Who was it that said, "I never make predictions, and I never will!"?  Well, it wasn't Charlie Brooker, Guardian columnist and TV's Screen Wipe writer, scourge of the mediocre. And despiser of new year resolutions, it seems. In his column on 8 Jan he says of resolutions "You think of something you enjoy doing, and then resolve to stop doing it", thus giving them the longevity of a Christmas tree withered by a month of central heating.

January does though, give at least the idea of a clean slate. As I toasted in the new year with a bottle of Mikkeller Fra... Til.. dark winter ale, I thought about what I would like to see and what I would like to change in 2012. So, no resolutions and no predictions...

 1. A bigger range of bottled beers in pubs
Especially pubs serving food. OK, most of the point of a British pub is to drink the fine draft beers. Increasing the range of bottled beers will allow a pub to serve a much greater diversity of styles to suit the dishes they serve. Take a leaf out of Leeds Brewery/The Midnight Bell collaboration, as seen in my post on Jamie Oliver's Great Britain programme on Channel 4. And pubs: offer beers you can't get in the supermarket. You'll be able to charge more. And while I'm on that subject...

2. Hike the price of good (craft) beer in pubs
What do you mean the Chancellor already did? Leave the ordinary stuff alone. but make good cask and craft keg reassuringly expensive, to recall an old campaign. Well, a bit dearer, anyway. What do you mean people will just stay at home and pay supermarket prices? What do people pay for a bottle of Becks in a pub, £3.50?  That's like seven quid a pint. For Becks. Don't even get me started on wine. Stand up for being the premium products they are. I'd much rather more money went to the great small breweries we have in the UK. Excellence should be rewarded.

3. Think big, drink small
When it comes to the bigger beers, pints are for wimps. Yes, that's right; it's halves that are for the daring. And thirds are for superheroes. Don't chicken out and have a pint for your man/womanhood. Your brain, liver, and palate will thank you for that half of ESB. You can then "afford" a snifter of Magic Rock Human Cannonball. If only pubs and bars had more third pint glasses... Wait a minute; Ember Inns already do, for their tasting racks. (Three thirds for less than the price of the pint.) You could even do a round of two halves for standard strength beers. That is, until two-thirds glasses catch on. Daily mirror article from November 2011.

4. Breweries: tell us what's in the bottle
"Brewed with the finest malt and choicest hops." It says on far too many labels. Stop it now! Whisky is hardly better: "The purest water flowing down through the glens." Rubbish. What if my headlines said: "Written with the most descriptive words and crafted punctuation"? Oh, and while I'm dealing with imprecision, stop this "Brewery Conditioned" nonsense. Beer: is it pasteurised? Filtered? Whisky: is it coloured? Chill-filtered?

5. Buy stuff from specialist retailers
When it comes to malt-based beverages, supermarkets are, on the whole, beige with the odd touch of inspiration. And because their ranges are a bit slow moving, you are way better off buying the beer and whisky you really want to drink by going to specialist online beer and whisky shops. At the same time, you get to support the real artisans of malt. Unless you live in Sweden, in which case, you're more-or-less already catered for. Jammy gits.

My Brewery Tap's Pick-and-mix range
The Whisky Tasting Club

6. More food and beer together
Writing and talking about Beer with food and cooking is the best way of introducing people to the diverse world of beer styles. I received an honourable mention in the Beer and Food category from the British Beer Writers Guild in December, and this made clear for me a direction for The Nightjar in 2012. I recommend you go to or give a beer dinner; I certainly will.

Damn!, I nearly made it through the whole post without a prediction. Sorry Charlie.

Sometimes it's not easy being a whisky lover. And at Christmas, it can be hard to know what to buy for the whisky lover in your life. Have they got this whisky already? Will they like it. I have just the thing to solve this problem: how about buying a whisky tasting?

The sites I'm recommending here put together a selection of specialist and often rare whiskies in 30ml or 50ml bottles. Miniatures that you often can't get anywhere else.  It's both a try-before-you-buy, and an instant whisky tasting session.

Master of Malt I recommended last Christmas, you may remember. They also provided the whiskies for a tasting at a Burns Night dinner I conducted. Sets are mostly in the £20-£40 range, but can go quite expensive. I'd be particularly interested in the Staff Favourites set, which includes a couple of Islays, a cracking bourbon and a fantastic Japanese.
Master of Malt

What is it about Irish whiskey?  In all my 16 years of judging in the whisky competition at the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival (SBWF), Irish whiskeys have won shovelfuls of medals. There's no doubt there's some fine whisky, from the Emerald Isle, but I don't often buy it. Why?

