News » Whisky Squad

Tastings for February

Jan 152012

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.

Burns Night at The Gunmakers

News, Upcoming events No Responses »

Jan 092012

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

***

Scottish wild, smoked salmon on brown toast.

***

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.

***

Cranachan.

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

***

Scottish cheeses with oatcakes.

To be enjoyed with even more whisky.

***

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

A brace of excellent new sessions to start off 2012!

News, Upcoming events No Responses »

Dec 182011

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.).

Whisky Squad #26 – Whisky Surprise!

News, Upcoming events 2 Responses »

Oct 312011

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.

Whisky Squad Christmas Dinner!

News, Upcoming events 1 Response »

Oct 312011

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.

Hairy top lips for a good cause: Movember

News No Responses »

Oct 272011

Chances are you haven’t missed the recent flurry of emails and tweets heralding the imminent beginning of MOVEMBER – the mens’ health charity drive which sees lots of silly moustaches grown in aid of raising funds and awareness, and once again Whisky Squad is supporting the initiative all the way!

How can you help?

1) Participate

All you need to do is grow a silly moustache for a month, and ask people to fling sponsorship money at you! Couldn’t be easier or more fun! And at the end of the month you’ll be the envy of your peers – sporting a smart bristly tache, and having made a valuable contribution to mens’ health charities!

As well as all that excellence, the Movember movement offer incentives for fundraising, prizes, and opportunities to attend exclusive Movember events. For instance, for people who raise over £25 will be eligible for a free Byron Burger every day from Movember 7th!

To get on board, sign up on the Movember site, and when it asks you to join a Team, enter “Whisky4Movember”.

2) Donate

If you’ve got a doctor’s note that says you’re not allowed to grow a moustache, or your Witness Protection Program strategy hinges on the fact that you don’t (the ONLY 2 real excuses for not participating – lets be honest), then why not make a donation – either to the members of the Whisky4Movember team (currently Billy, Charly, Andy, Jason, and Captain Darren – Alan’s also doing it, although he managed to somehow get himself signed up with a different team), or make a donation to the team as a whole?

3) Support Whisky4Movember

As if that wasn’t enough moustache- related fun, Whisky4Movember will ALSO be running whisky tastings and other events throughout the month. Keep your eyes on the Whisky4Movember website, Facebook Page, and Twitter feed (@whisky4movember) for more info.

4) Buy a bottle of Whisky4Movember Whisky for Movember!

Once again the team over at Master of Malt are supporting the charity effort, and they’ve arranged for an Official Movember Bottling by the Glenfarclas Distillery. It’ll be available to buy online as of Movember 1st, and they’ll go like hotcakes.

Don’t just do it for your conscience, for the free burgers, or even to rid the world of prostate cancer – do it so people you know and respect have to go to work with ludicrous facial hair for a whole month.

A handy place to find whisky bargains!

News No Responses »

Oct 172011

As if not already content with having created the world’s first and finest whisky-based social network, those wacky web wizards over at Connosr.com have now cooked up what one can only be described as “a splendid web thing”.

Whiskymarketplace.com is their new shiny one-stop whisky search engine!

Feeding from the websites of a (growing) number of the UK’s finest whisky retailers, this excellent tool allows you to quickly and easily find nearly any whisky you might be looking for, as well as comparing prices. You can filter by retailer (if you already know you’re mainly interested in one or two of them), by age statement, by price boundaries, or the Advanced Search gives you even more to play with.

Helpfully, if any of the whiskies listed in your search appear in the Connosr reviews database, then a link to that review is also provided – if you’re having trouble making your mind up on a whisky, it’s often a helpful thing to have!

The really cool bit though, I reckon, is that you can link to particular searches… for example:

As well as just endlessly pre-rolling searches, there’s also a feature to peruse whisky that’s on special offer.

And if you’re short on inspiration or ideas, there’s tools at the top & bottom of the screen to help you through making your choices.

Once you’ve found the whisky you want, clicking the link takes you through to the retailer’s site, and you can get on with the business of buying the thing!

Have a go – it’s neat.

November’s Whisky Squad Sessions – Smoke & Moustaches

News, Upcoming events No Responses »

Oct 122011

Surely it’s not November already? Well, no, not quite – but we ARE telling you about the tasting sessions (yes, PLURAL!) that are coming up. And they look like a couple of absolute rippers.

Whisky Squad #23 – “The Smoking Section”

Thursday November 3rd @ The Red Lion, Crown Passage, St James’s

One thing which we haven’t really done at Whisky Squad is let loose in the smoky peaty department. Sure, we’ve had the odd bottle in a lineup, but nothing to really satisfy the Peat Freaks. Even our Islay session back in 2010 had a non-peated and a lightly peated bottle. Well, session #23 is all set to make amends for that.

This session will take us around a nice selection of fire-shovel-lickin’ goodness, hopefully with a couple of nice surprises in amongst it all. Although it must be said – if your tastebuds aren’t aligned in this direction it may be a bit of a challenge. But giving things a go is the Whisky Squad way, so as always – all are welcome!

