Whisky
My whisky journey began during an innocuous trip to Scotland in 2012 with my now wife, to see the Edinburgh Tattoo. With a couple of hours to kill, we stumbled into the Scotch Whisky Experience just outside Edinburgh Castle, and that’s when a love affair with Whisky was born.
Having tried Whisky in the past, which consisted of a sip of Bell’s or Famous Grouse at Christmas and then instantly spitting it out, I didn’t hold out much hope for my mind to be changed. What happened next would shape a lot of our future decisions, whether it was table names for our wedding, planning holidays around distillery locations and becoming founder members of a new distillery in the Lake District.
Who knew there were so many different types of Whisky! The standout part, and it would later feature as an integral element of my Stag Do in Edinburgh, was the flavour selection stage. The tour takes you through the history and process of making whisky, but then you are taken into a large room where you choose your ideal flavours. That decision then points you into the direction of a whisky you are most likely to enjoy. This was an absolute eye opener. Choosing strong flavours like coffee, smoked meats and salty food, my first taste of Ardbeg was stumbled upon and I never looked back. Completely amazed, and instantly hooked, this was the first step on a path that would take me, my wife, friends and family on a journey which is still in full flow.
Watches
The enjoyment of watches started at a young age following a family holiday to Fuerteventura. Whilst in one of the small local markets, my parents bought both myself and my brother an outrageously cheap, fake, Tommy Hilfiger watch. I remember it vividly, as mine had a bright burgundy face, and the most badly copied logo at the top. That however kicked off the fascination with watches: the design, the variety of uses, the complications and sheer breadth of options available.
My first foray into owning a piece of note was prior to our wedding. We both decided that we would invest in a watch for our big day, so we set about choosing what we wanted. Having always followed motorsport (that explanation comes next!) Tag Heuer for me has always held a majesty and an aura so that seemed the logical choice.
That however was the start of the process. Did I want a quartz or mechanical (we were too early for Smart Watches). What style did I want (divers/chronograph etc), what strap did I want, how big did it need to be. I set about trying the vast options available. I knew I wanted it to be smart for the wedding so went with a steel bracelet and I have never been diving so there was no need for a divers watch (that opinion has more recently changed). As this was my first piece of note, I knew I wouldn’t be wearing it all the time due to the cost, so a quartz made the logical choice. I settled on a Tag Heuer Formula One. It was the right size, right weight, right style, had a comparable ladies version for my wife and I have enjoyed using it for the last 10 years.
A few years later there was an itch to look for a new watch which was more useable. Again, of the opinion divers watches are for people who do just that, I came across a Tudor Black Bay 39mm whilst out with my wife, with zero intention of purchasing a new watch that particular day. It was smaller, lighter, more basic than my previous purchase but the quality felt fantastic, had a smart leather strap and I had always planned to get an automatic at some point so the excitement took over and it doubled my collection at the time. My wife went completely different to me and picked up an Omega De Ville which is absolutely stunning.
There has been somewhat of a hiatus since purchasing the Tudor. I have however returned to my interest in watches and have a new found opinion of what watches should be. I have historically always thought you need to go to one of the big names (Tag/Rolex/Omega etc) but the more time I spend looking, the more amazing, small scale manufacturers there are out there. Some with amazing designs, some with fantastic useability, and some with really useful features. I have really enjoyed immersing myself back into that world, helped by the blog Two Broke Watch Snobs who are fantastic at reviewing watches that regularly knock the socks off the larger more mainstream brands at a fraction of the price and ironically provide more exclusivity in certain cases.
Armed with my re-ignited passion, and new found opinion, I have broken the back and purchased a Timex Expedition and I have really enjoyed wearing it. Its light, easy to read and is ideal for day-day use. Its been used to help my son learn to tell the time as he loves the indiglo function. The next foray will be a divers watch, and I have several tabs open at the moment, and my Instagram feed is overflowing with varying options. A younger me would give a head shake in disgust as the deepest I will even go in water is in a pool, but it feels like an itch I need to scratch.
Cars
This is by far my biggest passion. It stems back far longer than my other main interests and has given some fantastic, and exciting experiences. It all starts at a young age and I am fortunate to live within 30min one of the great racetracks of the UK in Oulton Park. I will never forget my first visit to watch the British Touring Cars on 30th May 1994, aged 10. The death of Ayrton Senna was still in the forefront of everyone’s mind, but seeing those cars racing around the track, the noise, the speed, the fact you could wander around and get a different view on each corner had me hooked.
Despite a lot of go-karting in my youth, it was only even seen as a hobby, usually on a birthday or something to do in the summer holidays whilst off school. Having a younger brother of a similar age was ideal, we both shared the same interests in cars (he is a far more superior driver than I am), along with a father and uncle who have historically had cool cars (Escort Mexico / Lotus Sunbeam to name a couple) it was always easy to get involved in/around cars.
I am one of the people who sit looking at classifieds for hours for something weird and wonderful, or when you are out you randomly see a car you haven’t seen for ages and then straight away have a look to see how much they are and how great it would be to have one (knowing full well it would be a disaster). Luckily my kids both share a great passion for cars, and this has allowed us to experience some great events as a family both home and abroad. We have visited some of the most well known racetracks such as Spa Francorchamps and Silverstone, and have been allowed to get close to some of the fastest sportscars on the planet.
More recently I have been an avid follower of sportscar endurance racing. Ever since visiting the 100th anniversary of the Le Mans 24hr in 2023, I have been enthralled with that format of racing. The vast array of cars, from different manufacturers, all racing across different classes makes for exciting, and very scary races. It is regularly referred to as the golden age of endurance racing and only looks to be getting better.
Why Do This?
I have a fantastic job, a great wife, and wonderful kids (most of the time). I wanted to share my passions, experiences and thoughts with others who have similar interests. I’ll never be a master distiller, someone who can explain what a balance wheel does in a watch or be a racing driver, but hopefully the topics I talk about give people some enjoyment and commonality.
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