What about the whisky?
JULY
Hi there.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Moa and I'm sometimes known as Swedish Whisky Girl. I thought it would be a good idea to do a little introduction of myself as I'll be writing recurring blog posts here with the Larkfire team each month. I work within the whisky and spirits world focusing primarily on creative content and writing and I will be telling you all about my adventures in whisky.
Originally, I am from Sweden, where I was born and raised, then after I turned 19 I've found myself living in both the Austrian and Swiss alps, London and then finally Edinburgh. I actually didn't even try whisky (or haggis, but that's another story) properly until my third year as I thought it all tasted the same and that spirits were generally too strong for me. But that all changed when I tried Ardbeg 10 - a whisky that reminded me of hikes through the Swedish forests when I was younger, smoked meats and standing by the ocean - and since then I have been completely hooked. I eventually started documenting my tasting notes and the whiskies that I tried through posts on Instagram and it seemed to catch quite a lot of other whisky enthusiast's interest which has led me to where I am today.
Nowadays I'm always looking for new opportunities within whisky and other spirits as well as travel. I also started sewing and knitting my own clothes during lockdown which is now my favourite hobby - since I apparently have plenty of time to spare after working a full-time job as well as working freelance... ehe.
I first met James and the rest of the team at Larkfire, last year, on a trip that they organised to the Isle of Lewis. It was such a fun trip and we visited both Harris Distillery and Abhainn Dearg, visited the Larkfire water source and went along to a whisky tasting, organised for the locals. And here I am now, so happy to be writing for you all and curious to see what the coming months will hold!
Each month looks quite different for me and this summer certainly has been quite a busy one so far. I'm fortunate to live in Edinburgh so there's plenty of distilleries within reach and this past month I've had the opportunity to visit two highland distilleries.
First up I travelled to Inverness to attend the launch of the new Visitor Centre at Glen Ord Distillery, one of the three distilleries where the Singleton whisky is made. I had never been to this part of Scotland before so it's always fun to see something new. I don't know if I'm the only one, but seeing pagoda rooftops makes me so excited and Glen Ord has two of them. During the evening we got a tour of the production areas of the distillery and finished with a dinner by the brilliant Tony Singh who is known for combining Scottish and Asian flavours in his cuisine.
It was probably the first time I had whisky along with food that had Indian influences but the spices and flavours in each course paired wonderfully with the whisky cocktails. Whisky and food pairings is something I'm particularly interested in so it's always a treat to get to experience creative combinations.
Glen Ord Distillery
A few weeks later I was returning to The Glenturret, which I had the pleasure to visit for the first time on the very same day that the Lalique Restaurant got their first Michelin star, earlier this year. It was announced as we were in the car on our way there and it was quite the atmosphere to step in to the distillery where the team were so proud and excited about the news.
Back in February the production had paused as they were working on the production areas so it was great to be back this time and see the whole tour and their brand-new mash tun. The main purpose of the visit was to try the new 2022 range and we sat down to try the Triple Wood, 7 year old Peat Smoke, 10 year old Peat Smoke, 12 year old, 15 year old, 25 year old and 30 year old, hosted by global brand ambassador Jamie Morrison. The 7 year old is a new expression and was one of the ones that stood out for me. The 25 was hard to beat however as it was very well balanced with tropical honeydew melon, lily of the valley and toffee toasted barley.
The Glenturret Tasting…fantastic!
Next month I have a few spirits events scheduled in the calendar and I will also be visiting my family in Sweden so I’m really looking forward to that! Perhaps I'll also try some interesting Swedish whiskies whilst we are there. Either way I'll be back to tell you about it in a few weeks!
In the meantime, enjoy a little recipe for a lovely peach highball, which i enjoyed on Whisky Highball Day (22nd July). If you need something refreshing in this summer heat we've been having lately, then this is great.
Larkfire Sparkling
25ml peach liqueur / peach cordial
Ice
50ml Whisky of your choice (I went with Glencadam 10 this time around because it has a lovely fruity character that goes well with the peach, but I could also recommend a peated whisky like the Benriach Smoke Season if you want something quirkier as peach and peat go surprisingly well together!)
Pour whisky, peach liqueur/cordial over a glass of ice (and a tip that I got from Diageo's global brand ambassador who is a brilliant mixologist is that in a highball the ice shouldn't float, so be generous with the ice). And then top up with Larkfire Sparking. Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Moa
Fabulous peach highball