At this year's SBWF I met Fintan Collier, Jameson brand ambassador for Scandinavia, and mentioned this "phenomenon" and suggested I wasn't alone in my divided attitude. I also suggested he hold a whisky tasting on Twitter (Twasting, in the parlance). Apart from giving a chance to taste a range of whiskies in the range, a Twasting is a live discussion across the Internet - it gets the word out.

The mystery "dram" at the heart of the Jameson Twasting

With samples sent out to a disparate collection of enthusiasts from Sweden, Netherlands and Germany, as well as at least one in the UK, we gathered together around our separate computers to see what the deal was. So, five Jameson whiskies, right? Well, not exactly: certainly three different Jamesons, but what's this Mystery Dram? And what's this Midleton whiskey doing here?

More of the Mystery Dram soon, but a Midleton whiskey in a Jameson tasting, that's a bit odd, isn't it? Well actually, no; they are from the same distillery. Jameson whiskies are made at the Midleton distillery in Cork, and for me, herein lies some of my problem: Irish whiskies often don't fit neatly into the distillery-equals-brand, unlike single malt whisky in Scotland. I find it harder to get involved in a brand than a distillery.

But once you taste the whiskey, it's very easy to get involved. We start with the "ordinary" Jameson. I say "start", but Fintan makes us wait with some pertinent information about Jamesons and Irish whiskey in general. Rather like I've made you wait to find out what I thought about his whiskies.

This "ordinary" Jameson is the world's biggest selling Irish whiskey. It goes under the slogan "Triple distilled, Twice as smooth, One great taste." People like "smooth" apparently. Even Royal Mile Whiskies say the Jameson is very smooth. I think "smooth" sounds like a back-handed compliment. Boring, even. But the Jameson is not boring.

It is a blend, though. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with blends among the cognoscenti, these days. Last year, the received wisdom about whisky, that single malt = quality, and blend = inferior was blown out of the water when Jim Murray named a blended whisky (not Jameson) as the best whisky of 2010. The Jameson is a blend of grain whiskies with some single pot still whiskey, as Fintann puts it - pure pot still, if you like. This is a traditional Irish, but more expensive way of making whiskey. 

Enough talk: on with the Twasting!
The "Jameson" has no age statement but a very pleasant aroma and taste of apple crumble, with some restrained floral notes that typify many Irish whiskeis. But there's pepper - not known for its "smoothness". Somebody mentions egg nog and baking spices.

The Jameson 12 year-old Special Reserve has a thicker, deeper, darker character. Like a light Christmas cake to the Dundee cake of the unaged. We are told this character comes from a higher proportion of pot still whisky, and also more whisky from sherry casks (as opposed to bourbon casks, which provide the vanilla, egg noggy flavours). Extra oiliness comes from pot still too, says our man. More pepperiness and more assertive, it is mouth filling and silky, I think, rather than oily. Sweet and becomes even more so with a drop of water. Golden syrup, light treacle, finishing on a peppery heat, so it doesn't cloy.

The 18 year-old Limited Reserve is up next. Its subtle, seductive nose reminds me of a Demarera sugar crust. I detect dried pears too. This also has a quite peppery intensity on the palate, which goes over to an intense bag of dried fruits as though a bag of health food shop snacks is rehydrating in your mouth: cranberries, pears, apples. At the time, I said there was heather, but did I mean lavender? Others report oranges or orange zest, as there was in the 12 year-old. Seductive is right: a very special whisky.

And so to the Midleton in the mix. Not Kate or Pippa, but Barry; although it's Barry Crockett, Midleton's master distiller that the whiskey is named for, and this is his Legacy, a straight, pure pot still whisky - the style with which Barry Crockett is synonymous, apparently. Well, I admit to ignorance, but I will say, that many of the Irish whiskies I do end up buying for myself are pure pot still. Oh OK, single pot still, then.

The Middleton Barry Crockett Legacy is "full of pineapple chunks", I say. And then we are off into a Joycean tweeting of tasting and nosing impressions. But with better spelling: sweet, intense, concentrated, syrupy fruit. Light vanilla tones (from high proportion of bourbon casks). Toffee, vanilla fudge, fresh, warming. Someone mentions coconut oil and exotic fruits instead of the pears. Herbal (eucalyptus?), body lotion? I begin to doubt myself. Creamy mouthfeel. Sweet with balancing woody dryness. Some ginger, perhaps pepper nearly like the Jamesons. Spices like a Swedish forest says one @AngelasShare: Juniper pine... The complexity is exciting and it goes on developing.

Finally, the Mystery Dram - or whatever "dram" is in Irish. We are asked to guess its identity, and are given one clue: it's single pot still (gee, thanks!). It is not nearly as fruity on the nose as the Jamesons, with more Japanese whisky-like aromas. I tweet: earthy with hints of leather and polish. Someone chips in with cigar box, and tobacco.

