Hail to the hipsters

We all know how the right dram in the right place at the right time, with the right people, can elevate it to new heights. And they don’t come much more elevated than a wee schnifter at the top of a Scottish mountain, to celebrate a great day out and a successful ascent – even more so when you’re on the summit of Sgùrr Alasdair, the highest point on the Isle of Skye, on a sunny day in May with a Young & Spritely SMWS flavour profile to share around.

That’s where the hipflask comes into its own, and this month we’re celebrating the history of the hipflask in particular, and the pleasures of outdoor drinking in general.

Gavin D Smith reminds us that if we use a hipflask then we’re the original hipsters, whether we’ve got the beards and tattoos to go with it, while Inka Larissa takes pleasure in a mouth-watering range of whisky and other cocktails to indulge in over various occasions this summer.

Julien Willems finds out what makes our Young & Spritely flavour profile the perfect summer whisky, with its characteristic citrus freshness, perfect on its own, in a hipflask or in a highball with fresh lime and mint.

Elsewhere, Kami Newton explores the chemistry behind why sharing whisky makes it so much more enjoyable than sipping it alone, and we pay a visit to Scotland’s first up-and-coming vertical distillery – a stroll away from The Vaults at the Port of Leith. There were no hipflasks involved on the day we paid a call, but when it’s open to the public, the ascent to the top floor and the views across the city and sea will be memorable in itself.

Enjoy your June adventures, wherever they take you.

Cheers,