Author Archives: Vicky Keough

Kingsbarns Dream to Dram

This entry was posted in Blog, New Whisky Releases and Bottlings on by .

It’s not often that here at The Whisky Shop Dufftown we all agree on how good a whisky is. There’s normally one of us whose opinion differs to the others. However that moment has arrived with the release of Kingsbarns Dream to Dram.

Kingsbarns Distillery has distilled, matured and bottled this single malt from some of the earliest casks it filled. It has been matured in two types of casks then married together: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrels and shaved, toasted and re-charred barriques.

Kat was the first to try this and admitted she was very pleasantly surprised by it. Her tasting notes are as follows:

On the nose sharp lemon with malted milk biscuits and vanilla pods

On the taste hoppy, with burnt toffee background and dark chocolate digestive biscuit that's gone soggy from being dunked in coffee.

And the finish almost-but-not-quite medium length, lingers just long enough to warm the mouth.

This week Mike and I tried it and here’s what we thought:

On the nose lemon shortbread, lemon drizzle cake, marzipan and almonds. Sherbet lemons and Franzipan cake.

On the taste lemon meringue pie covered with cinnamon. Pear skins covered in pineapple juice (tinned) with a touch of cider vinegar. There is an underlying smoothness on the first mouth full.

The finish we found to be medium length with the flavours drifting in and out. Pleasantly warming.

So overall, a very drinkable dram and good value for money.

Slainte

Mother and Daughter Working Together

This entry was posted in Blog, Lady of the Drams on by .

The Whisky Shop Dufftown is one of the very few, if not the only, whisky shop to have a mother and daughter team working together I thought it might be good to give you an insight, as a mum, as to what it’s like and how it works.

I started working for The Whisky Shop Dufftown in October 2010 and my daughter Kat joined us in February 2015 after completing a couple of months training just after her 18th birthday.

When Kat and I first moved to Dufftown in 2006 we did the obligatory distillery tour as I had never tasted whisky before. As impressed as I was, unfortunately, Kat was just as equally unimpressed thinking it smelt like cow manure. I thought this would be the end of any temptation Kat might have towards whisky. How wrong I was! Obviously, it wasn’t the end for me as I found some whiskies I liked. Then 4 years later I “inserted” myself into The Whisky Shop Dufftown and have been here ever since working my way up from shop assistant to Retail Manager. Through my new found love of whisky I kept encouraging Kat to try different ones, after she turned 18 of course. Eventually she found some she liked. Just like with me this grew into a passion for all things whisky. Eventually she decided she wanted to join the shop as well. I was of course delighted by this however, poor Mike wasn’t sure he could cope with both of us, but agreed to give it a go. Kat started as a shop assistant and has now worked her way up to Social Media Manager.

Kat and I have always had a very close relationship and are very similar in almost every way from our sense of humour to our tastes and mannerisms. This has helped us maintain a well-balanced work/life relationship where one doesn’t affect the other. I know a lot of people who say they would never work with family but if anything, it has brought Kat and I even closer together. We now also have a third generation to train up in 17 years who already loves being in the shop with mum and grandma. Not working obviously but when we pick mum up after her shift.

Like me, Kat was quite shy and quiet so it has been brilliant for me to see how Kat has blossomed since joining the team, gaining not only in experience but in confidence as well (okay those of you who know me can pick yourselves up off the floor now). Kat has been on whisky judging panels, can help anyone find their first whisky or a new whisky they’ve never had before and confidently recommend a dram you will enjoy. Not many mums get to see their daughter in action in their job so closely and I feel very proud when I watch Kat with customers and see how far she has come. I am so glad to have been and continue to be part of this journey with her.

Keep an eye out for further insights.