We bought the miniature whisky from the Food and Drink show last year but I didn't get around to opening it until tonight. I think this is probably the strongest whisky I have tried: at 62.8% it is over half as strong again as normal whisky.

As expected it has a bit of a kick to it but it isn't too harsh when sipped.

While we were in Sainsburys this morning I spotted a bottle of whisky on the shelf which seemed to be too unbelievably cheap. At less than £10 it was much cheaper than any other malt whisky. I'd never heard of a brand called Glen Martin. It seems to be a blend of malt whiskies rather than a single malt. I've no idea whether it's a 'genuine' brand or something made for the supermarkets but it's good value and definitely worth the money.

When I got to the checkout to pay, I was asked for some proof of age. This is the first time I have ever been asked for ID when I've bought alcohol. When I was younger, underage drinking wasn't such a big worry and few places asked for proof of age. Now I'm quite definitely over 18 and quite definitely look over 21. I suppose I should be flattered that someone thought they needed to ask. And I should ignore the fact that the elderly lady at the checkout wasn't wearing her glasses.

According to the BBC News website, scientists in Scotland have found a way of using whisky to clean up contaminated land. They are actually using a by-product rather than the whisky itself. It's good to know that as well as tasting good, whisky is also good to the planet.

We went to a Cheese and Wine night at Warwick University, jointly hosted by the Cheese and Chocolate and the Wine and Whisky societies.
There were 6 wines paired with 6 cheeses for us to sample, and 2 experts from shops in Leamington to talk about them. It was in interesting evening, the wines and cheeses varied in quality and flavour and some of the pairings were less successful than others but most of what was available was good. There was a particularly good blue cheese there, whose name escapes me but it was very soft and creamy. There was also a Warre's 10 Year Old Tawny Port which was possibly the star of the show as far as the wines were concerned.