And so it begins

It all started simply enough about seven years ago, when I posed the basic question “what’s the difference between bourbon and scotch?” to a group of friends and family. The only attempt at an answer that I got was “bourbon is made by drunk hillbillies in Kentucky and scotch is made by drunk hillbillies in Scotland”, not exactly the level of detail I was looking for.

And that was the beginning. The beginning of my quest for information about, knowledge of, and experience with all things whisk(e)y. I strove to unlock the mysteries of this ubiquitous brown liquid and dissect its inner most secrets. It has been a mission of reading and research, tasting and comparing, conversing with those more knowledgeable than myself, and of outings in search of rare expressions.

But there came a time when even all of that was not enough, I needed more. I needed a sense of place and perspective. I needed to explore the origins, to peer into the inner sanctums of whisky production, and to experience the process first hand. That need has resulted in my quest manifesting itself into an epic journey. As I type this, I’m sitting on a 747, midway over the Atlantic, en-route to Scotland. Ahead of me lays a path of discovery and exploration, and a two week itinerary laden with a full spectrum of whisky related activities. My hope is to write daily, but I may do so less often if is too cumbersome. Join me.