On the palate it is honeyed malty spicy. A tweet comes across: layers of charred wood, dark chocolate and treacle toffee. I think it is herbal and deep, or rather, more rounded. None of us has any real clue to its identity, so Fintan lets on that it is the Power's John Lane, which is a pure pot still version of the Powers Gold label. Released in Sweden in 2012.

See what I mean? Praise all round for these Irish gems - even the "ordinary". Two of the whiskies here: the 18 yo and the Barry Crockett, I love. They are a bit pricier, coming in at around £75/895SEK and €160/1300SEK (when released), but I wonder if there is still a way to go to overcome the "blend" image for malt whisky regulars. The Jameson motto is Sine Metu "without fear". Perhaps it's time for some of us to show a bit of boldness. And for Jameson to drop this "smooth" thing...

Thanks to Fintan Collier @Jameson_Grad_SE and also to Colin Campbell @TheScotsdreamer for organisation and inviting me.

Jameson online shop

I imagine whisky is not foremost in peoples' minds as a summer drink, so perhaps it's a good job for the whisky industry that Father's Day comes when it does, as whisky makes a brilliant present (except if your old man doesn't like it, obviously).

I like getting whisky as a present, but I know people who are a bit afraid of buying it for me because they think their choice will either be beneath me, or I will already have it. Well, tosh to that, I say! You can't have too much whisky, and as my Dad used to say, "It won't eat no meat". Or perhaps that was my Mum's saying.

Leading up to Christmas last year I wrote a four posts called 'Tis the Season to Buy Whisky about whisky bargains to be had at what is the busies time of year for selling whisky. I'll reprise the format of the 'Tis the Season... but, as there is not much time, I'll keep it brief and start with online.

The Royal Mile Whiskies website has some inventive ways of presenting their whiskies: by an array of price ranges, birthdays and anniversaries, for example, and of course, Gift Packs. Some of the gift suggestions are really just a multi-pack of miniatures, but the Nikka one stands out: five 4cl bottles of that excellent Japanese whisky producer. You get one with Nikka From The Barrel, one with Nikka All Malt, and Three with Nikka Pure Malt, all for a nori leaf under 25 quid. They come in cool-looking tubes to keep when the whisky's gone, and to re-use in your hand luggage to get whisky through airport security. Or something.

At the other end of the scale (£120) the Scotch Whisky Aroma Nosing Kit. Fascinating though it is, it doesn't contain any actual whisky, rather a box with 24 small vials to educate you in the "key aromas" found in whisky. You get a guidebook too. Club together with your siblings.

The Whisky Tasting Club is an online subscription club that sends out five double-measures of different whiskies designed to be a self-contained whisky tasting. Like try-before-you-splash-out-on-five-whole-bottles. This is a similar to, but a step on, from the Master of Malt idea I wrote about at Christmas. You don't have to "join"; they have gift packs: Tastings for Immediate Delivery, including a Father's Day one with five great malts for £20. Or you could go the whole hog(shead) and get the annual package (4 regular tastings for £100, 6 for £150, or 12 for £300. The full-on club experience comes with the  Regular Tastings package, which gets him bonus trial samples and a free book. As a member, he'd be able to write up his tastingn notes on their blog.

Master of Malt has a Father's Day gift page, which includes a Father's Day Tasting Set. It's a lucky dip of five 3cl to-be-decided samples, for a nose away from £30. They do assure us, though, they're going to all top-notch. I don't doubt it. The perhaps aptly named Old and Rare Set might appeal to your Dad's sense of humour but at £166.45 I'd want to know what I was giving him. No lucky dip here; all five look very interesting indeed, including a Glenfarclas 1952 family cask sample and a Miyagikyou 1988.

As a different touch, there is a bottle of pre-mixed Manhattan cocktail: "created using straight rye whiskey, a blend of fine vermouths, and top notch bitters".  My favourite cocktail - it would be nice to try this and find out how a real expert thinks it should be made; no compromising ingredients, here.

To finish, a quick supermarket bargain round-up and book selection.

The Co-op has a third off deal on selected whiskies, including the Glenmorangie 10 year-old at £22.36, and the Glenlivet 12, but the latter is almost almost a quid cheaper at Waitrose, who have the Glenlivet 18 yo £10 off at £28.65 - that's some great whisky at that price.

Sainsbury's website is much easier to find your way around, I think, and they have more whisky offers. including the Dalwhinnie 15 at a third off: £20.79.

Asda have some offers, the best of which is the underrated Aberlour 10 year old for £16. Another idea - it's not on offer - but Monkey Shoulder at a nudge over £20 is a little bit different. It's a "blended malt" - a marriage of malt whiskies from different distilleries. Its recent accolades include shortlisting in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2011.

