The Last Sipper with Joel Harrison
The spirits writer and presenter on the whisky that gets his tastebuds tingling, and his favourite Soho hangout
Go-to single malt?
Though one to call between Lagavulin 16 and Bowmore 15. I do like my peat, so either will do!
Favourite whisky cocktail?
A Highball, lots of ice, twist of lemon. You can’t beat it and I’d have it over a pint any day.
Best blend?
I really like something with a backbone of smoke, so Ardray or Johnnie Walker Black Label work. I also feel the quality of Blue Label is at a new level currently and just divine.
Favourite whisky bar?
I spend a lot of time in London’s Soho, so the Soho Whisky Club, which also has rare outside space for cigar smoking (another passion of mine) is perfect. If I had a teleportation machine, Revival Vintage Spirits in Covington, Kentucky for some of their exceptionally rare, open bottles.
Most exciting new whisky discovery?
Wire Works English Whisky, the single malt made in Derbyshire. It is the closest thing to Campbeltown style whisky I’ve tried, outside of the Kintyre Peninsula.
Whisky hero?
I don’t think I would be doing what I do today if it wasn’t for Sukhinder Singh of The Whisky Exchange. I used to hang around the original shop in the early 2000s like it was the record store in High Fidelity. His generosity with liquid, the curated nature of the tasting they would host, and the general welcoming nature and tone he and his team set in that place gave me the inspiration to become a whisky writer in the first place.
Whisky is....in five words?
Whisky is in my blood
