Ask Away: What's Your Fondest Whisky Memory?

Welcome to a brand-new Ask away. This week we pose a question to the editorial team and encourage you to respond too! This week's question is: What is your most cherished whisky memory?

My best whisky memory might just be my visit to the Glengoyne distillery. Glengoyne is known as one of Scotland's most beautiful distilleries, nestled against a hillside with water from Dumgoyne Hill flowing straight through it. What struck me the most was the scent of the 'washbacks' and the fermentation process, as well as the aroma of whisky maturing in the warehouses. Naturally, we rounded off the tour with a whisky tasting.

My favourite whisky memory is about a bottle of Japanese whisky. A few years ago, on a whim, I decided to give a colleague and friend a bottle of whisky as a gift. I knew she loved Japanese whisky, so I popped into a spirits shop to buy a nice bottle, despite not knowing much about whisky from the Land of the Rising Sun. When I gave her the bottle, she was over the moon. Little did I know, this gift set a ball rolling, that would shape my future.

That ball became a snowball, and eventually, I entered into a relationship with the colleague in question. To this day, this is a memory that fills me with joy. You could say it's one of my better ideas! Oh, and that woman... That's Rox, the founder of Whisky Monkeys.

My coolest memory dates back a few years. For my other job, I was invited to a press event related to a game. Since whisky is consumed in this game series, a fantastic event was held in the Behind Bars Cocktail Bar in Utrecht, well-known for its old whiskies.

During the evening, stories about the Japanese Yakuza circled around (old) Japanese whiskies. Needless to say, it was a marvellous evening and I am eternally grateful for the invitation. As for the videogame series: Yakuza: Like A Dragon, it's still my favourite!

Every year I go to the whisky festival with friends. It's always a blast and a real pleasure to meet and talk to fellow whisky enthusiasts. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus, the event did not take place in 2021. To sort of recreate the same feeling, we decided to host our own festival.

Everyone brought a few (new) bottles of whisky, we made countless snacks, and someone even organised a tasting competition. What started as a casual drink-up turned into a hugely enjoyable day with lots of new whiskies to try and the best company one could wish for. It took some organising, but boy was it worth it!