As a child, when my parents would go out for the evening and I was entrusted to a babysitter, little did they know that I would terrorise my au pairs by eating leaves of notepads, leading them to believe that I was some kind of human paper shredder, thus ensuring their suspicious and immediate unavailability. After having unwisely earned my parents’ trust and graduating from adult supervision to being left to my own devices, I would occasionally raid the liquor cabinet.
Of course, when plotting devious activities, avoiding detection was paramount; I’d have to make my own special brand of cocktail by taking just a bit from the top of every bottle so my parents wouldn’t notice. Alas, the bottles most frequent and untouched in the liquor cabinet were crème de menthe—obvious remnants from frequent dinner parties in the late-Seventies and early-Eighties—and my rocket fuel concoction tasted mostly like mouthwash laced with 100-proof and mineral turpentine. A Listerini, if you will.
These days, with a more refined palate, I tend to leave my mixing to the professionals; and whisky is no exception. Although, Whisky Blender is one service that could make me question my stance. A concept from experts, Whiskersons of Bothwell Ltd, the Glasgow-based allows users to make their very own blended scotch. By choosing from seven selected whiskies, customers can nominate their preferred malts and their corresponding proportions to make their very own blend in a fun and interactive manner.
Once chosen, the customer can name their blend, which will be hand written onto a personalised label and it will be shipped in a 700 mL lead-free crystal decanter. Each personalised blend is given a unique code, which is entered into Whisky Blender’s archive, allowing customers to order replenishment or gift their blend to a friend who’s helped them drain their decanter dry.
Price is determined by the quantity and type of blend selected, but an average bottle costs around £55 plus shipping. See an introduction from their master blender (as opposed to Master Splinter) below:
Published on 30 January 2012 by Agony Uncle