But nobody wants to be a cheapskate on Father's Day, so if your budget runs to it, spend what you save at the supermarket on Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2011 on Amazon. You might decide after all, you wanted to buy the whisky Jim picked out as best of the year: Ballantine's 17 year old blended whisky.

Still on Amazon, if you're looking for a bigger present book, then Whisky Magazine editor, and head bloke at The Whisky Tasting Club, Dominic Roskrow has a lovely book about the best whiskies from around the world. He was obviously up all night thinking of a title: World's Best Whiskies 750 Unmissable Drams from Tennessee to Tokyo . No matter because it should be in any whisky aficionado's collection, especially as it's £17.34.

If whisky is not your Dad's thing, have a look at my post Some Beer Gift Ideas For Father's Day.

I know, there must be a way of writing about Swedish things that doesn't involve mentioning flat packing or the Fab Fyra. I mean, after all this time you'd have thought I would be tired of them. But how about Swedish malt whisky? Something new to balance things up. And brought live to you on Twitter.

Live tastings on Twitter - Twastings, in the vernacular (Twernacular?) are becoming a bit of a thing. This tasting of four Mackmyra malts is the fourth I've taken part in after Balblair, Old Putleney, and anCnoc. It's good for the distiller; it gets the brand name out there, and it's good for those taking part; it's really good to interact in the Twasting with people in the Twasting, across the world and exchange notes and views. Must be dull as hell for anybody not taking part.

Here's a potted recent history of whisky in relation to Sweden:

• Small population, massive interest in whisky.The average person's knowledge about whisky is far greater than in the UK.
• Sweden has loads of private whisky clubs and a whisky festival that has been going for more than 15 years.
• Mackmyra Distillery was founded as the first single malt distillery in Sweden, in 1999, in Gävle, a couple of hours drive north of Stockholm. Distilling began in earnest, a few years later.
• The first Mackmyra whisky went on sale in 2006. They do an "elegant" recipe, which is unpeated, and a smokey one, and use ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and Swedish new oak casks.

Mackmyra bottlings sell out fast in Sweden, and get very good ratings by Whisky Bible author Jim Murray and others, yet I still come across an odd attitude of snootiness among the normally knowledgeable Swedes. But with whisky there is still a heav bias to Scotch. The Japanese are doing serious damage to the received wisdom too. There's a world of whisky out there, and these four Mackmyra releases add to the reputation.

This is what we tried. More potting and condensing... Perhaps I should have limited my summaries to 140 characters each.

Mackmyra Brukswhisky 41.4% ABV
The aforementioned Jim Murray awarded this the prize of Top European Whisky in 2011 in his Whisky Bible. On Twitter, we thought it rich and citrus fruity, with cherries, pears and vanilla, and a definite hint of coconut, perhaps coconut suntan lotion. Peppery, warming. I thought it was a nice all-rounder: "Best after-breakfast whisky" I said. (With a heavy wink.)
Not available outside Sweden, yet (495 SEK).

Mackmyra Special 06: Sommaräng (Summer Meadow) 46.8% ABV
Fruit and flowers, as you might expect from the name. I also thought it had a mixture of fudges, some vanilla, some rum & raisin. Marzipan-topped sponge cake (Princess tårta). Very good balance, rich and elegant.
Limited edition released on May 02, and possibly available from specialist shops outside Sweden. Expect to pay about £60*.

Mackmyra Moment Jord (Earth) 55.1% ABV
This is a "very limited" edition release of 1470 bottles made from their unpeated (elegant) recipe, with some whiskies matured in cask that had once held Bordeaux wines. There are some vinous, perhaps port tinges. A complex, layered whisky that gets better if you let it sit in the glass a while. Teasing it apart, you might find "liqueur chocolates", "berry balsamic" according to my Twitter chums, and a luscious fruitiness balanced by a drying finish, if you are me.
If you ever find it, after it's August release, it will probably set you back about £100*.

Mackmyra Moment Drivved (Driftwood) 55.5% ABV
Another "very limited" release, containing the widest range of casks in any of these whiskies: some 7 year-old ex-bourbon refill casks, some smokey recipe casks, also ex-bourbon, and a "touch" of Swedish new oak matured whisky. Intense, dense fruitiness, luscious and stunningly smooth, even neat. The bourbon influence gives vanilla like some posh ice cream mixed with fruit compote and a slug of liqueur, sipped by the barbecue (for balance). "A few drops of water lessens the fruit and brings out the pepper", someone tweeted.
Also to be released in August, and the best whisky (for me) has the highest price: around £130*.

