The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2012
The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is the UK's finest whisky tasting event, bringing distillers and whisky lovers from all over the world together in London for a truly luxurious food and whisky experience.
We popped into the show on Sunday 7th October to find out for ourselves just what this event holds for whisky lovers - and if it has anything to offer those who don't.
The Whisky Exchange is well situated, being just a short stroll away from London Bridge mainline and underground station and we arrived to find quite a queue had formed in advance of the doors opening, with many people returning for their second day of the show. 
Come noon the doors opened and we were fitted with our show wristbands, given our own glasses for use throughout the day and a lunch voucher for the two course meal provided in the shows brassiere.
The building itself is very open and spacious, while reminiscent of a large cellar where we were presented with over 30 stalls all heavily laden with various bottles of fine whisky.
So glass in hand we decided to start at number one and work our way around!
Dalmore, with the distinctive stag's head on the bottle, were on the first stall we approached and it was a delight to start the day with a measure from 'The 15'. This is definitely a great introduction to whisky as it is a smooth delight and far from some of the heavy peat tasting whiskies that are available.
After twelve years maturing in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, then a three year finish in three different sherry woods - Amoroso, Apostoles and Matusalem oloroso, The 15 offers a robust, yet elegant spirit and for our non-whisky lover this was the one to beat.
The Dalmore Cigar was not lost among the selection on the table and, originally created by Richard Paterson (Master Distiller for The Dalmore) as "the perfect complement to a fine cigar" - it is making a comeback to the market after being relegated as a fashion faux pas in a time of anti-smoking campaigns.
If you have ever smoked a cigar then you will be well acquainted with what this malt reserve is trying to achieve.
With a very high top end, it appears to have no bottom; consisting of fresh, fruity tones and being very light on the tongue. This makes it an excellent drink alone for anyone unfamiliar or averse to the more masculine whiskies but it also achieves perfect harmony with the harsh sensation created by even the smoothest cigar smoke.
If you are not familiar with the world of whisky then this show will certainly open your eyes to the extent of this industry.
The sheer volume of different tastes and flavours available within a single brand or range is astounding, and compared to the hundreds of different brands available we would challenge anyone not to find something to suit their taste.
Hugh Muir, sales director for Douglas Laing & Co Ltd certainly knew his spirits when we tested him with a confirmed brandy drinker and a whisky enthusiast.
Our brandy drinker was swiftly, and most surprisingly, converted to the Carsebridge 1965, a 45 year old single grain scotch from Clan Denny. None of the peat or harsh tones here, just the smoothest of flavours set to rival the already favoured Dalmore - The 15.
At around £130 a bottle and no longer in production, this discontinued range is most decidedly one to add to the collection before it is forever lost.
For our whisky drinker the Christmas Big Peat was a certain winner, only surpassed by the Caol Ila 30yr Old and Rare Platinum Selection.
At the Ardbeg stand we discovered that after their first ever experiment in space they launched the Ardbeg Galileo to celebrate, creating another whisky that got the thumbs-up from our whisky lover on the day; along with the exciting range available from the Amrut Distilleries, introduced to us by Fiona Laing, who happened to end up as our dinner buddy during the much-needed lunch break in the Brasserie.
Keep an eye on The London Distillery Company for news later this year. This enthusiastic team are fully funded and working hard to open London's first whisky distillery in over 100 years by late 2012. They plan to be a small artisanal operation producing small batches of spirit, using the best ingredients and high quality wood.
Food Pairing
The food pairing on the upper floor was a real eye-opener - or should we say taste bud tester!
Monkey Shoulder offered marshmallow soaked in vanilla and bourbon - a meeting of two similar flavours when paired with their whisky, then completely pushed poles apart when they clashed the taste sensation with bacon soaked in balsamic vinegar and fig preserve and fried to a crisp!
Gragganmore was another to experience - with a dark chocolate, Food Pairingdried dates and crushed rock salt combination.
For those of us who were uncertain of the Port Askaig Islay with its earthy tones, by combining it with a good Welsh Cheddar we were quickly converted.
Old Pulteney's 12 year old came combined with a cinnamon and ginger spiced pear, while the Special 05 Swedish Single Malt worked in combination with gooseberry and elderflower jam from the West Country Preserving Company.
Damian Allsop paired Glenmorangie with some wonderful chocolate combinations - the perfect way to start this year's Chocolate Week.
Just up from the food pairing we found a series of food and whisky pairing masterclasses throughout the Show and there were no seats left empty, with the crowd gathering outside the dedicated seating area hoping to catch the shows.
Also as part of this year's 'Meet the Maker' theme there were informal Q&A sessions and mini masterclasses with the experts.
We had been given a token each on entering the show that afforded us the chance to taste some of the world's finest whiskies, rarest single malts and once-in-a-lifetime Dream Drams (exclusive whiskies that can cost several thousand pounds a bottle).
Our whisky drinker opted for the Isle of Jura 30 Year Old and the Glenglassaugh 1976 36yo Aged Over 30 Years Single Cask. Were they worth it? From the smile we think so!
We would most certainly recommend making use of the whole day of the show, arriving in good time to get in as soon as the doors are open and pacing yourself throughout the day.
Water was on hand throughout the event courtesy of Wenlock Spring and a seating area on the upper floor afforded tired feet a well earned rest.
With so much on offer, if in doubt then this is one show that is really worth getting a weekend ticket for. At £99 a ticket and £185 for the weekend pass, it may seem a little pricey but considering you get all the tasting, lunch and food pairing included, we think this should firmly be in the diary for 2013.