Tasting Dinners – The Perfect Celebration

November 6, 2017November 14, 2017daviddistilled Leave a comment

Christmas is just around the corner! Our town centre festive lights are going up and it will only be a week or so before they are switched on! We are hosting more and more tasting dinners where we are working with chefs to pair whiskies and gins with food. If you are planning a celebration, a Christmas party or a dinner for your business or corporate event, we’ll host a special tasting for you and your guests, expertly pairing drinks with each course of your meal.

Whisky with Food

Whisky is great with food. Pairing whiskies with food can often change people’s mind on Scotch, it can help them enjoy those peaty or smokey drams that they thought they didn’t like. It is hard to not love haggis when paired with lightly peated whiskies such as Talisker Single Malt Whisky from the Isle of Skye or to dislike Lagavulin Islay single malt whisky when you pair the pedro ximenez Distiller’s Edition (kept in the freezer along with the glasses for a minimum of 24 hours, served in the frozen glasses after having observed it pour like treacle) with red hot sticky toffee pudding. All this is making my mouth water at the thought. Staying with Lagavulin, try it with roquefort cheese, a match made in heaven.

Pics above courtesy of Make It Matte Black.

Pic courtesy of One Little Daisy.

Whisky and Seafood

Islay whiskies, particularly peaty and smokey whiskies from the whisky capital of the world, go perfectly with seafood, particularly shellfish. The fishing industry on Islay is largely focussed on shellfish so for it to be great with Islay whisky makes it another perfect pairing.

Whisky Tasting Dinner

I hosted a whisky tasting dinner in Nottingham last week at Alea Casino. The dinner took place in the private dining room in the Marco Pierre White Steak House restaurant. The food and service was fantastic and our guests had a wonderful evening. Everyone enjoyed the whisky pairings as well as the food, here is what we enjoyed:

Scottish smoked salmon with caper berry salad and black rye bread with Lagavulin 16 year old Islay Single Malt Whisky

Roast sirloin of beef with yorkshire pudding and jus served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes with Tamnavulin Double Cask Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Sticky Toffee Pudding with frozen Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old Speyside Single Malt Whisky served in frozen glasses

During the evening we also enjoyed three other drams. There were independent bottlings of Caol Ila, Bruichladdich and Glenlossie on show too, all of which were very much enjoyed by our guests.

If you are interested in us hosting a whisky dinner for you and your guests, whether at a private party or at a corporate event, please call David on 07875 405 980 or send a message via our contact page.

Scheduled Whisky Tasting Dinners

We have a number of scheduled whisky tasting dinners taking place at various venues in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2018. We will be hosting whisky tasting dinners in Nottingham, Stoke on Trent, Stafford, Sheffield, Buxton and in the Peak District. Here are some of the events we have planned so far, please click the link for more information or if you would like to enquire about tickets.

Single Malt Whisky and Food Pairing – 6th December, South 16, Buxton.

Whiskies of the World and Nibbles Tasting – 8th December, Picture House Social, Sheffield.

Whisky Tasting Dinner – 11th December, The Moat House, Acton Trussell, Stafford.

The Moat House is selling vouchers for each of their whisky tasting dinners, we think this makes the perfect Christmas gift for the whisky lover in your life. Click here to enquire about whisky tasting dinner vouchers.

We also have whisky dinners taking place at The Moat House at Acton Trussell in January and February. We are hosting lots of private dinner events before Christmas, and many around Burn’s Night in January.

Gin Tastings With Food

We regularly host gin tastings with G&Ts paired with tapas or canapes. We recently hosted a gin and tapas evening at South 16 in Buxton which was a great success. if you would like us to host a gin tasting for you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Whisky Tastings in The Peak District

November 5, 2017June 13, 2023daviddistilled Leave a comment

Enjoy a Whisky Tasting In Your Holiday Accommodation

If you are getting together with friends for a break in the Peak District, have us come to you and we’ll host a fun and informative whisky tasting in your holiday accommodation. Prices start from as little as £18 per person for me to come along and host a very special tasting for you. I used to manage one of the largest distilleries in Scotland so when I host a tasting it is authentic and the perfect opportunity for guests to learn from an industry expert, as well as to enjoy damn fine whisky of course!

The Peak District is the perfect destination for large groups to get together, whether it be a family gathering, a stag or hen party or a business meeting, there are dozens of large self catering houses available for hire on a weekly basis or just for a weekend. We regularly host stag party whisky tastings as well as hen party gin tastings, in the peak district and throughout the UK.

