We caught up with our Scotch Whisky Guide, Felipe Schrieberg, to hear more about his selection and top tips when it comes to whisky!
Felipe is a whisky writer, musician, author, spirits competition judge, and tastings host.
As a whisky writer, Felipe is a senior contributor for Forbes.com writing about spirits, and is regularly featured in Whisky Magazine, The Whiskey Wash, Unfiltered, and many other spirits industry platforms. For his work, he was named the 2022 Icons of Whisky Communicator of the Year, and the 2021 Alan Lodge Young International Drinks Writer of the Year.
Felipe is one of the world's most experienced online whisky tasting hosts, leading more than 200 online events for 3,000+ people around the world since April 2020.
Tell us more about your selection
Benromach Organic Single Malt is an award-winning and flexible dram that can be enjoyed by newbies and whisky geeks alike. It was also the world’s first certified organic single malt whisky, marking an important sustainability milestone.
Unlike Benromach's wider range, Organic is a wildcard as it's unpeated and matured in new oak. Fried butter, vanilla and toffee all feature and the whole thing is rounded off with a lovely and slightly bitter coffee finish.
What are the most common misconceptions people have of Scotch whisky?
Many people believe that all Scotch whisky is peated, which isn’t true at all. There’s also a misconception, promoted by the industry, that the region a whisky is produced in matters when judging aroma and flavour.
This may have been true in the past but less so today! It is hard to compare the taste profile of Speyside’s 60-odd distilleries to Campbeltown’s three. It’s far better to simply find out what individual distilleries are up to and the kind of whiskies they are producing.
What’s your top tip for picking whisky?
Though maturation isn’t everything when it comes to the final profile of a Scotch whisky, brands often draw attention to it and it might be helpful.
For example, if you see references to ‘American oak’, especially ‘ex-Bourbon’, this usually implies a profile that will have elements of vanilla, coconut, and even roasted nuts. ‘European oak’ usually implies something darker, fruitier, and tannic.
Where is your favourite place to enjoy a whisky cocktail?
At the back of Milroy’s of Soho there is a bookcase that opens up into The Vault, an excellent basement cocktail bar often featuring live jazz. There’s even a ‘barrel room’ shaped like the inside of a cask. It’s a perfect venue to enjoy a cocktail after a few drams in the superb whisky bar upstairs.
What are your top home bartending tips?
Many cocktails are often improved by adding some muddled cucumbers and a small splash of St. Germain elderflower liqueur. Perfect for highballs!
Another tip – swirl some smoky whisky in your chosen cocktail glass and pour it back in the bottle before your cocktail goes in– it will then have a wonderful lightly smoked aroma and flavour.
If you want to learn more about whisky, you can read Felipe’s guide to whisky and you can shop the Benromach gift set here.
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