Hans Offringa  

Whisky & the Senses ANGELS met Hans at whisky live in Holland 2010;

At the age of 18, I graduated from high school and as a celebration ritual was offered my first glass of Scotch whisky by a good friend. I instantly fell for the drink and my natural curiosity made me go on a quest. It would turn out to be a lifelong quest. As a professional writer with more than 30 years of writing articles, books and manuals under my belt, I have been doing some serious traveling, mostly for research, from Scotland to Kentucky, from Hong Kong to San Francisco, from St. Petersburg, Russia, to the Sinai desert in Africa. My favorite country however is Scotland. When I first visited that wonderful place some 20 years ago, the main purpose was to meet a series of distillers for interviews and photography. I fell in love with the countryside, with the people and with nature as a whole. Over the years  I traveled countless times to this part of the world and  accumulated a wealth of knowledge and perhaps a bit of wisdom on the side. Thanks to the many people who were willing to help me – distillers, marketeers and fellow writers. In 1998 I published my first work about whisky, together with a Scottish business partner. It proved to be the start of a whole series of books and articles about the craitur. Three years ago I developed the idea to write four different coffee table style books about whisky and the senses. After all, we appreciate a good dram of whisky with our ears, our eyes, our nose and our palate. We hear a gurgling sound when we pour the whisky, we watch the colour, we smell the aromas and when we taste a sip, we feel a prickling sensation. Five senses cooperate closely to give us an impression of what we savour. In 2007 part 1, A Taste of Whisky, was published, in which book I describe how flavours and aromas come into being and how one can learn to discern those oneself. To top it off I asked four chefs from four different countries to create a ten course menu with ten single malt whiskies I especially selected for them. They all took an entirely different approach,  as I had hoped for. On May 29 , 2009, part 2 was launched: Whisky & Jazz. In the first chapter  I compare the history of jazz with the history of whisky and identify areas of resemblance. In the second chapter I describe the life stories of ten jazz musicians followed by a chapter about 10 fine distilleries. The last chapter is a sipping and tasting guide, where I blend a particular song with a particular whisky, enhancing both the enjoyment of listening to music and tasting superb whiskies. For each blend I wrote a blue note and a tasting note.  At www.whiskyandjazz.com you can find a link to the ten pieces of music and listen to them while savouring your dram. Part 3 (looking) and 4 (feeling)  of Whisky & the Senses are scheduled for publishing in 2011/12 and 2013. All four books can be read independently.

 Slainte Mhath, Hans Offringa

About the author: Hans Offringa is an internationally established author and whisk(e)y expert. With his American wife Becky he conducts nosing and tasting sessions under the name The Whisky Couple, in Europe as well as the USA.  Mr. Offringa has written and translated numerous articles and more than 15 books about whisky and whiskey. He also wrote three novels and a few historical books. His articles are published worldwide in various magazines, news papers and websites.