I’ve been running with the male influencer crowd in recent times. I think it’s because my Drinks Digest calendar is mainly populated with whisky tastings.
It’s rare that I am invited to events featuring other spirits, aside from the occasional tequila launch. Fortunately my appreciation of whisky has evolved over the years!
This week I sipped Glen Moray whisky – and a few cocktails – with influencers including Nathan (@wearethehussle),Jimmy @jimmywongeats), Rafael (@travel.lifestyleblog) and Ross (@rossxjohnson). Lovely blokes.
Their hugely successful Insta feeds are filled with fabulous parties and lots of whisky. Whisky really is having quite the moment. Once the domain of fusty older men, it’s now fanatically savoured and collected by all age groups and sexes.
The Glen Moray event was hosted by my friends at The Whisky List (@thewhiskylist), who include Oliver, Scott and David. Also lovely blokes.
I missed seeing them at The Whisky Show last weekend because I had too much work to do.
The Glen Moray evening kicked off with a welcome highball-style cocktail featuring Glen Moray’s Classic Cask with clarified mango and lemon myrtle. Very refreshing!
Then six whiskies were presented during a masterclass led by Global Brand Ambassador Iain Allan (who I’ve accidentally made look ghost-like in the pic below). Iain has been with the distillery for 20 years and is extremely good at his job, he effortlessly weaves tasting notes with fascinating tales from Speyside.
Glen Moray’s distillery first started production in 1897 on the banks of the River Lossie in Elgin, Moray.
One of the whisky influencers at the event announced he’d visited the distillery four times … I’d be thrilled with a debut tour! Scotland is top 10 on my long bucket list (especially since DD lived there for a while).
We had a break halfway through the masterclass and were served whisky sours to slake our thirsts.
During the break Nathan asked what my favourite whisky was … I haven’t tasted it yet, I said.
And I was right, because the last three whiskies were by far my favourites – the Glen Moray Single Malt 18 Year Old, Gen Moray Single Malt Rioja Cask and Glen Moray Single Malt Peated Rioja Cask.
The final two have just been launched in Australia and are available exclusively online at The Whisky List.
As Iain describes them: “Deep and fruity, with notes of cherries, plums and leather, Glen Moray Rioja Matured is a dram as rich as it is rare. With its gentle smoke and plummy tastes, Glen Moray Peated Rioja Finish is a fascinatingly different take on Glen Moray.”
The last two were also bottled at cask strength – 59.8% and 58.8%. That’s fairly hefty, but I find myself preferring the cask strengths as my palate evolves. More flavour. I’m also oddly fond of peated whiskies for the same reason, although they can be a little polarizing.
The event was held at Grain Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel. It’s a moody, glamorous, low-lit place and I forgot my good phone, so forgive the quality of my photos.
One thing I didn’t take a photo of was a woman at the event who was wearing high heels with knee-high stockings and a mini skirt. The top of the stockings were edged with feathery stuff that Fashion Critical calls Fraggles. I would have thought it was a weird aberration, but it’s the second person I’ve seen in a week showing off their knee-highs so I’m scared it’s a trend.
In my younger days knee-highs were something exclusively hidden under long pants when you were wearing court shoes. It was regarded as deeply embarrassing for some to see that your stockings ended at your knees. Now it’s farshun.
Ross introduced me to bartender Pablo, who invited me to come back for one of his more theatrical concoctions … though Ross swears by the Boulevardiers.
The event was part of Sydney Whisky Month, which kicked off on May 18. Glen Moray will be available exclusively at Grain Bar from 24 May to 16 June as part of a ‘Fireside Seduction’ experience, before taking the place of honour as the bar’s spirit of the month from 17 June to 14 July.
I felt very fortunate to get a sneak preview!
Warning … there are a few more whisky events coming up in my calendar during Whisky Month … apologies in advance …
I will try and intersperse them with alcohol-free musings so you don’t desert me!
Song of the day: Australian Crawl “Boys light up” (purely because it’s one of my favourite songs and has the word boys in it … not because of what it’s actually about …)
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