A Journey to Whiskyland with Angus MacRaild (Wed 27th Nov)

Decadent Drinks is the brainchild of Angus MacRaild. He bottles a delicious array of rare whiskies and malteratives under the the labels of Decadent Drams, Whiskyland, Equinox & Solstice and Old Orkney, and of course the now-concluded series’ WhiskySponge. Angus also writes for Whisky Magazine, reviews whiskies on whiskyfun.com alongside the esteemed Serge Valentin, is currently the sitting chair for the SMWS tasting panel and when time permits, writes a satirical blog poking fun at the whisky industry at www.whiskyfun.com. Because Angus likes to make his schedule suffer, he recently co-founded, alongside Jonny McMillan (Berry Bros & Rudd) and Aaron Chan (Owner of Club Qing, HK), a new Scottish distillery called Kythe. Their goal is to distill an “old-style, truly traditional” Highland Scotch whisky by sourcing heritage and brewing varieties of barley from local Farmers and 2-week long fermentations using seven wooden washbacks and a wood-fired wash still.

Angus MacRaild of Decadent Drinks

Introduction to Whisky Land

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and the beloved Whisky Sponge series from Angus MacRaild is no different. After teasing that Edition 100 would be the final release under the WhiskySponge brand, on the label of the Edition 64 bottle no less, the Sponge has made its last hurrah with an Ardnamurchan 7 Year Old. An accessible and quaffable release that encapsulates everything people love about the Sponge.

The nearly five years of bottling Sponge may have bid their last farewell, however the team behind Decadent Drinks is nowhere near done. Taking everything they have learnt with their first series, Angus and his team are now embarking on a new venture and structure – one that may require a passport – with the launch of the Whisky Land.

The introduction of a premium flagship series, Whisky Land, and their ‘all-encompassing’ range, Decadent Drams, they still haven’t lost their touch for fun. Sponge lovers can expect the same satirical and dry humour that Angus is known for, along with bold, colourful and tongue-in-cheek artwork, and of course top quality liquid inside the cognac-style glass bottles.

Whisky Land will feature a surreal and inverted interpretation of the modern world of whisky, crafting a story in 100 chapters that focuses on some of the best and rarest whiskies the team can find, along with a hearty helping of mischief in the artwork. Think ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ for whisky lovers, just make sure you don’t forget your towel!

Please note that the start time of this event is later than usual! We will be kicking things off at 7:30pm on Wednesday the 27th of November, in-store here at The Oak Barrel. Doors open at 7:15pm.