Whisky Tastings in Your Peak District Holiday House

We are based in the Peak District so it is easy for us to get to any location within the national park. If you book me to host a whisky tasting in your holiday accommodation I bring along all the glasses, tasting notes, and of course the single malt whiskies and set up in plenty of time for your guests getting together for the tasting.

If you would like to contact to enquire about a private whisky tasting, please complete the form below and we will be back to you as soon as possible! Alternatively please call David on 07875 405 980.

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The Peak District National Park

The Peak District National Park is a wonderful place to holiday, with breathtaking scenery and activities galore for all the family to enjoy. The Peak District became the first national park in the UK in 1951, and with excellent transport links coupled with its proximity to Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby, Sheffield, Birmingham, the M1 and the M6, it attracts millions of visitors every year.

Peak District Activities

There is so much to see and do in the Peak District, there really is something for everyone. There are miles of paths to explore, market towns to visit like Buxton, Bakewell, Leek and Ashbourne and many places of historic interest. Outdoor activities such as climbing, sailing, canoeing are very popular.

Fishing in the Peak District

The Peak District is one of the best places to fish in the UK. Many rivers rise in the hills above Leek and Buxton. Within only a couple of miles of each other the rivers Wye, Dove, Dane, Manifold, Goyt and Churnet all emerge and start their long journeys towards the sea. Having so many mountain rivers makes the peak district the fly fisherman’s paradise. The rivers of Derbyshire and Staffordshire are world famous for Trout and Grayling not least because of Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton.

We can arrange fly fishing for you, we can also arrange fishing guides. Please contact us for more information or to arrange fly fishing.

Links to Large Self Catering Houses in the Peak District

Peak Venues: www.peakvenues.co.uk

Peak Venues have many quality large group self catering houses in the Peak District National Park. They have houses that can accommodate 2 to 43 guests. Celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, hen weekends, stag weekends, family reunions, corporate breaks in fabulous rural or village locations.

Large Accommodation Stag party hen party

Party Houses: www.partyhouses.co.uk

Party Houses have many top quality large self catering houses in the Peak District and across the Midlands. Again these venues are perfect for family gatherings, corporate breaks and special occasions.

We hope to see you in the Peak District soon!

David

Forthcoming Events – Whisky & Gin Tastings Near You!

September 28, 2017November 29, 2017daviddistilled Leave a comment

We have a busy few weeks here at Distilled Events! We have scheduled plentiful whisky tastings and gin tasting events all over the UK as well as hosting a few private tasting events in between. If you would like us to host a whisky tasting for you at your private party or corporate event, or if you would like us to contact a local venue that you think may be interested in hosting an event with us, please contact us here.

Forthcoming Tasting Events

We would love to see you at one of or forthcoming tasting events. We host regular whisky tastings and gin tastings in our home town of Leek in Staffordshire but most of our tastings are further afield within the UK and next year we’ll be travelling outwith the UK. Below is a list of the events we currently have scheduled. We’ll be adding more so please keep an eye on our Facebook page or on our Forthcoming Tasting & Events page on the Distilled Events website.

Rare Single Malt Whisky Masterclass – Sheffield – 13.10.17 – Picture House Social

Join us at Picture House Social for an evening tasting rare whiskies. This intimate tasting will be for a group of maximum 14 guests. During the tasting you’ll taste 6 whiskies, all cask strength, and all limited editions. You will be tasting whiskies that are only available at the distillery and some will be single cask whiskies. The perfect tasting for the whisky enthusiast.

Buy tickets for the Rare Single Malt Whisky Masterclass here.

Gin Tasting Experience – Leek – 31.10.17 – Spout Brew House

Once again we’ll be at the delightful Spout Brew House showing a range of awesome gins.

Guests will taste 6 craft gins neat before mixing the perfect serve G&T as suggested by each distiller. A great opportunity to learn about the history of gin and how it makes the journey from field to tableThis fun and informative event is suitable for those new to the world of gin and for the seasoned enthusiast!

Buy tickets for the Gin Tasting Experience here.

Gin & Tapas Tasting Experience – Buxton – 01/11/17 – South 16

We’ve been invited back to South 16 in Buxton in the heart of the Peak District National Park to host a Gin & Tapas Tasting Experience. Guests will first taste 6 craft gins neat before mixing the perfect G&Ts with garnishes as suggested by each distiller. Guests will then enjoy tasty tapas perfectly paired with the G&Ts. This fun and informative event is suitable for those new to the world of gin and for the seasoned enthusiast!

Buy tickets for the Gin & Tapas Tasting Experience here.

