Daniela Rek

I fell in love with whisky and Scotland in 2016. A while later I started working in the whisky industry in various departments and would never want to work in any other field again. Whisky is not just a drink or a hobby. It is a lifestyle. And although there are great different whiskies in this world, I'm afraid I've become strongly attached to Scotch.

My clear preference is for independent and generally smaller distilleries and whiskies from independent bottlers. But in particular whiskies with over 46% vol. (ABV) and exciting cask maturations. I am drawn in especially to maturation in sweet wine casks. I also enjoy a finish for flavouring with pre-maturing in American or ex-bourbon casks. My taste is quite open, from strongly peaty and slightly smoky to spicy-sweet unpeated whiskies. For me, the perfect whisky must have a story to tell. My favourite whiskies include Arran Amarone Cask Finish, Bunnahabhain 12 year old, Edradour 10 year old and Isle of Raasay Dun Cana Sherry Quarter Cask. At 50% ABV, uncoloured, non-chill-filtered and finished in Italian sweet wine casks, the Arran whisky has a balanced and broad range of flavours and is neither watered down nor too mild. My ‘go to’ for any occasion!

What fascinates me about whisky, apart from the flavour, is the traditional history and craftsmanship behind it. I find in-house malting floors exciting, farm distilleries, the distillation process and cask management. The attention to detail plays an important role. As a whisky enthusiast with a very fine nose and an absolute nerd in the field, I write about distilleries, whisky production methods, maturation processes, whisk(e)ys themselves and their tasting notes.

I'll be starting a blog on Instagram soon and sharing my hobby there as inspiration for others @dramsandstills

At this point all that remains is to say, Slàinte Mhath! (Cheers in Scottish gaelic)