So, these are not cheap whiskies. Even the "everyday" Brukswhisky costs the equivalent of the Lagavulin 16 year-old. But I think it's a mistake to compare the prices to that of Scotch malts, or even Japanese whiskies. Remember too that limited editions that will always command a premium. If you compare to say, Scotch Malt Whisky Society or other independent bottlings, the price comparison makes more sense.

They are all very good whiskies, and the Drivved is one of the most enjoyable I've tasted in a good while. They're not about to turn up on the shelves at Waitrose, but Royal Mile Whiskies stocks Mackmyra. Or you could just book yourself a midsummer trip to Sweden, pop in to the nearest Bishops Arms and try a few. Your dram after midnight could be in the sunshine.

If only we'd thought a bit harder on Twitter and found some wild strawberries in the Special 06 and I could  have baulked the trend and finished on a Bergman reference!

* These prices are estimates based on the price quoted in Sweden

Links
The English version of the Mackmyra Website
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2011 award winners

The classic images to place alongside a whisky are ones of windswept moors or waves crashing into rocks. Whisky depicted as the drink to warm you beside a roaring fire; preferably reclining in your best Chesterfield, in the drawing room. Bit clichéd, isn't it?

Now, as much as I like the fiery pepper of a Talisker or the smouldering peat of an Ardbeg when a February chill gnaws at you the day after Spring seemed to pop its head out to say "Here I am!", aren't those standard images going to hamstring the sales of whisky when warmer days arrive?

Can we find something to suit Spring? Is there even such thing as a Summer dram? Of course! They're just not that easy to spot, but on this latest Twitter whisky tasting ("Twasting") of three anCnoc whiskies, I think we have contenders to drink alongside Vivaldi's best-known work.

The nice people at Edinburgh Whisky invited me and a dozen or so fellow bloggers, writers and enthusiasts from across Europe, North America and Israel to taste three whiskies from the Knockdhu distillery in Aberdeenshire. The occasion: to launch their latest "vintage", the anCnoc 1996. And to compare it with two of their more standard issue whiskies: the 12 year-old and the 16 year-old.

Ah! another Twasting to plug a new limited edition release from a lesser-known distillery, I hear you say. Why not? this is what Twitter is really good at.

Knochdhu You Know
Excuse me if Knockdhu has been your favourite distillery for years, but I think a little background, here. The distillery's name is Knockdhu (pr. knock-doo), yet the whiskies are "anCnoc" (pr. a-knock)? The renaming took place 1994, to avoid confusing Knockdhu with the similar sounding "Knockando" distillery. Sounds like a Friday afternoon decision, to me,

Gordon Bruce, the Knockdhu Distillery manager, who is @anCnoc_whisky on Twitter, joined us for the hour or so we were tasting and kicked things off with the 12 year old, bottled at 46% ABV, the same strength as the two other samples.

I don't normally go in for giving lots of tasting notes, because it's such a personal thing, but here I think you get these selected tweets give you a flavour of the event, although they are not necessarily consecutive. And may contain non-standard spelling.

The anCnoc 12 yo
@anCnoc: Lots of tweets for fruity notes: pears
...
Me: @CashewLater Yeah, banana and vanilla. If you're UK, Crunchie bars, anybody?
...
Me: @anCnoc_whisky Yes, it does really fall into the "elegant" category. Although what that is exactly, I find hard to define :-)
@WhiskyTasting: @maltjerry I agree with that. Almost the dividing line between Highland and Speyside right there. This is def Highland

The anCnoc 16 yo
Me: 16 yo less sweetly malty nose than 12 yo. @galg Yes even more grassy at first. Then white pepper
@DurhamFanDan: 16yo Nose. Lemons. Not just plain citrus though, but sherbet lemons!
Me: @DurhamFanDan Yes, sherbert lemons. Also, I love the idea of finding a summery whisky.
Me (about adding water): Threre is a spicy pepperiness I wasn't expecting this side of Talisker. No longer a summer dram for me, but hey, it's February!

The anCnoc 1996 46%
@OliverKlimek: The #anCnoc 1996 really has a dry sherry nose
Me: Somewhere between amontillado and fino?
@ScotchNoob: ...shortbread with stewed plums. Finish is savory.. copper pennies, browned steak, carmelized onions.
...
@Matlwhiskybar: I am thinking of Baked Beans. OK more complex but definitely some kind of spicy bean dish with meat.
Me: OK, cassoulet, then.

Four Seasons in an Hour
Tasting the anCnoc 16 year-old without water woke up my "looking for a summer whisky" mission; fresh and dry with a touch of gentle sweetness and spice. But one swallow does not a summer whisky make. And just like a Scottish Summer, a few drops of water can throw you back into a chilly spring day. The pepper and chili heat will see you through.