Whisky Tasting Dinner – Nottingham – 03/11/17 – Alea Casino

We are hoping to host regular tasting events at Alea Casino Nottingham and this will be the first of them. During this fantastic whisky tasting, guests will taste six drams from all around Scotland, three of which will be perfectly paired with a mouth watering three course meal, each course specially selected by chef and David to compliment each whisky. This fun and informative event is perfect for the newcomer to the world of whisky or for the seasoned enthusiast!

Buy tickets for the Whisky Tasting Dinner here.

Gin & Canapes Tasting Experience – Nottingham – 09/11/17 – Alea Casino

We’ve been invited to Alea Casino Nottingham to host a Gin & Canapes Tasting Experience. Guests will first taste 6 craft gins neat before mixing the perfect G&Ts with garnishes as suggested by each distiller. Guests will then enjoy tasty canapes perfectly paired with the G&Ts. This fun and informative event is suitable for those new to the world of gin and for the seasoned enthusiast!

Buy tickets for the Gin & Canapes Tasting Experience here.

Single Malt Whisky Tasting Masterclass – Brighton – 11/11/17 – The Southern Belle

We can’t wait to host our first whisky tasting by the sea in Brighton, we are hoping it is the first of many. During this exclusive event, David will be taking guests on an imbibing tour of the whisky regions of Scotland. He’ll be giving an in-depth explanation of the whisky production process and guests will be taken on a virtual tour of a large malt whisky distillery in Scotland. Oh yeah, there will be 6 awesome drams to enjoy too!

Buy tickets for the Single Malt Whisky Tasting Masterclass here.

More Info?

Please don’t hesitate to contact David on 07875 405 980 if you would like any further information about any of the above events or if you would like to enquire about having a tasting event at your party, corporate event or if you would like to recommend a venue where you think it would be good for us to host a tasting. Please click here to contact us and we will be back to you as soon as possible.

Slainte and happy drams!

Laphroaig – Another Awesome Islay Dram

September 24, 2017daviddistilled Leave a comment

I love peaty Islay whiskies. I used to be in charge of Caol Ila which makes 6.7 million ltrs* of peaty spirit a year so I should like peaty whisky. Caol Ila was always one of my favourite single malt whiskies before I moved to Islay so to become manager was a dream come true for me.

*That’s not strictly true as Caol Ila often produces unpeated spirit for a month or two a year. Typically known as Highland Caol Ila because the resulting spirit is made in the highland style, you can see cask ends with the word ‘Highland’ stencilled on to them in the lovely Victorian dunnage warehouse on site.

Laphroaig

I do however have a love of other Islay single malt whiskies. I have always enjoyed the majority of bottlings produced by Laphroaig, not least the rich, sweet and smokey, everyday 10 year old Laphroaig single malt whisky.

Islay Whisky Tastings

I often show Laphroaig in my whisky tastings. It isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and I certainly wouldn’t give it to someone who was only just embarking on their journey into the wonderful world of whiskies, or to someone who had never tried single malt whisky before. For those who like a smokey peaty dram though this is an absolute belter, and of all the whiskies on Islay, when you put your nose into a glass of Laphroaig or Caol Ila (peated), there can be no mistake as to the provenance of the spirit. Islay introduces herself to the imbiber, is to the point, and instantly recognisable.

The Laphroaig Advert

Laphroaig is a marmite whisky. You love it or hate it. During my whisky tastings, I often talk about one of their recent adverts which in my opinion is the best whisky advert there has ever been. It is great to see a few old faces on the video too, old friends like Ginger Willie and farmer Sandy make an appearance.

Laphroaig Distillery Tours

We regularly arrange bespoke Guided Islay Distillery Experiences where we look after groups of guests on a week long or sometimes shorter basis. We provide all food, accommodation and transport once guests are on Islay.

You can find out about our Guided Islay Distillery Experiences by clicking here. As part of our experiences we always like to take guests to Laphroaig not least because of it’s beautiful situation in Laphroaig Bay, but also because it has a fantastic visitor centre with a good selection of tours and tastings to choose from. We also like to take guests to Laphroaig because it is one of the only distilleries on Islay to malt some of it’s own barley on it’s traditional malt floors.

You can check out Laphroaig Distillery website here and find out more information about their awesome whiskies, distillery visitor centre, and tour times by clicking here.

All pics courtesy of Joe Scrivens of One Little Daisy Photography. Joe joined us on one of our Guided Islay Distillery Experiences. You can see all of the other fantastic photos that he took during the trip by clicking here.

Hope to see you on Islay soon!

Slainte and happy drams!

David

david@distilledevents.co.uk