In college, Aatish Nath got started by drinking Captain Morgan, but in the years since he’s become a whisky drinker. He prefers peaty, Islay malts now, but is looking forward to expanding his collection to include some of the great drams he’s tasted over the years. That includes the GlenDronach 21 and Ardbeg’s newest Fèis Ìle release. When it comes to cocktails, he’s a boulevardier or Ne...

It was while working at the Grand Hyatt that Pooja Vir was gifted a Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame for her birthday. She’s also a fan of an Old Monk and Thumbs Up, on occasion. When it comes to whisky though, Vir says that the way she drinks, depends on her mood. She elaborates, “While cooking I’ll make a whisky sour for company. Neat, if it’s a nightcap at home or in a bar. And in the su...

For Praveen Kamath, his first introduction to alcohol was through chilled beer, had during a company football tournament in the peak of summer. In the seventeen years since, he’s graduated to whisky and beyond. He says that he usually takes his whisky, “always neat with a dash of water if the ABV is too high.” Kamath is planning on buying a Paul John Mithuna while he learns more about th...

For Siddharth K, who works in the insurance sector, their first truly memorable drink was during a friend’s wedding on the cliffs around Kannur. He remembers the successions of whiskies at the wedding – reeling off Springbank 10, Aberfeldy 21 and then, Ardbeg Storm, serving as an introduction to the world of drams. The 38-year-old, can drink whisky in many ways, ranging from neat to a cu...

Vanita Bakshi is a Corporate and Investment Banking Analyst who still remembers her first, great drink. She reminisces, “It was in Goa, almost 10 years ago and it was feni mixed with berries infused in soda. It was so refreshing, I still think of it to this day.” When it comes to new purchases, she’s planning to get a bottle Elijah Craig bourbon after trying it a Dram Club tasting. Anoth...

We are willing to bet that nearly every Indian teenager’s first drink was a highball. Do any of these sound familiar: Vodka Red Bull, Rum & Thums Up, Gin & Limca? Ours was (unsurprisingly) a furtive dash of whisky in a tall glass of soda when the grown-ups weren’t looking. A highball is basically a shot of any spirit mixed with a generous amount of fizzy, non-alcoholic mixer, in a tall g...

A few weeks ago we told you the story of bourbon. Of how there are more barrels of bourbon ageing in Kentucky than the local population! And the distillery that started it all was on the site of the present day Woodford Reserve Distillery at Versailles, Kentucky in 1812, by Elijah Pepper. It was also here, way back in 1838, that the “Father of Bourbon Whiskey” James Crow perfected the “s...

When the world’s largest spirits maker (Diageo) announces that it will be selling one of its most popular whiskies (Johnnie Walker) in 100% recyclable paper bottles from 2021, you have to sit up and take notice.The whisky industry has not been known for its environmental efficiency. Every aspect of crafting this spirit – from raw ingredients traveling long distances to heating stills aft...

When we heard that there are at least 15 times the number of distilleries in the US than in Scotland we knew we couldn’t ignore American whiskeys (no, not a typo) for much longer. America’s whiskey distilling history dates back to the 1700s when it was only used as a form of barter (by the corn and rye farmers) for sheep and other livestock. Every US presidency only saw the industry grow...