Imagine being a kid in a giant candy store, one of the biggest in the land, and then being told you can only look, not eat!

That was my experience at the remarkable “The Village” Whisky Festival. I had been looking forward to it for a long time, had my entry and Masterclass tickets purchased, and a whole fun weekend with friends planned… But then the universe had other ideas…

Ever had a  cracked tooth? Followed by 3-hour emergency dental surgery? Then a tooth extraction? Which got infected? To discover you have a bizarre never before experienced reaction to antibiotics – not just one but two? Oh, and did I mention unrelenting pain for weeks?!

So there I was with a “chipmunk cheek”, barely able to talk with the foul taste of antibiotics in my mouth, generally feeling miserable for myself… yet determined to not miss completely!

I missed the Sharing Angels reunion, barely made it through our Masterclass with Lindores Abbey (with whiskies sniffed and tucked away in sample bottles for a later date), a meeting by the German Distillers Association (Verband deutscher Whiskybrenner) stand with a duo from Fading Hill (their Rye and Peat expressions), a pitstop at the Elch booth, before heading home to crash! Not fun at all…

However, it reminded me how lucky we are in Europe to have such exhibitions. It was an impressive array of distilleries from around the world. And just like the France section at Paris Whisky Live, the German distiller’s section at The Village is impressive.

Even more so, had I been in any shape to make some purchases, there were certainly more than a few gems! For prices that would be the envy of anyone in Asia, given the friendly tax treatment of spirits in Deutschland.

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