Irish whiskey, as Wikipedia helpfully explains, is ‘whiskey made in Ireland’.

But what does it taste like?  That’s where Whisk(e)y Squad comes in. Thus far we’ve done plenty of Scotland and a bit of Japan, America, and even Australia, so our first sessions dedicated to the Emerald Isle are well overdue.

Joining us for our first Irish session on Thursday March 1 will be Whisky Squad regular and drinks industry veteran Tim Forbes.

Make your booking & get more info using the Whisky Squad 31 booking form. (this session is now fully booked)

Then, later in the month on Thursday March 15, we are most excited to welcome Cathal Murphy, brand ambassador for Cooley Whiskey.

Bookings & info are on the Whisky Squad 32 form thingo. (this session is now fully booked)

What could be more exciting than announcing the opening of bookings for our 2 Whisky Squad tastings in February?  NOTHING!  That’s why that’s what this post is about…

In addition to the now sold-out Blending School afternoon on February 25th, we now have our regularly scheduled 2 Whisky Squad sessions:

Whisky Squad #29 – “Hi, Society”

After all this time, we’ve not yet had an actual proper tasting of the wondrous Single Cask offerings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at the SMWS clubrooms in Farringdon.  Well, all that’s about to change with this tasting – promises to be a memorable voyage through flavour country.  If you’re new to whisky, or have tried a few single malts but are yet to discover what single-cask has to offer, then this is the ideal session for you.

To take us through the whiskies we’re honoured to have John McCheyne – SMWS Ambassador.

Click here for more info, or to book your space at Whisky Squad #29. (this session is now fully booked)

£15 per head, taking place at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society clubrooms. 

Whisky Squad #30 – “The Management Present…”

After some of the obscure corners of the whisky world that we’ve probed in recent months, we thought it might be a good idea to have a look at some of the great whiskies we’ve discovered since getting involved in this hobby of ours, so for session #30 Andy, Billy and Jason will be presenting to the group a couple of their favourite drams each.

Will their selections be predictable?  Or will they be obscure nuggets of whisky esoterica unearthed from random little shops?

Click here for more info, or to book your space at Whisky Squad #30. (this session is now fully booked)

£15 per head, at The Gunmakers.

Whisky Squad sessions are designed to be informative and informal, with a chance to taste a range of different whiskies and learn a bit more about our own flavour preferences.  Anyone who’s enthusiastic about tasting or learning about whisky is welcome, irrespective of your background on the topic.

Given that we love whisky, Scottish stuff, and The Gunmakers, this seems an entirely relevant piece of information -

Wednesday 25th January 2012 - 7.30pm

T H E   G U N M A K E R S

presents

A traditional
Burns’ Night Supper

All-inclusive tickets to be purchased in advance at £48 per person.

Includes four courses, whisky supplied by The Whisky Squad and freeflowing claret from Berry Brothers & Rudd.

MENU

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Scottish wild, smoked salmon on brown toast.

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Haggis, neeps and tatties.

The haggis will be addressed by Mr R. A. Ollerhead, and toasted with a
fine whisky chosen by The Whisky Squad’s Mr J. B. Standing.

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Cranachan.

A traditional pudding of oatmeal soaked in whisky, cream, honey and
raspberries.

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Scottish cheeses with oatcakes.

To be enjoyed with even more whisky.

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And after dinner, if you’re lucky, someone might do a wee turn…

Availability

Our Burns’ Supper will be limited to 15 places in total, and will be held in our
newly renovated private dining room. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

You can do so in person at the pub or over the telephone (0207 278 1022). Any queries
should be addressed via email to info@thegunmakers.co.uk

13 Eyre Street Hill
Clerkenwell EC1R 5ET
Telephone: 020 7278 1022
Email: info@thegunmakers.co.uk

Click to download this information in PDF format

We’re kicking off the new year at Whisky Squad (London’s friendliest casual whisky tasting group) with a selection of very interesting sessions indeed, which are not to be missed!  And, happily, the first one’s so close to New Year’s that work probably won’t have gotten too intense and you can relax about sampling whisky on a school night.

