The Ticket Thing IS BACK!
(I bet you didn’t even notice it was missing…) Some while back I wrote a thing so that it was possible to look at all my old gig tickets. Because for reasons I can’t fully explain in an acceptable timeframe,
Tonight we tried making a Celeriac Carbonara, cos it was on the telly, sounded amazing, and I have very little imagination.I've never simmered cream for 25 mins before. Delicious, though ludicrously rich.God I love celeriac.
And to replace the gap in the shelf from the departure of that Lagavulin, this international gold award-winning drop from my local @circumstancedistillery – cheerily hand delivered on a bank holiday, which isn't bad considering I ordered it a 5 to midnight last night! Top chaps round there.
Finishing a bottle of Lagavulin doesn't just mean another empty bottle to recycle. It's a reminder – a memory of the wonderful times I've had visiting the distillery. Coasting in on the ferry past those iconic white walls. Drinking the cask sample in the sun on the grass with Colin, Jonny, and Liz during the Feis. My last visit there (unintentional) when we missed the turnoff to Laphroaig and got caught in the rain. The warehouse tour with Iain. Learning about Dunyvaig with Georgie. Listening to Dr Nick tell (many) tales of Peter Mackie. Sneaking illicit drams on the pier during the jazz festival. My first visit to Islay when we didn't know there was a festival on. Singing along with Tim in Soho Whisky Club. Experiencing the vagaries of international post trading with Sjoerd. Pouring a 12yo at Adrian's stag do. Every other bottle of Lagavulin I've opened, finished, and shared since discovering this amazing hobby. #aintnofoolin #lovescotch #lagavulin
Utter carnage.
It was twenty years ago today.
I mean, this is the kind of moment that calls for a stop & reminisce, right? 20 years ago today – May 2nd, 2004 – I stepped off a British Airways flight from Adelaide via Singapore which had freshly landed