Our Testimonials
Through our many years of spreading our enthusiasm for whisky, many people have kindly taken the time to write to us and tell us how much they enjoyed the experience of one of our whisky themed events or whisky training courses. Perhaps you will find their words useful while choosing Regis Whiskymad.
Categories:
Whisky Events
Régis Lemaître is indeed a master of his trade. With the ability and knowledge to talk ad infinitum about malt whisky, he captivates his audience with his affable charm. Each scheduled one-hour workshops ran for 2 1/2 hrs until the time factor forced us to bring the session to an end!
Comann na h-Alba Luxembourg
21-OCT-08
"Just a short note to pass on my thanks to you and your colleagues for a most enjoyable evening on Tuesday. Regis was a fascinating speaker and having spent most of the night sampling his recommendations it is easy to share his passion for his subject!"
James C, RBS
Regis - You were suprb - very amusing and everyone loved your talk Informative without being heavyweight, and amusing without being patronising. Well done and thank you so much. We will certainly hope to use you again.
Suki Hudson
"Just a quick note to thank both you and your colleagues for your superb hospitality on the occasion of your Whisky Dinner. I found the tasting and instruction extremely informative, and I am sure we all now have a much greater appreciation of the background to malt whisky"
John B, Leeds
"Thank you for a superb evening in Leeds last week. The whole event was simply outstanding and your enthusiasm and interaction with our guests was like nothing I have seen. The feedback has been excellent - a unique event which was actually enjoyed by those who didn't even think they would like whisky !!"
Paul Martin
"Many thanks for a truly excellent evening on Tuesday. The whole event was great – the food was outstanding, and Regis was most entertaining and interesting and the company was great."
Miles S, YFM
Festival Interceltique de Lorient en 2007
La fête est bien moins belle cette année, sûrement dû au temps nuageux qu'il y a en ce moment.
Mais j'ai réalisé à quel point j'ai aimé travailler au Festival, travailler avec Julie et toi. Tu m'as appris le whisky, le plaisir de travailler en équipe et, surtout, j'ai eu une réelle reconnaissance de ta part, ce que je n'avais jamais eu lors de mes emplois précédents.
Enfin tous cela pour dire que c'est sûrement grâce à toi, à l'équipe que nous avions formés, que j'ai pu continuer dans ce domaine. Je garde cependant un pied dans le whisky, je me rends disponible pour les représentations et, à chaque fois, je le fais avec plaisir, le plaisir de travailler.
On peut tout simplement dire que Lemaitre à très bien appris à l'élève et qui celui-ci souhaite lui dire un grand merci, un très grand merci, pour tout cela.
Amicalement,
Scott Beharrell Bono,
05.08.2008
"Regis Lemaitre was a primary reason I got so interested in Scotch Whisky
and he really helped me develop my learning of the subject"
"Regis Lemaitre is a serious whisky expert in Scotland and knew a great deal about whisky.
I was very lucky to work with him and to learn alot from him. I gained a lot of my enthusiasm
for Scotch Whisky from him and decided to further my knowledge."
Chris Chudley
To get more information, or discover how we can bring you a unique whisky themed event, click here...
Whisky Training
A Taste of Scotland in Luxembourg: Whisky Making Masterclass
21-OCT-08
If the test of art lies in its power to intensify the pleasures of life, the skill of whisky making ranks high among them. Régis Lemaître, a professional whisky expert from Scotland, demonstrated that he is a true master of the art. At 'A Taste of Scotland' organised by the newly-formed Scottish Association of Luxembourg asbl. Lemaître revealed to audiences the complexity of the art of whisky making. With consummate skill, he divulged some of the secrets of the craft and showed devotees how to transform their enjoyment of 'usquebae' into an experience for connoisseurs. He explained how, in exploring the volatile liquid, you rediscover your senses.
Burns wrote of John Barleycorn's elixir that: "...'Twill make a man forget his woe; 'Twill heighten all his joy; "Twill make the widow's heart to sing, Tho' the tear were in her eye."
Even so, Burns did not foresee the refinement of the art of whisky making that Man's ingenuity has brought about.
Lemaître impressed participants showing how the elements of the malting, fermentation, distilling and maturing of the whisky combine to make a subtle, nay magical, concoction. He discoursed on the quality of the barley and the moisture and composition of the earthy fuel. He demonstrated how the peat in the distillate produces its effect. He touched on the quality of the water. He spoke learnedly on the choice of oak of the cask, on the prior curing of the staves in Jerez or Tennessee, and on the critical effect of alcoholic strength. He let attentive listeners savour variations in these factors. He explained the impact of markets, regulations and excise duty. He showed members of the class how to converse with whisky to induce her to unveil her charms. His Gallic panache, imbued with Scots level-headedness, gave a picture of a craft in harmony with Nature and a science that reveals to Man essences beyond those that any alchemist conceived.
