Whisky Quarterly: the launch

Whisky Quarterly 1st Edition – front cover

It was good to be at the launch of Whisky Quarterly last night. Good to see a new magazine hit the stands. Good to see one that appears to be well financed if last night's lavish launch at Church House, in London's Westminster is any indication with both a large launch party and then a more select after-party curiously featuring some top Bordeaux – Margaux, Ducru-Beaucaillou and the like. 

On Twitterdom these bottles of Bordeaux stole the limelight from whisky. Expect to see detailed tasting notes soon from Richard Hemming on the Jancis Robinson site and from Jane Parkinson (The Wine Gang). 

Away from the bling what about the new magazine priced at £10? While I have not had time to read much it is certainly well produced with some excellent photography as you would expect with Colin Hampden-White, a leading drinks photographer, as the editor. 

Take the Colin's cover photo of Charles MacLean – the malt man cometh – as well those in the feature on Charles. All showing different aspects of Colin's mastery of portrait photography – the close up, the distance shot and the well composed wide angle shot. 

The quality of the photos brings me to a slight quibble – the small size of the font used for photo credits. They deserve to be more visible unless, of course, this part of the magazine is sponsored by the league of opticians intent on persuading readers that their sight is failing. 

Contributors include Ian Buxton, Jacek Lakomy and Joanna Rutkowska and Alwynne Gwilt as the staff writer and Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley as the two deputy editors introduced once more with an arresting photo. 

The first edition includes articles on Speyside, Ardmore, Dalwhinnie, Islay, Glenrothes, women in whisky, Tasmania, Tuthillyown, Swiss whisky and Balcones in Texas.

This edition's most stunning pic is one of a still at the top of a Swiss mountain – credited to Whiskyschiffs Luzern club. I could tell you that the article is on page 56 but that might not help you as the pages don't appear to be numbered – second minor quibble!

These quibbles are surely symptoms of early teething and I'm sure the tooth fairy will make everything right in the second issue. 

In the meantime I'll drink to the good health of Whisky Quarterly with a pretty lethal tumbler of pencillin!  

  

All action@the bar time for a shot of Pencillin!

Man aiming to head butt a barista in the midriff?

Band of pink

Dramatic ice sculpture – centrepiece of launch

Two London exhibitions: Colin Hampden-White and Barbara Christie

 Part of the CHW's exhibition:

 two whisky portraits – on the left Sean Philips (Mortlach distillery) – one of my favourites

Details of two exhibitions in London at the moment that are well worth going to see – one wine related and one not.

Firstly there are just a few days left to go and see Colin Hampden-White's portraits of wine producers at the Marylebone Hotel, 47 Welbeck Street. You find Colin's photos displayed in the corridor on the way to the restaurant and in the bar/restaurant and business centre area. There are a mix of portraits from the wine world as well as whisky. Subjects include Aubert de Villaine, Lalou Bize-Leroy and Sean Philips. Colin was a winner at the 2012 Louis Roederer awards taking the artistry of wine prize. He has just joined the Circle of Wine Writers.       

  

 Details of the portrait of Lalou Bize-Leroy. 

To see the photo you will have to go to the Marylebone!

 

Barbara Christie's Light Seeping Through Windows exhibition had its private view last night. Born in 1946 Barbara was a very talented and brilliantly inventive jeweler, who very sadly died of cancer on 2nd January after a long and brave fight with her illness. The exhibition is at The Contemporary Applied Arts, 2 Percy Street, London W1. It runs until 2nd March.