We recently asked for nominations for our ‘great whisky bars of the world’ award. On the opposite page is the list of the first recipients. Here Damian Riley Smith reports on one of the best
Cape Town lives up to every visitor’s preconception; it is magnificent, stunning, exciting. And while you can experience all these sensual experiences at different points and times throughout the city, they are perhaps all best brought together at Bascule, the whisky bar in the Cape Grace hotel.
It...
Great whisky bars
from Issue 53 published on 12/01/2006
It’s a marriage made in heaven – whisky and cigars. But what are the best combinations? We brought a group of experts together in Cuba to find out. Damian Riley-Smith reports
Extending the boundaries of whisky enjoyment has always been one of the Whisky Magazine crusades. For those who enjoy them, there is no finer accompaniment to whisky than the cigar. And the finest cigar in the world comes from the beautiful and intoxicating island of Cuba.
The timing of the event c...
Whisky and Cigars
from Issue 31 published on 9/6/2003
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is one of the year’s whiskey highlights. Damian Riley-Smith brought back a suitcase full of fond memories
The rollercoaster ride that is the Kentucky Bourbon Festival more than met expectations yet again. Kentucky, often mistakenly left off the US
tourist map, is the heartland of hospitality, subtle beauty and historic charm.
This year began with a trip embodying a ‘historic’ experience, and one that I...
Whisky Events
from Issue 29 published on 24/3/2003
Whisky and cigars can be a perfect combination. And the best way to taste them is in their country of origin-Cuba- as Damian Riley Smith finds out.
The Mexican Embassy has just been stormed, a stolen bus colliding with the front gates. Many of the key roads are closed, but not enough to prevent us from reaching the Palacio de Convenciones, the focal point of the Habano Festival 2002.
The Habano Festival is the ultimate gathering of the greates...
Whisky and Cigars
from Issue 24 published on 16/7/2002
Damian Riley-Smith visits the home of Julian Van Winkle III, a nam dedicated to producing quality bourbon and adhering to traditional, family values.
Waiting more than a decade for a bourbon is the exception rather than the rule. Yet for the Van Winkle family it has become their trademark. There is no full production distillery, the 'family' is currently Julian Van Winkle III and he is an independent bottler.
The name Van Winkle has been associa...
Independent Bottlers
from Issue 14 published on 16/2/2001
Whisky Magazine's Damian Riley-Smith previews bourboun's hot event
Whisky Magazine will be joining the great Kentucky Bourbon Festival (13-17 September) to enjoy the pleasures of bourbon in the heart of bourbon country. Last year 20,000 people travelled from all over Kentucky, America and overseas to participate in the largest gathering of whiskies in the country.
...
Kentucky
from Issue 11 published on 16/9/2000
Damian Riley-Smith dropped in on the Park Avenue Liquor shop and emerged energised and inspired.
“If you don’t have it you can’t sell it”, exclaims Michael Goldstein, who has adopted this phrase as his mantra for retailing excellence. It is a far cry from the 1920s when his business started (as the HJG Liquor Corporation) specialising in window displays for the drinks industry.
Herman Joseph G...
Great whisky retailers
from Issue 11 published on 16/9/2000
Can the flavours and textures of chinese cuisine embrace whisky? The internationally acclaimed cookery expert yan-kit so was happy to demonstrate the possibilities to Damian Riley-Smith.
It seems a match made in heaven. Whisky has an enormous range of styles and flavours, the world has a huge variety of cuisine ... together the possibilities are endless.
The growth in the popularity of Oriental dishes makes it timely to consider a marriage of Chinese food and whisky. After all, Chi...
Whisky and Food
from Issue 9 published on 16/4/2000
As well known for his international travelogues as his insane antics in Monty Python, Michael Palin, a New Year’s honours list CBE, is one of Britain’s most popular stars. Here he tells Damian Riley-Smith about the good times he has shared with a glass of whisky.
Michael Palin’s first memorable whisky experience happened at the Edinburgh Festival. 1964 was the first time he had done any performing in front of a big public audience. He was part of the Oxford City Group and quartered at a Masonic lodge just on the approach to Edinburgh Castle, from where he co...
Whisky Interview
from Issue 8 published on 16/2/2000
It was show time in Kentucky and Damian Riley-Smith found it very much to his taste.
The newcomer to Kentucky may be forgiven for thinking he had come to whiskey heaven – for indeed he has. Arriving at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville at 11pm would, for many, be the time to try out its fabulous four poster beds. But not during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. The Seelbach was playing...
Whisky Events
from Issue 7 published on 16/12/1999
Damian Riley-Smith talks to Scottish rugby star Rob Wainwright about winning matches, losing salmon and the contents of his hip flask, Photographs by Will Boxall.
Rob Wainwright sounds much more Scottish than he used to. The soft Scottish lilt he had during his time in England (six years studying medicine at Cambridge University) became staunchly Scottish overnight when he moved back north. ‘If you ask the Scots I’ve got an English accent, and if you ask the ...
Whisky Interview
from Issue 1 published on 12/1/1999