To call the fruits and sweetness of the gentler 12 year-old autumnal is perhaps a bit of a stretch, but it's luscious mouthfeel might suit a cooler day. But to keep it, I'd steer clear of adding any water. This seemed such a different dram to the 16; it seemed they were from different distilleries.

Adding water to the anCnoc 1996, suddenly I could see the gap between the 16 and the 12 year olds.
The 1996 had some of the most surprising comments about flavour and smell I've read in a while. But if cassoulet, copper pennies and peanut butter sound odd things to have "in" your whisky, save it for winter to sip with a warming stew.

Links and extras
If you want to see all the notes, comments and links to other write-ups of the this Twasting, search on Twitter for #anCnoc.
http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23ancnoc
The anCnoc website: http://www.ancnoc.com/#doc-ancnoc

Delighted to be invited by @EdinburghWhisky to take part in a whisky tasting on Twitter - a Twasting in the parlance. The purpose is to launch the new Old Pulteney limited edition bottling WK209 with the help of a number of whisky bloggers. It's an interesting approach; 15 or so enthusiasts are sent some samples in advance, and at the appointed hour, we break the seal on each successive miniature and nose and taste away, searching to express our findings in fewer than 140 characters a time.
Tonight, we've even got Malcolm Waring, distillery manager at Old Putleney on board. A twitter newbie. We'll be gentle, won't we?

It's fast-paced and fun. The advantage for the brand is the amount of Twitter traffic it generates brings the subject unavoidably to the attention of the followers of everyone taking part. If you're really lucky, your subject will 'trend', showing up on the radar of all Twitterers, potentially.

Old Pulteney is the most northerly Distillery on mainland Britain and one that deserves to be more widely known. The first sample is the 12 year-old, a sweetish toffee-nosed malty, fruity dram boosted by a salty marine tang and an umami backbone that's part dark toffee and part burnt bits off the bottom of a roasting tin.
An oily and bracing whisky for the January chill.

The 17 year-old is a touch more refined, with elegant aromas of sandalwood, vanilla and fudge from the casks and some tropical fruits almost like the 12. It's still a mouth filling dram, and the elegance on the nose is added to on the palate by powdered ginger and some chilli heat. Very good indeed.

So far, according to plan, and then the whisky that is the point of all this. The Twitter feed slows as (I suspect) the collected minds figure out how to tell the Distillery manager we don't like his baby's nose? I offer ' I prefer the palate to the nose'. I get a Re-tweet from @sjoerd for that - perhaps as if a sigh of relief.

It is though, an odd set of aromas for a purely sherry-cask whisky. More port than sherry and a touch of the dreaded rubber. And then I add a few drops of water and go back to safe ground: the 17. I return to the WK209 to compare, and something has happened; the party balloon smell has gone and the real party has started. Christmas spices cloves and nutmeg, and mellow dried fruits like dates and raisins.

My Twitter ideas have dried too as I get lost in the whisky. Now I understand why this is a special edition! It's as individual as the fishing boat it's named after, but the catch is very rewarding if you can afford the time. As Malcolm tweets, this is a fireside dram for a night in. It draws you in and holds you in and rapt attention. Lovely, but it's not on sale yet, and as it's limited to 1,600 cases, it probably won't appear in supermarket specials at Christmas. If you can't find it, I suggest the 17 year-old.

The small amount of info that has been passed fit for pre-release says the WK209 is unchill-fitered, bottled at 46% ABV from European sherry casks. It is named after a steam Herring Drifter WK209 'Good Hope' built in Wick in 1948, and follows a previous highly-successful limited-edition release named WK499 'Isabella Fortuna, which was a "travel retail offering". Giving us a big clue to the availability of the WK209.

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Many thanks to Malcolm Waring at Old Pulteney for being a good sport and providing insights into his whisky and distilling.

Read about the history of the Old Pulteney distillery from their website
Follow Malcolm Waring, the Old Pulteney distillery manager on Twitter: @Malcolm_Waring

Special thanks also to Lucas from the Edinburgh Whisky blog for inviting me to take part in this Twasting.

Follow Lucas and Chris on their blog: http://www.edinburghwhiskyblog.com/
and on Twiter: @EdinburghWhisky

We called it a Burns Night Supper, even if it was a couple of weeks early. If you think about it, in all those Christmas cookery specials we've just been bombarded with Delia, Rick, Nigella, Jamie and Hugh, they had their decorations up in June, so a fortnight ahead of time hardly seems like cheating. Maltjerry's Burns Night Whisky Dinner, then.

I was trying to remember why I like Burns Night so much. Not because of any Celtic connection (my father was born in Newport, Wales). Is it the haggis? Because it can't have always been the whisky. I have liked haggis as long as I can remember, but I can remember specifically my conversion to whisky. My Dad liked scotch, usually a blend: Bells, Teachers or Famous Grouse, and always drank it fifty-fifty with water. I couldn't see the point of the stuff. And then I found Laphroaig.

