A Little About Me

I am a chef and have been cooking professionally for about 20 years. (For now, no talk about where I work.)
I love whisky and have been indulging longer than I've been cooking.
I love wine and it has been a part of my dining experience since my parents began learning about wine when I was a kid.
My dad always wanted me to drink "Scotch" with him, but in my younger days, I didn't have the palate for whisky at all. College made me a bourbon drinker. Grad school and a job that used to bring me to England made me a single malt drinker.
I do opt for spelling whisky without the "e" as I was predominantly drinking single malts when my passion for whisky really grew. I do love a good bourbon, rye, Canadian, or even a few other random whiskeys from around the world. Why discriminate?! Good whisky, is good whisky, regardless of where it's from!!
I've been to Scotland 3 times, bourbon country many times and sampled hundreds of whiskeys over the years.  I had the crazy privilege of getting a barrel sample of what 2 years later became the final release of Bowmore Black and I've even sampled a few pre-WWII malts.
As a chef, I not only think of whisky as something to drink and enjoy, but something to pair with food, and something to cook with.
For wine: I have been to countless wineries, entirely too many trade tastings, and have sampled hundreds of wines with friends and family. I have recently been invited to be a part of a four person team blending several varieties destined for the market any day now. That involved hundreds of barrel samples, too many combinations of those wines to count, and in the end, some incredible wine in the bottle.

Stay tuned for pairings, recipes, comments, reviews, and many a rant or ramble about these divine wine and spirits.