Whisky Squad #23 has been moved to a new venue – The Red Lion, in Crown Passage. But it’s still on Thursday November 3rd, and the will be led by everyone’s favourite Novocastrian, Darren “The Whisky Guy” Rook.

Whisky Squad #23 booking form.

£15 per person, payable in advance (as usual).

And of course, being November, that can mean only one thing:

Whisky Squad #24 – “Whisky 4 Movember”

Tuesday November 22nd @ a secret central London venue

Based on the outstanding success of last year’s Movember fundraising effort (and a fine brace of ‘Squad moustaches, to be sure!), once again Whisky Squad is embracing the Whisky4Movember movement, and the second session for the month will feature this year’s special Movember bottling (thanks to the efforts of the folks at Master of Malt), as well as a selection of other excellent whiskies pertaining to the theme – with funds raised going towards the Movember charity.

The venue for this session will be announced once you’ve booked your spot, however it’s not far from our usual location so no special travel plans will be necessary. We’ve been extremely lucky to secure the use of this venue, so it’ll be a bit of a treat.

If you join the Whisky4Movember fundraising team and raise at least £50 your ticket for this tasting will be £10 – otherwise it’s the usual £15 per person.

Whisky Squad #24 booking form. (this event is now fully booked)

Bookings for both of these excellent sessions will open at around 18:00 on Friday October 14th, and as always operate on a first in / first serve basis.

We’d ask that you select one of the sessions for the month, so that more people get a chance to get a spot. If you get a spot at one tasting and want to come to the other I can put you on the reserve list.

December Sessions: Advance Notice

Because the end of the year gets a bit crazy, we’re getting in a little ahead of time – there will be 2 Whisky Squad events, which we’ll open for bookings on October 31st.

Thursday December 8th – Whisky Squad #25 – The Whisky Squad Christmas Dinner – £45 per head
Tuesday December 20th – Whisky Squad #25a – Whisky Surprise! – free, but bring a bottle to share

More information on these posted here soon…

Whisky? Basingstoke? Saturday? Yes please!

News No Responses »

Sep 192011

If anyone’s at a loose end on Saturday September 24th, can get to Basingstoke, and has a passion for excellent whisky, then hasten ye away there – for the Berry Brothers & Rudd Bin End Shop is holding Whisky Saturday – with masterclasses hosted by our excellent chum, Mr Rob Whitehead.

And there’s some free masterclasses, too!

11am-12pm Four Decades of Berrys’ Own Selection Scotch Whisky
12.30pm-1.30pm Three Continents of Whisky
2pm-3pm Four Decades of Berrys’ Own Selection Scotch Whisky

Get into it.

Berry Bros. & Rudd – Bin End Shop
Hamilton Close, Houndmills
Basingstoke RG21 6YB
Hampshire
Telephone 0800 280 2440

Of course, if you can’t make it out to Basingstoke….

Then you’re a bit spoiled for choice this weekend, because there’s also (as mentioned previous-wise) Pure Festival!

Whisky Squad #22 – “Well there’s something you don’t see every day!” (fully booked)

News, Upcoming events No Responses »

Sep 142011

The last Whisky Squad session met with such a cavalcade of enthusiasm that we’ve decided to put a second one on in October – to allow people who didn’t get a chance to get a spot in, as well as to give some new people who’ve never been an opportunity to check out the fun of Whisky Squad.

To that end, Whisky Squad #22 will take place on

Tuesday October 18th

at our usual time & place of 7:30pm, upstairs at The Gunmakers pub in Clerkenwell. (note: not a Thursday!)

The whisky theme for this month is:

“Now there’s something you don’t see every day!”

Whisky Squad member, budding whisky guru & qualified Scotsman Jonny McMillan will be leading this session – Jonny’s enthusiasm, knowledge & experience have found him leading tasting groups for WM Cadenhead: an independent bottler & spirit merchant with a history stretching back to the early 1840s, and whose bottlings are highly regarded and sought after by collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Click here to go to the booking form.

The cost is £15 per head, payable in advance (once you fill in the booking form, we’ll be in touch).

Note: Preference will be given to people who don’t already have a seat in Whisky Squad #21. By all means, still put your name down if you’re interested, and I’ll try to get as many in as I can.

As with all Whisky Squad sessions – all are welcome, and it makes no difference if you’re new to tasting whisky, have a collection at home, or have been a master distiller for 40 years.

Spaces are strictly limited, so I’m afraid it’s first come, first serve.

Older Entries

Tastings for February

Whisky Squad #29 – “Hi, Society”

Whisky Squad #30 – “The Management Present…”

Burns Night at The Gunmakers

T H E G U N M A K E R S

A traditional
Burns’ Night Supper

A brace of excellent new sessions to start off 2012!

Whisky Squad #26 – Whisky Surprise!

The Whisky Surprise Booking Form

Whisky Squad Christmas Dinner!

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