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fiwhiskydram.bsky.social
Fi Shoop
@fiwhiskydram.bsky.social
I talk, write and drink – and I talk and write about drink with the odd rescue greyhound comment thrown in for good measure. To be found at drinks festivals or on air talking about them

https://www.mixcloud.com/FiShoop/
https://quaffed.wordpress.com
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What's in a name? The Whisky Exchange's Welcome to Whisky offered much more than the name suggests with over 300 drams included in the ticket price and distilleries I've never heard of, let alone tried before.

Plus my favourite ever/most bizarre tasting note... quaffed.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/t...
There’s a New Show in Town: The Whisky Exchange Welcome to Whisky 2025
Held in Glaziers Hall, near London Bridge, on 11-12 April 2025, The Whisky Exchange’s Welcome to Whisky sought to target a new audience as an introduction to whisky but ended up delivering so…
quaffed.wordpress.com
What a night! Huge thanks @thewhiskywire.bsky.social @bravenewspirits.bsky.social @whiskyweegie.bsky.social for 4 absolutely fabulous drams and that great tot. Love them all but is it bad that the #rum was the winner for me after 4 very tempting drams of #whisky?? Love #BraveNewSpirits
Tonight, we've shared, sipped and savoured a bounty of bottled belters from Brave New Spirits What are your overall thoughts and highlights? #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 7:35 PM
It's fabulously funky! Overripe pineapple and banana, orange blossom honey, orange sorbet, cherry lips, hazelnut butter, spiced toasted teacake with butter and strawberry & Champagne jam, plus silver polish, and silage #BraveNewSpirits
Brave New Spirits

RumRogues
Swashbucklers at the Gold Coast
16 Year Old Australian Single Barrel Rum
ABV: 55.3%
Casks: American Virgin oak cask and first-fill Bourbon barrel
Bottles: 317
RRP: £92.00

#BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Hello, funk! Strawberry liquorice, overripe apples, pineapples and banana, ginger syrup, raspberry coulis, hazelnut latte, butter biscuits, nail varnish remover, fresh paint, neoprene wetsuit, Wellies, stickers, and frogspawn #BraveNewSpirits
It’s time to move on to our fifth and final sip of the night, and something yummy and rummy from Brave New Spirits RumRogues series: Swashbucklers at the Gold Coast – Australian Single Barrel Rum. What can you pick up on the nose? #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
Dram 4 - Palate - nice, thick texture. Hints of maple syrup, Nutella (although I haven't had that in yonks!) and overripe strawberries. Nose suggested this would be a 'green' whisky but it's actually more of a red one #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Bakewell tart, chocolate cherry liqueur, gingersnaps, clove balls, aniseed balls, hint of sulphur, peanut ice cream, and a dark chocolate ginger creams, blueberry liquorice, toasted teacake with raspberry jam, and nougat finish #BraveNewSpirits
Brave New Spirits

Cask Masters
Inchgower 8 Year Old
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 57.1%
Casks: First-fill Chateau Talbot barrique
Bottles: 330
RRP: £70.00

#BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Amber coloured with a tinge of pink, sherbet pips, Charbonnel et Walker Fondant Creams, Parma violets, marzipan, hard-boiled fruit sweets, blueberry liquorice, almond essence, butter biscuits, new paperbacks, scratch & sniff books, and strawberry-scented felt pens #BraveNewSpirits
Okay gang, it’s time to move onto our fourth dram of the night:. What does this one dish up and deliver on the nose? #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 7:01 PM
I really want some custard doughnuts now! #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Ring doughnuts, custard doughnuts, strawberry profiteroles, raspberry ripple ice cream, blueberry muffins, marrons glacés, plum and ginger tart with cinnamon cream, milk chocolate ginger creams, and an antique oak bureau with brass handles and wax stains #BraveNewSpirits
Brave New Spirits

Cask Masters
Glen Elgin 12 Year Old
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 56.9%
Casks: Finished in a first-fill toasted Tawny Port wine barrique
Bottles: 332
RRP: £75.00

#BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
Dram 3: Glen Elgin

Nose: high alcohol on nose, sweet vanilla, orange custard creams, milk chocolate, a little sawdust, butter toffee popcorn
coffee, back of hand; sweet bbq meat, vinegar on chips, a little grassy, liquorice.

#BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Amber coloured, the nose is powdered, plus redcurrants, strawberries and raspberries, strawberry laces, butter biscuits, lemon sherbets, blackcurrant and liquorices sweets, Kir Royale, kirsch, and elderflower & gooseberry sorbet in a chrome pot #BraveNewSpirits
Right #DramFam It’s time to move onto our third drop of dramspankage: Brave New Spirits Cask Masters Glen Elgin 12 Year Old. What nasal niceties can you pick up? #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Fabulous! Fox's Crunch Creams, Jamaica ginger cake, star anise, crème brûlée, spicy tarte tatin, pineapple on clove-studded gammon, polished brass handles on a Victorian oak trunk, men's braces with chrome clips, and Brylcreem. A dandy of a dram! #BraveNewSpirits
Brave New Spirits

Cask Masters
North British 13 Year Old
Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky
ABV: 50.1%
Casks: Second-fill Sherry butt
Bottles: 721
RRP: £55.00

#BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
We were trending over on the other place, now over here! I'll drink to that! @bravenewspirits.bsky.social #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
Love a drop of North British, and on the nose this doesn't disappoint! Dark, decadent and delicious! #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:31 PM
The colour of tobacco, the nose waxes lyrical with beeswax dripping on polished silver candlesticks, plus mashed potato with sage butter, hairspray, burnt porridge with Lyle's Golden Syrup, aniseed balls and crushed aspirin #BraveNewSpirits
Okay gang, it’s time to move onto our second dram of the night: Brave New Spirits Cask Masters North British 13 Year Old. What can you uncover and discover on the nose? #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
Tonight’s Brave New Spirits delights will be available from specialist retailers including: Royal Mile Whisky, Tyndrum Whisky, Master of Malt and Inverurie Whisky. Availability will vary! #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:19 PM
That's beautiful, so creamy! Victoria sponge cake, Earl Grey tea with milk, banana milkshake, foam banana, apple snow, coconut ice cream, milk chocolate coconut truffles, mango pudding, pineapple cubes and vanilla fudge #BraveNewSpirits
Brave New Spirits

Cask Masters
Royal Brackla 12 Year Old
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 49.8%
Casks: First-fill Pinot Blanc barrique
Bottles: 340
RRP: £60.00

#BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
It's a very giving dram from the start, but loving how this keeps opening up the longer it's in the glass. An evolving fruitopian heaven! #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
…Every bottle emphasizes provenance, with age statements, cask details and bottling dates clearly stated on the individually numbered labels. #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
Each whisky in the range features maturation or finishing in a wide variety of first-fill casks, including Sherry, Bourbon, White Port, Bordeaux and Muscat wine casks… #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
Launched earlier this year, Brave New Spirits Cask Masters series aims to deliver bottlings of great character, approachability and affordability. #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:08 PM
A golden colour, the nose has banana and lemon Turkish delights, vanilla fudge, raspberry ripple ice cream, cream soda, coconut snowballs, apple snow and freshly baked cottage loaf #BraveNewSpirits
Let’s get this dramming show on the road and kick off with our first dram of the night: Brave New Spirits Cask Masters Royal Brackla 12 Year Old. What does it dish up and deliver on the nose? #BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
If you’re following along and have any Brave New Spirits whisky wares at home, we’d love for you to join us by pouring and posting your thoughts via #BraveNewSpirits #BePartOfTheDramfotainment #JoinTheConversation #TheMoreTheVeryMerrier #EveryoneIsWelcome #JoinUs
May 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
Tonight, we’ll be nosing then tasting in the order of:

1. Royal Brackla 12yr
2. North British 13yr
3. Glen Elgin 12yr
4. Inchgower 8yr
5. Swashbucklers at the Gold Coast

#BraveNewSpirits
May 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Fi Shoop
London Friends: we’re exhibiting at The Whisky Event in London on 18th May. We’re showcasing our new Cask Masters and WhiskyHeroes ranges, so hope to see some of you there!
May 7, 2025 at 6:33 AM