TimeforWhisky.com Celebrates 10 Years!

It's pretty hard for me to believe, but this month marks 10 years since TimeforWhisky.com's very first post! What started as a bit of fun on the side (and a way to get involved in an industry with which I quickly became enamoured) ended up turning into a two-person, Asia-wide blog & social media presence covering all manner of whisky news, events, tastings, launches and opinions - via this site, but increasingly via Instagram & Facebook (and to a lesser extent these days, Twitter).

For all that we've done over the past 10 years though, TimeforWhisky remains a hobby - even if my love of whisky did lead me to a short stint as co-owner of a Whisky bar, and more recently the founder of a small whisky consulting and writing business). Whilst this blog has led to some incredible media trips, amazing whisky experiences and more "bucket list" drams than I could've ever imagined, it was the people which draw me to the whisky industry in the first place, and if I'm honest, the main part of the scene that keeps me so engaged.

It's pretty hard to sum up 600+ posts & over 580 tasting notes in a single reflective post, but there have definitely been some highlights worth mentioning: 

• Being flown to Scotland for an incredible 4 days touring The Macallan's new distillery (and then a cheeky trip up to Highland Park)

• Being one of only 6 people to feature in the launch video for the 1st Release Rosebank 30yo

• Expanding to Asia in 2014, and having Hendy join to run the Australian side

• Meeting the "people behind the whisky" like David Stewart & Kelsey McKechnie from Balvenie, Ian Millar of Glenfiddich, Colin Scott of (then) Chivas, Rebecca Jago & Beanie Espey of The Last Drop Distillers, Richard Paterson of The Dalmore, Eddie Russell of Wild Turkey (and his Father Jimmy Russell), Charlie MacLean, John Campbell of (then) Laphroaig, the who's who of Japanese whisky royalty, Steven Rankin of G&M, Dr Jim Swan (RIP) & the incredible Dr Bill Lumsden (a few times).

• Meeting the "people in front of the whisky" (tireless brand / category ambassadors) including Martin Markvardsen of Highland Park, Sam Simmons of (then) The Balvenie, Dave Broome, Ken Grier of (then) The Macallan & Ronnie Cox ("Red Socks") of BBR / The Glenrothes.

• Hosting the very first International tasting of Starward back in 2015

• ..and then 6 years later, being the first to break the news of SMWS releasing a Starward (actually two)

• Being flown to Singapore to attend an epic party with Bruichladdich

• Being flown to Taipei to attend an epic party with Highland Park (how many whisky parties give you the chance to hold a whisky in one hand and an Eagle in the other?!)

• Attending more whisky dinners than we can recall (though The Macallan Edition 2's at VEA remains one of the highlights)

• Meeting fellow whisky lovers at WhiskyLive Singapore 2016 (who have since become lifelong whisky friends), as well as WhiskyL Shanghai and Tokyo International Bar Show (back when the annual Chichibu release didn't require camping out the night before!)

..and of course, drinking too many incredible bucket list drams to mention, including:

• The Macallan 65 year old in Lalique

• The Dalmore L'Anima 49yo (a 1 of 1 release)
  

• Craigellachie 51yo (the "World's most Uncollectible Whisky")
  

• The "World's Oldest Whisky" (at the time) - G&M's Generations 80 Year Old from Glenlivet Distillery
  

• Black Bowmore 3rd Edition (and again several years later, in Aston Martin re-issue guise)
  
• Gordon & MacPhail’s "Mr George Centenary Edition" 1956 Glen Grant 62yo (still one of the greatest sherried whiskies I've ever tried)
  
• Two 50yo Springbanks on the same day (one distilled in 1919!)
• ...and more whiskies with age statements in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s than I can link!

It's fair to say it's been a fun ride, especially since Hendy joined & we've been able to simultaneously cover Hong Kong, Australia and often the rest of Asia. We've even had a few events (like this one) where the stars have aligned and we've been in the same place at the same time, and one occasion where the event was a multi-national one and we've been able to join at the same time, despite the geographical distance! Whisky, bringing people together...even when they're not.

So, what's in store for the future? Well...more of the same really! We left it too late to arrange a special bottling or cask for the occasion, but we do have some pretty special tasting posts coming up (5 10 incredible whiskies we've been saving up) - "Tasted" post #596 #591 onwards, culminating in an epic whisky for #600 on our actual anniversary (22nd Oct 2022).

...and who knows, one day I might even finish writing up the "101 Dram Charitable Challenge" posts, as I'm almost completely through the list now!

Last but not least, we want to say a massive thanks to the tens of thousands of you who continue to read this blog every month, along with those who engage with us over on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter every day. It's been a great 10 years, and here's to the next 10.

Cheers,

Martin.