Whisky

Ahhhhh whiskey, as it poured into our tumblers and our malleable minds. The immediate image conju...Read More...

Ahhhhh whiskey, as it poured into our tumblers and our malleable minds. The immediate image conjured; a crackling, warm fireplace, perhaps the smell of a cigar, friends in train driver hats and overalls playing cards, a sleepy greyhound somewhere near their feet nestling a freshly caught pheasant, smooth jazz in the background…

What? Where are we? That ain’t my house! Maybe the whiskey drinkers of ‘yore’, but now is such the rise of artisanal makers and shakers, that it has become quite simply, everyone’s drink. Not that it hasn’t inspired a slew of wondrous speakeasies and dive bars of which we all frequent, nay, haunt, that do tend to indulge in whiskey’s most visible stereotypes. 

It is funny how these things come full circle. Distillation was once a necessity rather than a luxury. It was done in order to utilise the excess of crops that would otherwise spoil, giving the farmer an alternate source of income from his yield that year. Small production, quite unique to each farmer and their plot. Who would’ve known he was farming LIQUID GOLD! Well, bigger companies did. It was commercialised around the turn of the industrial revolution, and cheap whiskey flooded the market. And then it became ubiquitous. Who hasn’t had a sneaky Jameson at a loud and noisy grunge bar whilst they listen to average punk rock? Who hasn’t watched an older gentleman wax on about the virtues of drinking the finest of finest from the Isle of Islay! Who hasn’t thought of hipsters just that once when they had a sip sitting by the freshly varnished chestnut tabletop in a bar that was hidden behind a bookcase down an alley? There’s a reason for this, and rightly so – whiskey is charming, enlivening, complex, steeped in tradition, full of quirks, and it inspires its drinkers to make it part of their lifestyle as well as relying on it for pleasure. It’s hard not to catch the bug yourself, or at least not see its merits for a seasoned drinker. 

However this image of whiskey once saturated, now becomes more of a soft filter over the market. Now there are so many things to drink, and the consumer more inclined to shop around, that distilling focussed on quantity over quality has been cast aside in more recent times, in favour of the smaller, more focussed, specialised, single batches of artisan spirits. Consequently, we can draw parallels to the natural wine movement within craft spirits. As we become more considerate of the things we put in our bodies, more interested in the plants and produce around us, we start asking for more from makers, and they too ask more from themselves. And aren’t we bloody lucky for it! It has made us change the way we consume whiskey, forever. Japanese whiskies have become more lauded than the most premium Irish single malts. White, unaged whiskey as a cocktail staple over the more traditional rye. Oh and it’s styles! The myriads of styles. Like tropical fruits and vanilla? Bag a bourbon. Prefer a tickle of bitter and a flick of clove? Run your hands over some rye. Feeling rugged and need a hug from a campfire? Plenty that’s peated in here. Australian whisky, French Whisky, Jamaican Whisky, Japanese Whisky, Scottish Whisky…the list goes on. Here at WINONA we stock a wide range of whiskies from all over the world, across all styles. Try something new with us.

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