The Drinks Globe

I'm not going to lie, as well as being delicious, whisky carries with it a certain image. I like to think of it as elegant sophistication. A hipflask in a well cut tweed jacket for example is, in my mind, a perfect pairing. Some may describe this as fogeyism but they can be ignored.

This easy elegance can extend to storage. Many years ago, all drinks were collected in earthenware pots only to be poured into glass bottles when they were ready to be drunk (by your bottler, later to become butler). This was down to glass being extremely expensive (and highly taxed). This process of decanting continues now with cut glass decanters remaining popular. I quite like decanting whisky. There is a certain ceremony to it and they are undeniably good looking objects. The problems arise when you forget what's in it (or when you think you remember then top it up with something different by accident - many an interesting blend has been created that way).

Now the tax on glass is less extortionate, or certainly no worse than the tax on everything else, most whiskies are supplied in bottles. These are invariably elegantly designed. The neck of an Old Pultney bottle, for example, is the same shape as the still in the distillery. Edradour has a picture of the extremely picturesque distillery on the label while Glenfiddich opts for the more traditional stag's head. All of these look good on the shelf not to mention making identification in times of intoxication relatively straight forward.

However for those seeking yet higher levels of sophistication, a drinks cabinet is required. Lining one's bottles up on the floor has limited visual effect after all. This is where my latest toy comes into play. Thanks to an eagle-eyed (not to mention extremely indulgent) fiancée, a drinks globe is now residing in the corner of the living room. What could be better to house my collection of whisky (well most of it)? It appears to Cat's love of "storage solutions" and my love of whisky, multi-purpose gadgets and general enjoyment of elegance. Not only does it keep hold of many of my bottles, there's even room for glasses too... assuming I have remembered to wash them up! Apparently there's also a picture of the surface of the earth on it too; so I'm told. As you can tell, I'm slightly smitten!

Sliante

TFB