MoonBeams #11: Vanilla Unpacked with Jill Norman

Duration: 36 minutes Vanilla growing in Kerala, India A tasting of whiskies that showcase vanilla and spice with renowned food and drinks writer Jill Norman.  Jill Norman is a book publisher turned writer. Responsible for the most loved food and cookery classics on the Penguin list, including the works of Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson, Jill is also a much lauded food writer in her own right. Her seminal Herb and Spice, published by Dorling Kindersley has just been re-issued. Jill received th Guild of Food Writers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.Jill also writes about wine and is fond of a whisky. She proved the perfect guest to guide me through the mystery of vanilla as a flavour to be found in whisky. We also enjoy a chat about spices and the way in which her most famous authors used them in their writings. The whiskies that we tasted were:Asyla from Compass Box, a blend of Grain and malt Scotch whiskiesClynelish 14yo, a Highland Coastal single malt Scotch whiskySpice King 12yo from Wemyss Malts, a blended malt Scotch whisky (Wemyss Castle is in Fife, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, and not in Speyside as I wrongly said in the podcast).Oak Cross from Compass Box, a blend of malt Scotch whiskies. Vanilla curing in Kerala, India