Wednesday January 4th, 19:00 – In our 27th tasting session, we’ll be heading into the historical and prestigious building that houses London’s famous wine merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd for what promises to be an interesting and unique evening for 2 reasons – it’s in PITCH DARKNESS, and the tasting will be led by Mr Robert Whitehead (Berry Brothers & Rudd’s spirits specialist).  Click here to access the booking form for the tasting known as “The Third Sense” (this session is now fully booked).

Thursday January 19th, 19:30 – Session number 28 will depart slightly from our usual remit of sampling Scotch Whisky.  As we’ve seen, there’s a whole world of whisky out there to try, and for this session we’re going to be taken on a global tour by our very own Mr Billy Abbott, and we shall be holding this tasting in the magnificent upstairs private room at Albannach on Trafalgar Square.  Book for “Sippin’ Global”. (this session is also now fully booked).

And, as a bit of a special extra treat, we’ve arranged a Saturday event in February as well!

Saturday February 25th, 14:00 – Blending whisky is an art form, and nobody has proved themselves to be an exponent of this art more than Compass Box Whisky Company.  So we are very privileged to have been invited to their Chiswick headquarters for an afternoon of BLENDING SCHOOL.  A session surely not to be missed.  Click here to book. (And, so’s this one!  All booked up now.).

Following the success of Whisky Squad 8a last December, we’re finishing the year with another Bring Your Own Whisky night – albeit somewhat more sensibly than last time.

Tuesday December 20th, 19:30 at The Gunmakers

No entry fee, but participants are asked to bring a bottle of whisky to share with the group.  We’ll have measures on hand so you’ll go home with most of your bottle still intact.

The idea is for people to be able to share with the group an interesting whisky that they like.  If you know a bit about the bottling, then all the better.  However this tends to be (i.e. by the example set last year) one of our least-formal evenings.

There’s no “rules” or minimum value of what you should bring – essentially just bring a bottle that you’d happily share with the Squad.  Please don’t go out and drop £300 on a Port Ellen for the night… unless of course you really, really want to.

We’ll also be collecting donations for the FareShare charity so we can try & make somebody’s Christmas a little more bearable.

As usual, the tasting will be conducted as a blind tasting.

The Whisky Surprise Booking Form

Whisky Squad is London’s friendliest & most casual whisky tasting night, and whisky enthusiasts (or people who fancy finding out a bit more about whisky) of all levels are welcome to join us.

Thursday December 8th will be a day spoken of in whispered tones of awe, for it is the date of the 2011 Whisky Squad Christmas Dinner and Quiz Spectacular!

£45 per person gets you a seat in the private rear suite at The Gunmakers (Clerkenwell’s finest public house), to enjoy a sumptuous 3 course meal prepared by the house chefs plus a pint of beer or glass of prosecco upon arrival!  And of course as it’s Whisky Squad, we’ll be enjoying a brace of specially selected whiskies to complement the cuisine.

And as if that weren’t enough reason to sign up immediately, the dinner and tasting will also be accompanied by the famous Whisky Squad Christmas Quiz!  And everyone knows that a quiz means PRIZES!

This year’s menu choices are as follows:

Duck liver pate with a balsamic reduction, figs and toast
Spinach and mushroom soup
Goat cheese with pears poached in port wine

~oOo~

Half a pheasant with redcurrant and madeira gravy, chestnuts, pancetta, roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips
Shin of beef braised in ale with roast potatoes, beetroot, Savoy cabbage and red onion gravy
Lemon sole with beurre blanc and leek and potato mash
Luxurious Christmas nut roast with gravy, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips and sprouts

~oOo~

A selection of British cheeses with biscuits and grapes
Christmas pudding with brandy butter
Chocolate and beetroot cake with cream

To secure your place – please fill out

The Whisky Squad Christmas Dinner Booking Form (this event is now fully booked)

and follow the payment instructions that you receive by email.

Whisky Squad is London’s friendliest & most casual whisky tasting night, and whisky enthusiasts (or people who fancy finding out a bit more about whisky) of all levels are welcome to join us.