Growing up in Belgium, beer would be the obvious choice when graduating from water and soda, but the combination of water, malt, hops and monks never seemed to grab my attention.
Around 2013, deeply influenced by their excellent marketing, I tried a glass of Jack Daniels Old No. 7. Despite being far from a mind boggling, complex and intense spirit, something clicked and I dove in head first. After gathering some information on hetwhiskyforum.nl (back when forums were a thing) I bought my first bottle of single malt scotch whisky: Glenlivet 12.
Things went quickly from there, discovering various distilleries, styles and flavors through samples, tastings and festivals. I learned a lot early on in one of Europe’s – and probably the world s- best whisky bar, The Green Man and vividly remember the total overwhelm that was my first festival, Lindores Whiskyfest.
The shift to online tastings in 2020 and particularly 2021 led to me discovering other distillates as well, ranging from Rum to Cognac to Mezcal. The new experiences in smell and taste are at times challenging, but I found it incredibly rewarding clicking with at new flavor, such as a high-esther Jamaican rum or a vegetal Père Labat.
This blog (which admittedly is attempt #3) is created as a reference for myself, and to share with you. Meanwhile, it also servers as a teaching vessel to learn more about the history and production of spirits.
If you have any comments, questions or remarks, please send a message to Thomas [at] curiousspirits.net