At the weekend I got to represent Grace O’Malley Whiskey and Ferrand Deutschland Gmbh at the Kempener Whisk(e)y Konferenz in Germany. The trade show started off in 2020 as an online only trade show due to corona restrictions and has developed into a hybrid show with real life guests and probably the best kind of masterclass I’ve ever hosted. You put your whiskies in the ring with whiskies from another country or style. There are live guests and guests with samples at home that tune in via live stream. Anyone, live or virtual, can ask questions, give comments and of course vote who the winner of the debate/battle is. It’s fun and the real winners are the guests and viewers. My oposition was Kay Hoffmann and it was such an interesting debate. We drew and swapped the best of each of our whiskies. As far as I remember he loved the Maritime Cask from the new core range. It is a great whiskey to be fair but the Dark Char and Stout finish will always be my favs.
Germany or Ireland? Watch the debate below and decide for yourself! (in German)