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With its proximity to Adelaide and excellent wines, the Barossa Valley is used to welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. But venture four and half hours south and slightly to the east and you will discover another world-class wine region - Coonawarra. An Aboriginal word meaning honeysuckle, it is drastically smaller in size in terms of wineries with 30 (Barossa has circa 150) and is renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon more than Shiraz.

Certain distilleries have become ubiquitous on the shelves of not only specialist whisky retailers but supermarkets. The Balvenie is one of them and with justification. For decades it has been a leading light in Speyside. Located next door to Glenfiddich, yet almost hidden away it is producing some of the most exciting whisky in Scotland, so much so that their Second Red Rose 21 year old was was favourite "normal" expression tasted last year. 

If I were to compare Napa Valley, one of the gems of the American west coast, to a piece of high jewellery, it would be an IF diamond. Flawless is reserved for only the finest, purest and best, and like every wine-growing region, there are exceptional to mediocre estates.

I cannot recall my first experience of tasting Single Malt whisky, but there is a very strong likelihood it was Glenmorangie. Probably around the summer of 1988 before I was old enough to drive.  A taste given as part of my wine and spirits course at college. 

Twice. The number of times I thought I had been to Dublin previously, but I was wrong. I have a habit of that. Having been a wine merchant and writer for many years, I am convinced the cranial sub-section of my brain containing memory has diminished over time. Does anyone else feel the same? I was telling a friend about my trip, and how it was only my second trip to Ireland when they reminded me of a wedding I had photographed there.

We are all fine law-abiding citizens. Are we not? Of course we are. But let’s not kid ourselves  -  one of the attractions of the whisky business is that it has its roots in activities which once were just shy of the squeaky clean. Quite a bit shy to be honest. Robert Burns, who fantasised about the devil making off with the customs man, knew all about this, being employed as an exciseman himself.