The Blog
Above all the Dram1 website functions as a blog about whisky. Now there are plenty of whisky blogs around already, so I will try to do some things a little different. While keeping some core things the same.
The Categories:
I have divided the categories of this blog up in two sections: Dramblings, and Tasting Notes.
Tasting Notes
Whether you got a nice bottle as a present, or if you’re looking to purchase a “new treat” for yourself. You’ve come to the right place. In the Tasting Notes I will give you my personal view on the whiskies I’ve personally tried. I will try to give you unbiased information and I will give both a rating and a value to the dram in question. Be sure to not just take my opinion on a whisky though, because after all taste is far to personal for me to give a truly objective opinion. It will always be coloured somewhat by my own preferences. But I do aim to give you the kind of tasting notes that give a good idea of what you might find in your glass, whether it’s my own cup of tea or not.
Drambling on
The Drambling on category is where I dive deeper into the world of whisky. Here you can find interviews with people who work in the industry; articles about the basics of whisky; stories about the history of whisky; and tales of fiction that I wrote inspired by a beloved dram. Over the years I’ve developed a true passion for whisky and this is where I’d like to share that passion with my fellow dramblers. People who share a passion for the art that is whisky!
How It All Started
It all started when my fiancée decided to get me a lovely bottle of GlenAllachie. A dram that changed the way I thought about whisky forever.
I could never see myself buying anything other than the basics (think Jack Daniels, Red Label, Jameson etc.) simply out of an economic point of view. But after she got me that bottle of GlenAllachie for my birthday, I realised whisky could be so much more than just a drink. That for a few bucks more (or sometimes a lot more than a few bucks, because suddenly my views on value had changed) a world of flavours opens up to you.
Things changed so much that it became a passion, a passion I wanna share with as many whisky lovers as possible. And so I created this website, to share it with you!
About Me
Ofcourse I already introduced myself on the homepage a little bit. But for those wanting to know a bit more background here it goes:
My name is Martijn van Opstal and I started this website out of an ever growing fondness of whisky. I do so with the never ending support of my lovely fiancée. We have two dogs who mean the world to us and we live in a quiet rural village in the Netherlands.
One other reason I started this website is to find some purpose for myself. I have a rare disability that causes me to dislocate joints very easily (for those interested: it’s called Ehlers-Danlos), which left me unemployed. Since starting this website however, I joined the local animal ambulance, for who I started doing some charity work. In a years time I proved to myself that I could go back to working fulltime. And now – since January this year – I’ve made Dram1 from a blog into a full blown company! No resting on my laurels for me haha, and in all seriousness I do firmly believe that keeping yourself busy is key to our mental health. And what can be better than combining work with a hobby that I love.
I’d like to thank each and everyone for their interest in my blog and making it possible for me to start a business out of it. If there’s ever anything at all that you’d like to comment or share with me then I’d love to hear from you!
Kind Regards,
Your fellow drambling man – Martijn
English (UK)
Nederlands