'Welcome! Come in! Invite the neighbours round too' This slightly rawcus but welcoming atmosphere pretty much sums up the general vibe at our monthly open studio events. For us, whisky is all about those moments of connection and conviviality, and our open studios somehow managed to weave a diverse group of strangers together with alarming effectiveness. Each of our monthly gatherings managing to eclipse the previous in terms of energy and general good vibes, and we've met our goal of allowing easier access to our operation so people can see and experience first hand, what we do and why we believe in the power blending so much.
'How to capture this atmosphere in the glass?' was the starting point for SHINDIG. Fun flavours, mingling together, with no pressure, just seeing what happens.
We had some Glasgow Distillery Single Malt left over from our previous collection. It's an aboslute gem of a dram, packed full of tropical sweetness and vibrant fruit flavours, fudge and more. This was the starting point and set the tone for the blend. One of our desert island distilleries is Glengarioch, and although we don't see much of it, it made a welcome appearance in this blend, more fruit, a little biscuit sweetness and a lovely, warming texture. This was rounded out with a Tullibardine and Benrinnes combination that we can only describe as 'pulled pork' sweet, juicy, meaty but somehow light at the same time. We've come to rely on excellent malt and grain components from Loch Lomond, so you'll find them in many of our blends. They were one of the first distilleries to support us as we made calls looking for supply, even though we fell miles below their normal minimum order! If you've followed their progress over the past five years or so you'll note they're now putting out some of the best quality whiskies in the market. A very happy combination of malt and grain from their stills makes up around 50% of this blend.
Shindig is a party in the mouth, bold colours weaving together to make a fun ball of flavour that generously offers pineapple, mango, lime, green banana and coconut. There's a raspberry note in there, that even drifts toward irn bru for a few exciting seconds before mellowing into a savory thyme, balsamic drenched finish.
Shindig makes a cracker of a highball, or even a whisky spritz if you're feeling fruity.
Enjoy, because THAT's what whisky is about.