Remember, Remember, the Whisks of Movember

November hits like a chilling bolt of ice with winter jackets well and truly donned and the pumpkin you carved for halloween now consigned to the stockpot.

It's also a time to perhaps start contemplating how lucky we all are to be healthy.

Without getting too maudlin, which is never the reserve of this journal; gentlemen, we're notorious for thinking with our bollocks & talking bollocks, we're just not very good at thinking about our bollocks.

Approximately 2,090 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer in the UK alone per year and a staggering 899,000 are diagnosed with prostate cancer across the globe.

But thanks to the frankly incredible work of various cancer charities, the fatality rates for these 2 forms of the disease are being tackled as best they can - but there is always much more to be done.

Movember is a name which most guys are no doubt familiar with. But did you realise just how much they do to help bring funding to cancer charities across the world?

Since 2003 the team behind Movember have helped to raise £106 million. Last year alone the charity raised £48 million internationally, which goes on to help fund projects by The Institute of Cancer Research and The Prostate Cancer Charity.

As well as signing yourself up to 'grow a mo' for Movember, (which you can do here) the like-minded folks at Master Of Malt have for the last few years released a limited bottling, the profits of which have gone to Movember.

This year's bottling is a cracker; Master Of Malt have partnered up with Glenfarclas to release a 9 year old bottling, selected by George Grant and the MOM team, from 2 Oloroso hogshead casks.

The bottling will retail at £39.95 and for each bottle sold, £10 will go straight to Movember.

here's our notes on the whisky:

Master Of Malt/Glenfarclas - Movember bottling - 9 years old - distilled in September 2002 - 53%

Nose: Big wafts of spiced dried fruit hit first, with a robust nuttiness (almonds and Brazil nuts) following quickly after. The sherry is bold and brassy, wonderful well rounded fruity notes but some slightly dry sherry aromas to boot.

Palate: Warming, powerful and very chocolatey on the first sip. Some herbal/mint notes begin to develop, but the heavyweight dried fruit soon eats them up for breakfast. This is a big whisky, full of spicy flavour, but with some subtle depth too; the chocolate notes keep developing, as do notes of salted caramel and christmas cake. Mega.

Finish: Spice, liquorice and dried fruit linger, but develop into some sliced green apples and a little butter dusted in brown sugar.

Overall: It goes without saying that both MOM and George Grant have selected 2 absolute gems of casks here and this bottling is an absolute winner.

Visit Master Of Malt to grab a bottle and not only enjoy a cracking whisky, but help to contribute to such a phenomenal charity.

www.masterofmalt.com

Whiskers Galore!

Gentleman....the wait is over. Today is the first of November and your shavers should be well and truly packed away - well at least for your top lips. Ever fancied growing a moustache, but needed a reason to run it past the wife/girlfirend/boss?.... we'll here's a great one. And there's even some whisky involved!!!

Movember is a global charity raising awareness and funds for men’s health issues whilst having a spot of fun along the way. Every November, chaps around the world show their support by growing Marvelous Moustaches and putting on events to raise funds.

Whisky 4 Movember is a brilliantly novel idea from the lovely folks at Master Of Malt, with a limited bottling of vatted malt from the 2 distilleries from the Island of Orkney is available from today. The minimum age of these whiskies is eleven years old, although much of the whisky used in the vatting is older and more complex.

The crowning glory is the 5 different labels which adorn the bottles... each featuring a famous moustache style!
No. 1 – The Handlebar
No. 2 – The Dali
No. 3 – The Chevron
No. 4 – The Pencil
No. 5 – The Walrus

It is the greatest of honour to report that the image on the front of the Handlebar label is of my own moustache, with both the Chevron and the Walrus images adorning the top lips of whisky legend Dave Broom and the equally legendary Serge Valentin from Whiskyfun.... rest assured, my whiskers are still beaming from ear to ear!

The super-limited-edition Whisky4Movember bottling will only run to 984 bottles in total and is available for only £29.95. All profits from the bottling will be donated directly to the Movember Charity.

Visit masterofmalt.com to see and buy the full range of Movember labels in full effect.

In the meantime- lets see if the insides are as handsome as the outsides!!

Master Of Malt - M'Orkney - Aged 11 years - bottle number 20/984 - 40% -
The Handlebar....

Nose: Layers of sweet cereal, honey and chopped hazelnuts, followed by a very light and zesty citrus fruit/diced apple and lovely hints of fresh honeysuckle. Really inviting and heady.

Palate: The sweetness continues with a huge hit of fruity malt loaf, buttery candy notes and more of those chopped nuts. The whiskies certainly feel a lot older than the 11 years listed and the rich mouth feel and oiliness ensures that this is a highly moreish dram. A little licorice and some further floral notes develop as the palate dries.

Finish: Lovely and juicy, with a long resonance, hints of dark treacle, stewed apple and sweet malted barley.

Overall: At under £30, this is an exceptional drinker and, coupled with the fact that the profits are going to a hugely good cause, means it is a bottling you should grab asap.