We had lunch at a delicious local restaurant close to the Tsingtao brewery. Of course, we had a beer, or rather I had a pretty big mug of it! The brewery tour was interesting on more of a historical level and the highlight for me is the tasting of the daily brew which is only available at the brewery. The fresh brew was crisp and clear, I loved it!

Delish Tsingtao Beer

Besides the brewery, I would urge you to take a day trip to Laoshan, get a good driver who knows the roads. Some notable sights are the Buddhist temple, the local restaurants along the way, as well as the tea plantation.

Qingdao is charming in many ways, the beer is delicious, but honestly, I wouldn’t linger for more than three days, after that, it may get a little sedated, especially for those who enjoy a good night out!

Charming Qingdao

In this day and age, where everything is done almost too quickly, we no longer stop, wait or anticipate as much…

I find beauty in the anticipation
Waiting for something to happen
Lost between possible outcomes
Your mind is filled with wonder
Isn’t that amazing?

Slow down your life.
Shoot in film.
Listen to vinyls.
Watch the clouds move.

It’s beautiful.

Savor it and you will understand my love for the Quartercask, deeply rich, full-flavoured, a beautiful taste of sweetness, yet smooth with an intense peatiness. I absolutely love it.

Every sip reminds me of someone I dearly love.

The next time you try a new whisky, have a sip of the Laphroaig Quartercask.

But as I woke up this morning, I got an inspiration to go deeper with this blog, to share the thoughts which drive me insane as often as the ones which satisfy me.

So here it is… on a rainy morning in Hong Kong.

There is something about grey weather which makes me smile.
Not many people seem to understand it.
Life can’t always be nice & sunny.
Life has grey spots, sometimes in even darker shades.
How do we find the smile in these moments?
On a day like this, I find the courage to smile, even when I woke up feeling a darker shade of grey.

And so, armed with the passion for Macallan, a little bit of fear, coupled with an intense craving to see how Macallan is made, I made the solo trip to Inverness in Scotland!

I flew domestic from London to Inverness, over the many hills and lochs of Scotland, eager to arrive and taste the drink of life from the source. I arrived in the middle of winter in early December and hired a local guide to drive me around. Well, I love to drink too much so have decided not to bother learning to drive, one pleasure in life is quite enough for me…

On the first day, I was driven to Elgin, a small town close to Inverness, home to local whisky brewery – Glen Moray. The whisky was not quite so memorable so I moved on to a whisky store and tasted one that took my breath away – the Benromach Peat Smoke.

Seriously Smoky. Intense. Yet Elegant.

The evening drew near and I bravely had dinner with the driver I hired to take me around Elgin, a town where quite possibly, I am the only Asian girl. Dinner was pleasant and the night ended with a visit to a local bar. I satisified my cravings for Laphroaig that evening and had an early night.

With anticipation, I woke the next morning all excited, like a little girl ready for Disneyland, well, of course, this ain’t a trip to meet Mickey & friends, I was very much looking forward to being at Macallan.

A 2 hour drive followed and we arrived at the vast compounds of Macallan, overlooking the River Spey. I signed on the tour, along with 4 other British gentlemen. We went through the full production process, breathing in the malt, followed by my favourite part – Warehouse 7,  where we were told “The Story of Oak” and saw barrels and barrels of whisky maturing in their special casks. To top it all, we had a tasting session and to be honest, only the 18 year Macallan made an impression. All in all, it was a good trip, not as impressive as I had anticipated, but that’s because I started falling in love with Laphroaig just before I made the trip.

The 10, The 12, The 18 and The 30... The 18 stood out!

Mission Accomplished... Next - Laphroaig in Islay!

After the mission was accomplished, I set out for the infamous Whisky Bar at the Highlander Inn Hotel in Craigellachie, in search for the whisky lover known to many as Tatsuya. I visualized an engaging conversation with Tatsuya over whisky, but unfortunately, I was too early in the day and missed seeing him. Nevertheless, The Whisky Bar is quaint and very lovable, with an excellent selection of whisky, from small distilleries in Scotland and popular choices from Japan. I had another Benromach Peat & Smoke before I embarked on my journey home.

It is true that whisky is the water of life. Water from the grand lochs in Scotland, blended with love and a little peat – I have no doubts that I will still be loving a good single malt in the decades to come. Next stop – Laphroaig in Islay, Summer 2010!

If you’re keen to plan a trip to Scotland to savor the single malt, check out the site http://www.scotlandwhisky.com – a great resource for booking a whisky tour. Or go on the famous Malt Whisky Trail at http://www.maltwhiskytrail.com.

Enjoy.

It was a beautiful, sunny winter’s day and the drive was delightful. My mates and I arrived at our villa of choice – the Crown Plaza Hunter Valley and took a break to decide on a dinner venue, all while sipping the delicious red wine from the region. The one vineyard which charmed me was Tatler. Their sparkling red wine was divine, light and bubbly, just the way I like it. They are a smallish vineyard who hardly ever export their wine outside of Australia, so if you are keen to taste their wines, you’ve got to make the trip.

We had dinner at Amanda’s On The Edge and we could hardly stop raving about the freshness of the meal. Of course, we were also slightly tipsy from another two bottles of red wine. I would return to Amanda’s again and again!

Another notable winery is Hungerford – their sparkling red wine has slightly more depth than Tatler, but just as yummy. Again, it’s not easy to find their wines outside of Australia, so do stock up if you’re ever there.

We bought 24 bottles of wine, including almost 12 bottles of sparkling red and in 7 days, half of that supply was savoured at my bestfriend’s balcony while watching the Sun set everyday… what a life! I wouldn’t live it in any other way. A trip to Hunter Valley is a must for every wine lover who craves a little bubbly in their red. Till my next poison of choice, I will relive these memories with a toast!

A toast to good health!

In my teens, my poison of choice was limited to vodka and tequila. Shots after shots of tequila would turn me into a happycamper. And when the next day dawns on me, I would be spinning most of the afternoon away, as a unhappy couch potato.

When I hit the 20′s, I dabbled in beer and wine. I started out with a Heineken and swiftly discovered the fruity Hoegaarden. A pint of ice cold Hoegaarden at 5pm, as the Sun sets after a long day at work, simply divine! With wine, one has to be pretty selective, yet in my 20′s, one can’t quite afford to be so selective, so I experimented with cheap wines and the result, well, not so different from the earlier tequila shots.

Now that I have arrived at my 30′s, I fell in love… with single malt whisky. Not any other single malt whisky, but a Scotch, no less please. A dear friend introduced me to Macallan and soon we got a little bored and moved on to Laphroaig. A Scotch stirs my passions right from the heart, the golden brown colour, the intense smell of peat, the smoothness as it flows down into my body, simple heaven.

Well, one can’t quite be monogamous with alcohol, can I?

I soon fell for Japanese sake, Australian Sparkling Shiraz, Tsingtao Beer and of course, the charming Champagne.

I love to drink. Am I an alcoholic? Maybe. One most days.

Life is for the persuit of one’s passions and I’ve decided to travel the world, right to where my endeared alcohol comes from. These experiences are what makes life worth living and I’m sharing it with you.

So what’s your poison?