WHISKY OPERATIONS REPORT - 11TH – 13TH SEPTEMBER 2008
BY JENNIFER MCAFEE
I have worked in bars for 4 years now, and have recently achieved my HND Hospitality Management and progressed to study at degree level. However, I had very little knowledge of Scotland's national drink (not Irn-Bru!). Therefore, I applied to HIT Scotland to undertake their whisky scholarship programme, and was delightfully successful.
On the day of departure, we first paid visit to the Glen Goyne distillery which gave me an initial insight into the background of whisky. From there, we then went on to Aberlour to visit the Dewar's World of Whisky, which was fantastic in terms of being very guest / tourist focused. This can be seen from the huge array of interactive information points based on the story of the Dewar family. It was a privilige to be able to taste whisky straight from the cask that is not actually for sale (pity!)
We stayed in the Archiestown Hotel in the Speyside region, which has the highest concentration of whisky distilleries in Scotland. The hotel was a fantastic place to stay, as it had a very relaxing atmosphere and was very welcoming. Most importantly, the staff and owners of the hotel were very knowledgeable, hospitable, and the service that they provided to their guests was genuine and second to none. This is the first accommodation that I would very definitely go back to in the near future, as I intend to visit the Speyside district again in the very near future. The one other important topic to mention about the Archiestown Hotel is the menu - it is a fantastic menu with house specials, and the produce is fresh, which enhances the whole meal experience.
After the first meal in the hotel, we then paid visit to the Craigellachie Hotel in local Craigellachie, in order to pay visit to the world reknowned Quachie Bar. The bar itself has such a wide array of whisky in stock, which was a pleasure to be able to look in awe around the bar. In this bar Regis gave us the know how in the proper nosing and tasting method of whisky, so that we could learn to fully appreciate the whiskies that we would then go onto taste.
On the second day, we went to visit the Glenfiddich and Balvenie distillieries, and also to the cooperage which is on site of these distilleries. Watching the coopers in action was very interesting, as I would liken it to a ballet due to the way that it appeared that the coopers were working seamlessly to a choreographed routine. These distilleries gave us the perfect opportunity to practice the techniques we learned from the bar the night before. That night in the hotel, we relaxed in the lounge before dinner and worked on the whisky packs we received from Regis. This gave us the perfect opportunity to think about we had learned so far on this trip, and to make sure that we were actually absorbing the information and ask questions about things that we weren't sure about. After that, we had a whisky dinner that had a whisky matched to each course of the menu that was provided. We were also advised on how to drink the whisky with the meal in order to enhance and enjoy the whole meal.
When it came to the last day of the trip, we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the Dalwhinnie distillery, which is based in the highest village in Scotland, namely Dalwhinnie. Unfortunately, there was an hour long wait before the next tour, so we made our way to Perth, where we stopped for lunch and to finish our whisky packs. We made our way afterwards to the Edradour distillery (Scotland's smallest distillery), which was one of my favourite whisky distillery visits, the favourite being the Balvenie due to its unusualness as we got to visit the kiln room and malting floor. Then on we continued to the Blair Athol distillery. This distillery was good to visit, with very friendly staff, but by this point we had enough knowledge in order to pick out the differences that our tour guide was saying compared to the other tour guides. This distillery also had lots of information on the walls in the visitor area, with the year in which whisky taxes were introduced catching my eye. After this tour was over and we had tasted some Blair Athol single malt, then we sadly began our journey home. It was sad because we had such a great time, I wished it could have lasted longer!
Throughout the travelling between the distilleries, we all talked about whisky and completed crosswords, quizzes, etc in order to keep all the new found knowledge in our heads. This was a great way to learn, as we were able to retain key names of people heavily involved in the early years of whisky production, etc.
On conclusion, it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, something that I would love to repeat. However, it did provide the temptation to spend a lot of money in the distillery shops, but it is money well spent! The entire whisky experience under the guidance of Regis Lemaitre is one that I would most definitely and enthusiastically report to anyone who wishes to learn and improve their whisky knowledge. This whole experience has also provided me with a better knowledge of my home country (it's shocking how little I didn't know but should have!) Regis was fantastic in giving is some practical tips in terms of bar management and managing difficult customers. This was ideal as I am working my way into bar management. How I want to do this whole tour and whisky experience again!
As is traditionally said in the gaelic tongue with regard to drinking whisky, slaandjivaa! (To your health!)
To get more information, or discover how we can bring you a unique whisky themed event, click here...
