Germany hot over whisky
Thousands turned out for Germany’s Limburg Whisky Fair. Brian Townsend was amongst them
It is an old saying that the Germans always take everything they do very seriously. Well, in recent years the Germans have discovered malt whiskies and they take them very seriously indeed, especially the peaty ones from Islay. Today Germany hosts a stack of annual whisky festivals, fairs and trade shows to cater for this national enthusiasm.
Biggest is Interwhisky at Frankfurt but one smaller event, Whisky Fair at Limburg, has established a good name for itself in just two years, especially among the independent distillers and bottlers, who were at Limburg in force over a sweltering weekend early in June.
There were 40 to 50 stands spread over the two floors of Limburg town hall, which is mainly a theatre and conference centre. The fair, open to the general public, charges six euros admission, for which one receives a whisky glass as entry ticket and an extremely useful entry ticket it is.
All the stands have whiskies offering either free samples or an amazing selection of single malts at often knock-down prices. In two days at this Aladdin’s cave I sampled more good and rare malts than I have sampled in several years in Scotland.
Many dealer-run stalls also sell full bottles of rare whiskies, some at astronomical prices – yet they get sold.
Most, if not all of the Scottish independent bottlers were at Limburg – Duncan Taylor of Huntly, Gordon & MacPhail, Douglas Laing, Cadenhead’s and many more – either on their own stand or that of their German importer, as.....
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By Brian Townsend
Section : Whisky Events
Page number : 17
