Allotment Drams - Label 5 Gold Heritage & Jameson Triple Triple

We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram series to share. Watch the latest videos as Matt firstly talks about the Label 5 Gold Heritage, a blended Scotch whisky produced by La Martiniquaise, followed by the Jameson Triple Triple, a travel retail exclsuive whiskey from the famous Irish brand.

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Allotment Dram - Balcones Baby Blue

Matt samples Balcones Baby Blue as his allotment dram on another warm May afternoon. Hear his thoughts, tasting notes and a bit of background about the 100% Texan blue corn whisky and the distillery in Waco, Texas. For further information on Balcones and their whiskies, please go to www.balconesdistilling.com.

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Distillery Visit - Clydeside

Visiting a distillery for the first time and adding it to our list is always exciting. But when that distillery is new and has just started production, then it is even more exciting. This was the case when Matt paid a visit to the Clydeside distillery in Glasgow and was given a tour of their state-of-the-art facilities that are pulling whisky fans down to the banks of the River Clyde.

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From the moment you approach the Clydeside, you cannot help but be impressed. Walking along the River Clyde from the centre of Glasgow takes you passed the modern architecture of the SSE Hydro complex and the disused Finnieston Crane, a true ghost of Glasgow's maritime past. Soon afterwards the distillery appears around a curve in the river.

Distillery Visit - Balcones

The Balcones distillery was ahead of its time and helped to kick off the craft distilling boom in the United States. They have also helped to put American single malt and Texan whisky on the map. Now the distillery is celebrating its 10th anniversary and Matt was invited over for a special tour.

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It seems difficult to imagine the spirits scene without any small artisanal distillers. However, this current landscape is very different to that of a decade ago when we first began writing Whisky For Everyone. The American whiskey sector was dominated by a limited number of major players and in our UK market there seemed little choice.

Distillery Visit - Westland

The Westland distillery is located in the SoDo district of Seattle in the west coast American state of Washington. It was established by Matt Hoffman in 2010, who wanted to set up a craft distillery near to his home town of Tacoma following a period of studying brewing and distilling at Herriott Watt University in Edinburgh. Westland has recently been taken over by drinks company Remy Cointreau.

Washington has a vibrant craft brewing and distilling community. Washington and neighbouring Oregon are two of the major barley and hop growing areas in the world, which has driven this growth and vibrancy. The state also has a temperate climate and this is perfect for whiskey maturation.