Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”). We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. Full disclosure: this sample was included in an advent calendar that was sent to me free of charge. As always I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.

Thoughts: At least to begin with, the nose promises more than the palate can deliver. However, given time and a little splash of water, the dram opened up and improved. Some tinned pineapple started to come through and the mouthfeel seemed to loosen up. Where the whisky previously felt tense and restrained it now felt relaxed and flowed over the tongue. Water took it from disappointing to gently satisfying. A decent, if unspectacular, dram. Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819.

If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account. Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products.

As an adult, John Dewar found employment as a Woodsman and a Sawyer. At one stage he was on the payroll of the Duke of Argyll’s Rosneath Estate, making, among other things, fence posts. His life changed drastically in 1859, when word reached him that J.F. Campbell of Islay was willing to pay money for good folk tales. Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age.Taste: A gentle, polite arrival with some subtle fruits. Apple, especially. Pear too. Subtle citrus. Then comes toffee before things turn oaky mid-palate. Fresh oak with gentle spice. Dried apples and cinnamon. Bran flakes with Hazelnut. Citrus oak finish.

No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. Without prejudice to the section Liability below, the Service may be temporarily unavailable during maintenance, updates, etc. We shall make reasonable efforts to inform you of any unavailability due to maintenance or updates. We may, but are not under any obligation, to release new functionalities and tools or other features for the Service every now and then. Any new functionalities, tools and features shall be part of and governed by the Terms from the moment they are launched and/or available. Further, we reserve the right to modify, change, discontinue the Service, add or remove features, update the Service, change its appearance, temporarily and permanently, at any time, in whole or any part thereof. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us.John scoffed at the idea but by 1862, his health had begun to fail him. Palpitations of the heart brought his ability for manual labour to a crushing halt. In his forced retirement, he decided to heed Campbell’s advice and travelled for more than a decade, meeting people and recording as many different stories as he could. Dewar was meticulous. He spoke with many storytellers, often recording several different versions of the same story before combining them to make the most complete, definitive version. Then he would carefully write it all out in Gaelic. Through his years of travelling, he amassed an incredible wealth of material; around a million and a quarter words spread throughout ten volumes. John Dewar was born in 1802 in the Gortan Estate on Loch Long, Argyll. Little is known of his upbringing or education but the Gaelic language was in common use in the area and John was a fluent speaker in both English and Gaelic. He grew up in a world where the oral tradition of storytelling was still strong. Indeed, it was one of the main forms of entertainment. The young Dewar was fascinated with such tales and thanks to an impressive memory, became a fine storyteller in his own right. Dewar passed away from heart failure in 1872 but his work survives. Seven volumes are kept with the Argyll archives in Inveraray whilst the remaining three are at the National Library in Edinburgh. His work amounts to the first oral history project ever conducted in Scotland. It is also, without any doubt, the largest and most significant collection of Gaelic tales ever compiled in the country. Smell: Smells a bit like standing between a bakery and a carpenter’s workshop. Lots of wood and baking spices. Bread baking in the oven. Scones with cream and butter. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Sawdust and pencil shavings. There’s also caramel and runny honey. Dried banana, coconut and hazelnut. A touch of apple and white grapes.