Happy Winter Solstice!

 Happy Winter Solstice 2024! See Live Science for more information, cheers!

December Whiskey of the Month

My 'first' December 'Whiskey of the Month' is from Dublin distillery Teeling, the first new distillery to open in Dublin for over 125 years in 2015 (website). Why my first of the month? I have to admit I already have another new whiskey for me put by in a kitchen cupboard for Christmas. 😉 Anyhow Teeling's Small Batch (46%). This triple distilled whiskey is a blend of 'hand-selected' grain and malt whiskeys, separately fully aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and then 'married' in Central American rum casks to develop and age for up to a further 12 months. 

The Small Batch is a bright golden colour, with a spicy rum, vanilla and dried fruit aroma. It is slightly sweet to taste, with subtle hints of rum, caramel and cinnamon flavours. Another very smooth and luxurious Irish whiskey, with a bit of warmth when going down the throat and, again, another easy to drink whiskey, slainte! 👍

Incidentally, my previous November Whiskey of the Month The Sexton (blog), I very recently saw on the shelf at The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street, Hastings TN34 3BN, a coincidence! 😲

St Andrews Day Chocolate and Biscoffi Stout!

Indeed, yesterday, before I had my St Andrews Day haggis, neeps and tatties (and Brussels sprouts 😉), I again visited The Jolly Fisherman in Hastings (yesterday's blog) and finished off with a stout (amongst other fine ales enjoyed) that had replaced the Celebration I had imbibed on Friday. This stout from Liverpool based Azvex Brewing Company (website) and their 5.8% Orbiting Treasure, a Chocolate and Biscoffi Stout.

It pretty much does what it says on the label, as you can see from the photograph, dark with a light brown head, met my opinion of the difference between a porter and a stout (blog), vegan friendly, but it was so rich and smooth, and dark, so that you wouldn't notice. I got the biscuit in the aroma, but not so much in the flavour, inverse with the chocolate, that came out big in the taste, finishing with a slightly bitter 'dark' chocolate taste, but subtle in the aroma. 😁

Another luxurious stout, thank you very much, cheers! 👍

Black Friday & An Imperial Stout!

Okay, it's 'Black Friday' but I have nothing to sell, let alone cheaply, so my 'bargain' is reporting on a beer that was my 'one for the road' last night, drank at The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (see my first blog about this atmospheric wee pub).

Brewed by Bristol brewery Left Handed Giant (website), this was their Celebration: Blender, a 12.0% Imperial Stout, a blend of Imperial Stouts aged for 12-18 months in bourbon, maple syrup and rye wooden barrels. This was a very luxurious, smooth dark beer that smelt sweet from the maple syrup, and sweet to taste too, a bit of a dark pudding of a beer, as I said, luxurious!

Definitely a beer to end the night with, cheers, now go chase those bargains! 😁

Congratulations to my local The Dolphin!

Congratulations to The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW, which, on Monday, was awarded this certificate as CAMRA South East Sussex Branch Community Pub of the Year 2024, nice one folks, good to see CAMRA waking up locally, cheers!

November Whiskey of the Month

My November 'Whiskey of the Month' is The Sexton (40% - website). This triple distilled, in copper pot stills, single malt whiskey was created by Master Blender Alex Thomas at the Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland. It is aged for at least 4 years in Oloroso Sherry casks made from European oak, apparently grown in France. It is sold in unique octagonal bottles, and is the best selling Irish single malt whiskey in the USA, first being sold there 7 years ago, shortly afterwards in 2018 brought home and sold in Britain and Ireland. 

The Sexton is a pretty reasonably priced whiskey, with a deep golden colour. It has a spicy caramel aroma and is slightly sweet to taste, with subtle hints of cinnamon and butterscotch, the colour and flavours coming from the Spanish Oloroso Sherry seasoned casks used in the ageing process. Very smooth and luxurious, and so easy to drink, slainte! 👍

CAMRA joins me in Campaign for FULL Pints!

It was good to see the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) calling for a pint to be a pint in their Winter 2024 edition of their magazine BEER, following their lobbying of all political parties before the General Election on Independence Day a few months ago (CAMRA). CAMRA points out that the Chartered Trading Standards Institute has found that 'most beer served in pubs and bars are short measure.' I've been saying this for years, eg blog. 🍺

Let's hope trying to influence this Government works better this time; indeed, Labour Party policy in 1997 was to introduce lined pint glasses in pubs, it appears the big brewers had a bigger influence then, despite 'New Labour' winning the 1997 General Election by a mile! 😣

Don't hold your combined breath...