I first started to go to festivals in 2003, since then attended many. Love to try many different whiskies. So one of my favorite book series is the "101 whiskies to try before you die" series, which resulted in me trying whiskies I would not have thought of putting on the list to try at festivals, friends, etc. (and no, I have not tasted them all, but I am closing in. Some are serious challenges to find samples of).

For 2009 onwards I made an effort to visit as many distilleries as possible. Finding every distillery to have their own little different way of doing things. If you get the chance try the wash and new spirit. There are larger differences than one would expect. Some wash being sweet (for example Glenfarclas) and some being more to the bitter side (for example Auchentoshan).