Peace on earth and good drams to all men.
What a year!
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As 2010 draws to a close it's thrilling to look back at everything that has happened to Connosr over the last twelve months. We'd like to thank everyone who has supported us with our endeavours.
Watching the community grow & flourish into a vibrant and, we can't help noticing, friendly network of whisky enthusiasts has been tremendously rewarding. You really are an open and inclusive bunch of people and the discussions always seems to lack the cynicism and oneupmanship which is so often a feature of online forums - whisky related or otherwise. So please accept our gratitude for that.
Other highlights of the year have been numerous but of particular note are - the launch of Connosr Distilled, our WhiskyPod event at the Whisky Show and having had the opportunity to interview and make films about some fascinating people and organisations.
We've got some exciting plans for the coming year, which we're looking forward to sharing with you soon, but for now its time for a well earned break.
Pause for a dram
At one time I was involved in the production of music and, as anyone so engaged will attest, it can change the way you listen. You rarely put on a track and just hear the song. Frequently people involved in producing, or performing, music end up breaking down what they are listening to into its constituent parts. Some of the pleasure of listening gives way to analysis.
Now you may well ask why I mention it...
Put simply one of the effects of the internet and particularly sites such as this one, is that many of us have become part time whisky writers. There is no doubt our understanding of whisky, and all its complex subtleties, has been enhanced by the wealth of information at our disposal. Furthermore, our critical faculties are put to the test as we share tasting notes and we have no doubt deepened our knowledge and appreciation of the liquid in our glasses and learned to better express our experiences.
So far so good. But I wonder if it ever impacts our enjoyment of whisky?
Professional whisky writers sacrifice some subjective enjoyment of their dram in return for earning a crust from forcing themselves to be objective about it. But I sometimes wonder - as we update our profiles on Connosr, or pen tasting notes for our blogs - are we ever losing sight of the simple pleasure of just drinking and enjoying the whisky?
Now please don't misunderstand me – I'm not saying that we shouldn't be writing tasting notes, or scoring whiskies. For one thing it's the lifeblood of this site! And furthermore it's enormously useful for other whisky fans to read the reviews. Perhaps even more importantly, it helps us to track our own whisky journeys, make informed decisions about what to buy next and increases our understanding of why the whisky in our glass tastes the way it does.
All I'm saying is that, every now and then, let's not forget to just pour a whisky, sit in a comfy chair, smell, sip and enjoy. Your publisher won't be calling you in the morning to find out when the next draft of your magnum opus will hit her desk.
And if ever there was a perfect time of year to do just that – its the festive season. So, from all of us at Connosr HQ, we wish you a peaceful, merry and contented holiday filled with friends, food, cheer and hopefully a chance to enjoy a moment of quiet luxury with your favourite dram.