My first ever whisky would have been your standard pub fodder, probably a Famous Grouse or something, I enjoyed it well enough but that was where it ended.  Then back in 2003 myself and a friend happened to be in Royal Mile Whiskies trying a few drams, when they happened to mention that the Whisky Fringe was happening that afternoon and would we like to buy some tickets (yup remember the days you could just buy tickets on the day), seemed like a great deal, £15 for 40 stalls and you could have as much as you wanted, now that’s my kind of maths.

I was blown away by the amazing venue and headed to the first stall, not having any whisky knowledge I was steered in the direction of “light, floral, sweet” whisky, which really wasn’t my style at all, then by chance I stumbled upon one of the Islay stalls (I can’t remember which one, this is lost in the midst of time, I’m afraid), the gentleman was very much an Ileach and told me to give a dram a go, he said that I would love it and that it smelled like a bonfire in a glass, I remember saying that I knew I wouldn’t like it, as I am not a smoker, but he was insistent I at least try it, and I am so glad he did, because right there started my whisky love affair, I’ve learnt to love the more gentle drams but will always favour the “Peat Monsters”.

I spent many years working with the legal field and quite often a bottle of single malt would be handed in as a thank you (don’t you just love corporate law) and that gave me an opportunity to try some more niche whisky.

I spent the next years enjoying the occasional dram, mainly by myself, before I got a twitter account and way lucky enough to be selected for a few Tweet Tastings and with this my knowledge and my palate grew.  From there I stumbled upon a whisky club which just happened to be run by Stewart Craigon and there everything changed.  I soon became more involved within the club and was made a co-runner.  We then turned our attentions to the twitter account and have worked hard to gain followers, from the new to whisky, to bloggers, industry insiders and distilleries and distillery managers themselves.

We attended some great festivals, whisky tasting clubs and some wonderful industry events.

Wanting to turn our passion into something a little more, I had a great conversation with the very lovely Alwynne (best known as Miss Whisky) who took time out of her very busy schedule to give me some invaluable help and advice, and after a long chat with Stewart, we decided to start our own blog!

So here it is, our blog, we will review whiskies, hopefully attend more whisky events or tweet tastings, share any whisky knowledge we have along the way, and no doubt learn so much more than I thought possible, but most importantly have fun!

Whisky is there to be enjoyed, you can become a whisky buff or just someone who enjoys a dram. Whatever you do, try as many single malts, blends, grains etc. as you can and see what “your” style is.

Sláinte

Twitter:@KirstyClarke29 – @WhiskyCorner

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