How I became Maltjerry, The Beginning
I was out with a friend looking for a pub, probably jobless after graduation, surely not even aware that it was Burns Night until spying a chalkboard outside a pub in Battersea, we spotted a sign: "Burns Night: Laphroaig Malt Whisky, 2 for 1". Well, you know what parsimonious recent graduates are like; that's a free drink in anybody's book. We went in. Never let anyone tell you that big, peated whiskies are not for beginners.

Nothing had prepared me for the smoky, medicinal and hugely-flavoured peat bomb we were offered. I knew about malt whisky because of the occasional Glenfiddich that came out at Christmas, but this was a different planet. How could it even be remotely related to Dad's tipple? A switch had flipped in me. There must be something in this whisky thing after all. It's partly down to the realisation - whisky is a very broad church, that I'm so keen to make new converts; I'm convinced there is a whisky for everyone. Burns Nights were never the same.

Now, I like Burns Night because of the whisky. Of course, I can drink whisky whenever I want, but Burns night offers a couple of opportunities that don't present themselves very often. The traditional supper is one of the few times you get to drink whisky with a meal. More importantly, it is also one of the few times you get to legitimately have a go at persuading non-whisky lovers. I'm still pretty keen on the haggis, too.

A whisky dinner is born
Fast forward to the beginning of December, and dinner at friends. Conversation got around to this blog and my interest in whisky. Gill our host, was looking for a something of a treat for her father on his upcoming visit to the UK. Both originally from Scotland, the father with an interest in malts. She asked me if I'd do a tasting for them and a few friends in January. 

Whisky tastings are a bit tricky to organise, and unless you already have a few different bottles, they can be an expensive way of finding out what you don't like. I had just the solution: the Master of Malt samples.You might have read in one of the  'Tis the season to Buy Whisky posts that Master of Malt.com sell 3 cl samples of whiskies. These are not just your average miniatures; these are very cute, wax-sealed sample bottles taken from some very interesting (and varied) whisky bottlings.

Gill's Dad made the selection from the website: Eight Islay malts and a Talisker with four of those small sample bottles for each whisky selection. Plenty of whisky to share between eight Pre-Burns Night revellers. They're pretty cute, aren't they?

I learn most about whiskies when I sample more than one together, and I've found this holds true for people not used to drinking whisky. All well and good if you have plenty of glasses. At the very least, if you've got enough for two samples each, side-by-side, you're away. I've amassed a veritable hoard, as MaltCim will no doubt attest to.

One further ingredient for an authentic Burns supper: at least one genuine Scot. It gives a certain gravitas to Burns' Selkirk Grace to start the meal, and of course, the Address to the Haggis. If a member of the Scottish diaspora is not to hand, there's always Google Translate. A German whisky friend told me he used Google translate to help him with his last Burns supper. The translation of with it's "Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!" to German and back into English was rendered as "Fuhrer of the sausage people". 

Sláinte!
We tasted - drank - the whiskies as part of the meal. It was a dinner with friends and family, after all, and not a tasting with converted enthusiasts. I interjected occasionally with snippets of info about what we were drinking, and most importantly, asked for opinions.

This is how it went:

Scottish smoked salmon with:

1                    Bruichladdich (distillery), Age: 15 year-old, Alchemist (bottling)

2                    Bruichladdich, 19 year-old, 1989 Black Art

Haggis, neeps and tatties with:

3                    Bowmore, 26 year-old, Master of Malt, Single Cask

4                    Bowmore, 7 year-old, 2002 Murray McDavid

Crannachan, which at some point involved:

5                    Laphroaig, 11 year-old, Duthies WM Cadenhead

6                    Laphroaig, 16 year-old, 1992 Old Malt Cask Douglas Laing

7                    Laphroaig, 19 year-old, 1990 Cask Strength 89 Collection Signatory

Cheese and:

8                    Bunnahabhain, 12, 1997 Signatory Heavily Peated Casks 5342 & 5484 - Cask Strength Collection

The verdict
The 15 year-old Bruichladdich beat its older, paler sister and neither was peaty.  Not surprisingly, the 26 year-old Bowmore received greater praise than the 7 year-old: lots of perfumed smoke, but elegant and not overpowering. Tasting the Laphroaigs together was "instructive", even for those not so keen as your convert blogger. I think the 19 year-old Signatory bottling got as many votes as the 16 year-old Old Malt Cask. The briny, medicinal Bunnahabhain in this heavily peated version, I thought was a revelation.

Even if we didn't have the benefit of cameras for recording the events for broadcast on the real Burns Night, I hope you have enough encouragement to do something similar.

