I was too knackered to blog yesterday after partying with the Keepers of the Quaich.
While it sounds a bit secret society, the Keepers of the Quaich is an organisation founded in 1988 that aims to elevate Scotch whisky and recognise people who have shown an outstanding commitment to the industry.
Represented in over 100 countries, the society has inducted more than 3000 Keepers, including distinguished honorary members such as His Royal Highness King Charles, Ronald Reagan and more locally John Howard and Lindsay Fox.
John and Lindsay couldn’t make it to the party, but I was very excited to get an invitation.
It was the first Australian Keepers of the Quaich event since 2019 and was held at Lindseed House at The Grounds of Alexandria, which is one of the most Instaworthy hospitality venues in Sydney.
The Grounds of Alexandria opened in 2012 on the site of a former pie factory and is known for its extravagant themed displays. The sprawling grounds feature a cafe, bar, restaurant and function centre.
It’s currently decked out with a fabulous circus theme, which was very fun to wander through on my way to the whisky event.
A female security guard exclaimed with delight as I walked past her that I smelled like candy … in a good way. The youngest has introduced me to a Brazilian perfume mist called Sol de Janeiro. She loves the Salted Caramel and Pistachio scent, while I’ve gone for Vanilla and Roasted Macadamia. Mmmmmm!
I gave the security guard the lowdown and she excitedly Googled it for future purchase.
The event had a dress code of black tie or tartan, but as I was catching the train and then walking 10 minutes to get there, I wasn’t keen to frock up.
I decided to wear my new green velvet jacket and black leggings with knee-high boots. I figured velvet makes any outfit into evening wear.
There were a selection of whisky cocktails on arrival – I went for the Speyside Clementine – then I wandered through the crowd catching up with kilt-wearing contacts including the lovely David Ligoff from The Whisky List.
I was seated at the Suntory Global Spirits table for dinner and the team were really friendly and fun. We talked so much that I only managed to eat half my meal and forgot to photograph my main!
There were also lots of tastings of very exclusive spirits along the way. The Suntory one – a peated Laphroaig 25 year old, is apparently $800 a bottle!
I also quite fancied The Macallan Rare Cask, which is around $500 a bottle, and the GlenDronach 18 year old, which retails for just under that. Fancy!
It was very fun to have a bloke strutting through the room playing the bagpipes … arty shot above due to me not having my act together enough to get a non-blurry one.
A haggis was also ceremonially presented, but I wasn’t game enough to try it, especially since it was stone cold by the time the log landed at our table.
The final whisky wasn’t offered for tasting until around 10pm, then the crowds got up to mingle. I hugged a few people but was waaaaay too jetlagged to hang around and snuck off into the night.
Anyhoo, I am hoping to catch up on some sleep over the weekend as I’m still only managing about five hours a night.
Yawn!
Have a good weekend and I will catch you on Monday.
Song of the day: Wings “Mull of Kintyre”
housegoeshome 
I think u need to add a ‘fit check’ pic for us… would have liked to see the jacket… & the boots
The problem is how unfit I am …. my hip issues mean I can’t exercise much and I haven’t adjusted my diet. I am porky and camera shy!!!
I read your blog quite often and its interesting because your life is so different to mine. You are obviously a great writer and I find it inspirational because you are so prolific. May I ask, who is your blog’s main audience do you think, and was your aim when you established it?
Hi there. I started the blog more than a decade ago as a way to learn more about digital media and as an outlet for all the words in my head. I don’t really think too much about the audience, I write purely for the release. It’s like an online diary for me. I have a cohort of regular readers, friends, friends of friends, former colleagues, family. I used to write seven days a week but now it’s usually just weekdays. I like to share the ups and downs, so often people pretend life is wonderful all the time, when they are actually struggling. How about you?
Thanks so much for replying.
I too started the blog to learn about the digital space. I was going to use it as a Web page if I set up as a freelance writer when I moved to the country. Turns out my existing employer is happy for me to work 90% from home, however, the directive for NSW public servants is a concern!
I love publishing a post but overthink them and suffer from terrible Perfectionism Paralysis. I need to lighten up a lot. Just last night I decided to channel my Inner HGoesH!
The directive for government employees to return to the office that is.
Looking forward to reading it