Everything went according to plan on Friday: We had that greasy burger at Beach Club before we headed for the Oslo Whisky Festival where we sampled both familiar and exotic brands. Like every year the attendance is roughly 99% male, with the odd female scattered around. Most of the people working on the conference floor, on the other hand, were female, and some of them quite good looking, too. I can imagine that the job can potentially get a little bit frustrating as the blood alcohol level of the crowd increases and the middle aged men start to flirt the only way they know: Ass-grabbing.

I really enjoyed the festival this year, and focused on quantity rather than quality when nosing. Ola has always laughed at me for trying weird whiskies, but this year I think it really paid off. Amongst the many different brands available I found Buffalo Trace, a mild, but complex, American whisky. It’s quite possible that I enjoyed this one the most because it was the first one I tried, and drinking whisky for an entire evening can be quite the ordeal for an tastebuds.

We also tried the whisky bar, where they use whisky in drinks. This is considered sacrilegious by the most hard core whisky drinkers, so the bar is hidden in a corner of the conference floor. Going there is frowned upon, but we took our chances and came back happy. I don’t remember the names of any of the drinks, but but if you’re ever offered a drink that contains whisky, fear not - it’s a good chance you’ll like it, even if you’re not a whisky drinker.

Some of the distillers and importers can be quite pretentious when describing their goods, and here’s the most over-the-top description I found this year (translation by me):

Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10YO has a dark bronze color. Early in the scent picture one can find grain, toasted wheat bread, honey and tobacco leaves. The scent then goes on to become ripe banana, charcoal, almonds, butter, melon. Eagle Rare has an incredibly complex taste picture and you quickly feel that there is a lot to be found. You will discover the taste of raisins, grape fruit, charred oak and candid almonds. The closing is long, sweet, moderately flaming and pleasantly oily.

Moderately flaming and pleasantly oily. All righty, then.