Here are the resources:

Islay whisky tasting set from MasterOfMalt.com

Burns Night info, including Selkirk Grace and Address to the Haggis, with Scots translations on Wikipedia.

Whisky tasting glasses from the Whisky Exchange.

Smoked salmon, haggis, neeps and tatties all available from Waitrose.
They're veggie haggis is also very good, if a little oxymoronic.

For those outside Scotland, where you recruit a member of the Scots diaspora, I can't help you with.

"... and for his Posterous blog, the Runner-up award for Best Online Communication goes to Maltjerry, otherwise known as Jerry Bartlett". Pete Brown said these words. Not just any-old Pete Brown either. This one was the head judge in the Beer Writer of the Year competition for the  British Guild of Beer Writers, and outgoing Beer Writer of the Year 2009-10.

It was quite easily my favourite combinations of words spoken or written in the whole of 2010 - and Pete has had some really interesting things to say, this year. Not that I won the highest prize, but to come from nowhere to this recognition for my blog made me very happy. Allow me this small moment of indulgence, and I promise I won't be Beer Witterer of 2011.

Lists of beers and whiskies of the year don't hold the same fascination for me as lists of best films or CDs, so instead, here are some of my event highlights of 2010.

The Euston Tap opened in London (just outside Euston Station). This was the latest in a growing number of outlets dedicated to craft beers of different styles - not just traditional cask ales. I wrote when it opened that it represented a step forward for beer culture in the UK, because of the possible exposure to a non-beer-geek audience. I still think that is right, but it has a fair way to go to catch up with the excellent Rake Bar at Borough Market, or indeed the Bishops Arms chain in Sweden. Admittedly, it is not as bedded in.

I was at The Euston Tap on the afternoon the Arsenal vs. Blackpool match fell victim to the snow. The handful of football-deprived Arsenal fans, was just that - a handful for the the understaffed session. How would you answer requests for "a lager" when you have on offer of the finest examples of the style known to beerkind? But this presents an opportunity, which is exactly why the Euston Tap is such an important place for improving our beer culture (!) for the better.

The most satisfying beer moment for me occurred at Borough Market, but not at the Rake, but Brew Wharf, where I took a gang of my former Antarctic travelling companions. This pub and restaurant in the modern craft beer style, where the menu suggests a beer match for every item on the menu; yes, even desserts. Matching different beer styles to different foods really does engage the interest of people who might otherwise drink wine with a meal. Susanne, the 19 year-old daughter of Aussie friends provided me with my beer moment for 2010 by saying, "I had no idea that beer could be so flavourful or varied." I will spend more time on the subject of beer with food in the coming year.

The Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival in September was probably the best yet. I was a jury member in the whisky competition for the 15th year, tasting a taste-bud-challenging number of whiskies - over 300, a number I hope will be reduced significantly next time out. We still had enough taste to pick a cracking bunch of winners. The festival itself was a triumph for Swedish microbreweries; their room was packed to the rafters almost every session.

Edinburgh provided my other whisky highlight. I was there with friends who share a love of the music of 70s progressive rock legends Gentle Giant. I took along a bottle of Talisker 1993 Distillers Edition to share in the hospitality suite. A total delight for me to be able to turn a fair few people on to the delights of malt whisky, including drummer John "Pugwash" Weathers. On our tour of Tullibardine distillery, it was Mr Weathers who thought his way through to the origins of the Irish word for moonshine: poteen.  

I'll leave the post for what to expect in 2011 to another day. Meanwhile, here's some links for you.

Pete Brown writes about Stella Black. This rant about a new beer from the makers of Stella Artois still makes me laugh.
The Rake Bar blog
The Beer Sweden blog has dinner with Garret Oliver, the foremost expert in matching beer with food.

If you're quick, you might just get your ChristmasWhis order in for whisky from two fab online whisky retailers:
Royal Mile Whiskies and Master of Malt. Although word out is midday 22nd December for last orders, it would be advisable to check with them by phone before ordering.

Royal Mile Whiskies is a multi-award winning whisky shop with two outlets I know of (Edinburgh and London) and an excellent website. It doesn't always compete on price with the supermarkets if you are after standard bottlings, but is practically unbeatable for the specialist and unusual whiskies. The staff are extremely knowledgeable, and are always keen to help. They have a wide range of gifts and accessories for the whisky aficionado and newbie alike.

I quite fancy this gift pack of 2 20cl Caol Ila Islay malts £39.95 + post and packaging.
(Pronounced: "cull ee-lah". Well, near enough.)

Master of Malt have a genius idea: whisky tasting sets. These are different selections of 15ml (and 30ml) sampling bottles. Ideal try-before-you-buy, or for a DIY tasting evening.

Here are some examples:

I'm very tempted by this: