I don't suppose you're reading this to know more about my biological research on fruit flies, immune systems and gene chips, so I'll stick to whisky-related stuff. I was introduced to single malts by a friend of mine, Christine Müller, when I had just moved to England for a research job at Imperial College. Christine was to be my office mate at Imperial and soon after I had settled in she invited me for dinner. After the food she asked whether I drank whisky and put three bottles on the table. At that time, my whisky experience was limited to the occasional blended Scotch and the term 'single malt' had no meaning for me. One of the three bottles on the table was a Lagavulin 16 y.o. and Christine said it was something special. So I poured myself some of that and the rest, as they say, is history.

I was amazed at the depth of flavour, the smoke, the peat; Lagavulin will always be a special dram to me. Got myself a copy of Michael Jackson's "Companion", got a few bottles from different regions and then the whole thing took off. Besides whisky itself, I am also very interested in the history of (whisky) distillation, in the British Isles and worldwide. I like to get off the beaten track and taste malt whiskies from countries other than Scotland and Ireland. Also, it's a bit of a sport for me trying to get my hands on the most obscure and unusual 'whiskies' this wee planet has to offer .... Laotian Snake Whisky anyone?.

(*) My other passions include: bird watching, origin and history of chess (and other members of the chess-family) and, last but not least, Irma (no, you won't get more details, except that she's not oriental).

(**) Claims to fame: editor of "Celtic Spirit", having 'Drammed My Age' and having written the first ever official tasting notes of Laotian Snake Whisky (!)

E-pistle #11/02  -  New World, new malt family
E-pistle #11/18  -  Repeat After Me: Mack-Myra
E-pistle #12/03  -  Musings about 'The Original Question', Part I
E-pistle #13/12  -  Erin's Mega Malt Tasting
E-pistle #14/10  -  Musings about 'The Original Question', Part II
E-pistle #16/07  -  Xtreme Vatting
 

Because I don't score and rank the whiskies I taste I haven't compiled a top 10 - this depends on mood and lots of other things. As a result, I could not select a favourite single malt either. However, Dalmore 50 y.o. would be a serious candidate; it has an incredible richness with a finish which just went on and on and on (and on and on ....) Other than that, I'm a self-confessed peatophile (and please don't misspell that!) Why? Because peated malts are what whisky is all about for me: full of flavour, full of deep earthy power.
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Since I discovered single malts, I've kept yearly personal log books of all the whiskies (malts and others) I ever drank, including brief tasting notes for most. If you're interested, you can download these logs in .pdf-format and read where my whisky journey has taken me so far..

WhiskyLog 1994
WhiskyLog 1995
WhiskyLog 1996
WhiskyLog 1997
WhiskyLog 1998
WhiskyLog 1999
WhiskyLog 2000
WhiskyLog 2001
WhiskyLog 2002
WhiskyLog 2003
WhiskyLog 2004
WhiskyLog 2005

Check out the latest issue of Malt Maniacs for the freshest additions.