burton 2013

The winter sports industry is in Denver for their annual tradeshow (SIA 2012) and there are leaked shots and publicity shots all over if you look. A contact sent the above from the Burton booth, an iteration of the Ox Boot I think, but with a tweed upper? These guys are reading my mail. #tommylikey (ok looks sort of twill but hey, can dream...)

single malt flavour map -david broom

How does a beginner find their way around? The whisky industry does not help itself with its regional classifications (Speyside, for example, stretches from Glasgow to Wick, with numerous whisky styles).

[David] Broom has plotted single malts in Scotland on a grid with four co-ordinates: delicate, light, smoky, rich. The horizontal axis plots the lightness or richness and the vertical axis plots the smokiness. "There isn't a 'best malt' position on the map either – it's an unbiased plotting device," he says.
-via The Scotsman

Post-Burns night, having splashed some whisky on haggis (not kidding), have been digging through this guy's stuff. Published author in his field and general go-to for whisky knowledge. Like the map/taste idea above. He talks about it below.

the swinging sporran

Tomorrow is Burns Night, January 25th, the celebration of Scottish poet (and famous carouser) Robert Burns. Though dancing is not usually a part of the proceedings have been looking through this book above and its "lighthearted guide to the basic steps of scottish reels and country dances". It includes some background info on proper attire and conventions for attending a ceilidgh (pronounced kay-lee) but also hints at the reason why wearing Black Watch may be used as the default tartan for any wearer...

This legislation [the Dress Act of 1746 which forbade the wearing of tartan and the kilt -ed.] affected all Scots with the exception of those who had fought on the Government side (such as the soldiers of The Black Watch).

Won't rehash my previous Burns Night posts; see them all here.

desktop vacation -wilkins farmhouse cider

Wilkins Farm in Somerset, England has a going concern in making rough or farmhouse cider.

There are chairs and newpapers to pass the time of day. The free taster is always half a pint and you will be encouraged to have more; good clean cider. Roger also sells cheddar [unpasturized, rind-on, let's go now... -ed] and stilton [see -ed.] as well as vegetables, chutneys and pickles, and eggs. Don't expect a quick visit, so allow yourself time... This is the real cider none of your concentrate and bottles down here... just Dry and Sweet Farmhouse Cider, which will be blended to suit your tastes, in glass or container.
- via Wilkins

Short doc below is little insight into Roger Wilkins himself and Somerset’s ciderhouse culture. "Dry with a splash" [of sweet -ed.] is supposedly the way to go...

10e at kaufmann mercantile -weaving harris tweed II

My Harris Tweed contact Mike Donald has graduated as a certified weaver. Head over to Kaufmann Mercantile to read part two of our quite personal interview, about what this means to him but in a larger sense what is happening with the HT brand and the area.

One slightly off topic thing we talked about was connectivity on the island...

What about internet on the islands, I thought paradoxically you had fantastic broadband connections?
Broadband on the islands is one of the biggest issues I think we face and I hope it gets tackled by the Scottish government properly this year. It's very poor in some places. I'm lucky to have a 3MB connection which is average. Some places near the main town of Stornoway can get 7MB which is probably as good as it gets here but many of the remoter rural villages make do with a pretty lousy mast-to-mast wireless network at anything between 500KB and 2MB. It's very expensive too and really not good enough, especially if we want to keep young people and associated creative industries here.

BTW, have a look at your own Harris Tweed jacket... see those blue stamped numbers on the side, those correspond to the individual weaver that created the cloth. At some point I am hoping The Harris Tweed Authority will create a database or service so for S&G one could look up the numbers.

lambchop -gone tomorrow

Lambchop - Gone Tomorrow by cityslang

Felt like a long wait... but check this new release from Lambchop. Worth it... The song above just debuted on The Quietus.

Lambchop's eleventh album Mr. M is due out through City Slang on 20th February, and will be accompanied by a UK and European tour.

get winterized -hat liner

Mentioned these in one of the first-ever 10e posts. Hard hat liners work great for getting your caps into wintermode, or for an extra layer under your helmet to cover your ears. These are from Bullard, who contend to be the inventor of the hard hat; nice potted history at their site. A smooth acrylic knit. Button is a nice feature rather than velcro. I have a whole box of these...

pina -wim wenders

Used to go to Sadlers Wells quite a bit when living in London. Do like a bit of modern dance. Wim Wenders has created this piece as a tribute to dancer and choreagrapher Pina Bausch. Showing in 3D. Could be quite intense I bet. Further reading.