle Bunker No. 2 - Glengoyne
We're back in the Bottle Bunker lock-up with Olly Langmead for a really fun exploration of Glengoyne whiskies - with a bit of food porn too!
Read MoreMoonBeams #14: The Bottle Bunker No.1 - Ardbeg
Duration : 18 minutes
It’s not every day that I meet meet a young man in a lock-up container to drink whisky at 10.00am! But this was one of those days!
Read MoreMoonBeams #13: Whiskies with peppers: summer foods and summer drinking
Duration: 39 minutes
Rosemary catches up with whisky drinking pepper grower Gerard Vonk at Tangmere Airfield Nurseries and finds that whiskies and peppers go really well together.
Read MoreMoonBeams #12: Age matters with Girvan Grain whiskies and Jill Norman
Duration: 26 minutes
Tasting with Jill Norman revealed that age matters with Girvan Grain whiskies. Two whisky loving food writers discovered amazing depths of flavour and complexity as we explored this elegant whisky from new make spirit to a 30yo taste sensation.
Read MoreMoonBeams #11: Vanilla Unpacked with Jill Norman
Duration: 36 minutes
A tasting of whiskies that showcase vanilla and spice with renowned food and drinks writer Jill Norman.
Read MoreMoonBeams #10: Rannoch Revisited
Duration: 37 minutes
I am revisiting my very first podcast about whisky and food, recorded with Richard Barclay of Rannoch Smokery in November 2014. It was such fun! We talked about 2015 being Scotland's Year of Food & Drink, and the celebrations and events for that are now well under way. In this podcast we taste two of the whiskies sampled on MoonBeams #9 - the Gelnmorangie Nectar D'Or and The Dalmore Cigar Malt - well liked on both occasions. Listen again and enjoy!
Read MoreMoonBeams #9: Grapes on Grain - Tinwood Estate
Art Tukker is a rising star of British wine. In this sparkling conversation he shares the excitement of creating a vineyard and wine making whilst turning his tastebuds to wine cask finished whiskies.
Read MoreMoonBeams #8: The not quite Irish coffee podcast
Duration: 53 minutes
Coffee, whisky and the cream of the micro-roasters. This podcast puts coffee right back where it should be - at the heart of ethical, ecological and fun conversation.
Read MoreMoonBeams #7: The "you know", hot stuff podcast
Pepper is one of the most frequently mentioned flavour characteristics of whisky, and is an utterly fascinating subject. I catch up with food writer and pepper expert Christine McFadden @TheDorsetFoodie and Matt from @SeasonedPioneer to talk pepper - and taste whisky.
Read MoreMoonBeams #6: The One, Two or Three? podcast
Caroline and David Harriott produce lamb and beef on their farms in West Sussex in the UK. Everything they do is to create Flavour. I caught up with Caroline just as lambing was about to start on their farms.
Read MoreMoonBeams #5: The Incredible Drinkable podcast
Duration: 31 minutes
Incredible Edible's founder Mary Clear talks to me about the Peas and Love Revolution, kindness and a community built on vegetable growing. We also enjoy a couple of drams together!
Read MoreMoonBeams #4: At the Chichester Observer
Duration 17 minutes
The tables are turned! When my local paper asked to interview me about a proposed Whisky club for Women I thought they might like to participate in a grain whisky tasting and make a podcast. Girvan single grains and Compass Box Hedonism star. Sorry I talk so much....
Read MoreMoonBeams #3 The 'Kolokopittas meets Monkey Shoulder' podcast
Duration 31 minutes
Furniture restorer Sonnia Demetriou tells the story of self-publishing - and then marketing and selling - her book Androula's Kitchen: Cyprus on a plate. A sun-drenched tale of the birth of a book - with food and whisky, of course!
Read MoreMoonBeams #2: The "Where's the snail?" podcast. Food and whisky: an illustrator's inspiration.
Duration : 42 minutes
Artist Amanda Loverseed, best selling creative for Pheonix Trading, explains to Rosemary how food inspires her work and how whisky is a new taste experience for her.
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