Wanting to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Scotch, a recent googling led me to this wonderful treasure trove.
YouTube as we know is home to ne’er-do-wells of all stripes but let’s not forget that it makes sites such as this possible. Armed only with a rudimentary understanding of video technology an ordinary bloke (well as ordinary as an undertaker can be!) with a passion for a particular subject such as Ralf Mitchell can build a global audience.
For those such as myself wishing to delve slightly deeper into all things Scotch the first video I’ll post below is a good place to start but there is a positive cornucopia of information on his channel, including the occasional detour into the world of sipping rums, bourbons, even absinthe.
Also, a video he posted that made a greater impression on me than any amount of nanny state hectoring is shown below. All quality stuff and highly recommended.
Any other suggestions of similarly unlikely YouTubers welcome…
There’s a fast show-type comedy item there. The early episodes would show Ralfy brightly discussing the various single malts with clear diction and a wide vocabulary, and as we move further on, we see him get pished and attempt the same standard of commentary. With hilarious results!
True but he’s his own parody! If you delve into his archive you’ll see a couple of examples where, bunnet-less, he appears much more youthful and ‘normal’. So it’s an act of which he and we are fully aware. But it’s still an ‘act’ that anyone could attempt. If they had the encyclopaedic knowledge of our host, that is…
I want to be a whisky commentator when I grow up!
My saintly parents-in-law gave me a bottle of Ardbeg for my birthday. This was inside the box. ‘Bold menthol slides through tarry ropes’ sounds like a Van Morrison album…
The stills [no pun intended] don’t do Ralfy justice, making him look like the worst kind of bar bore imaginable, when in fact he’s great!
I used to watch this guy BITD when I was dabbling in home brewing beer, he’s a Canadian chap called Craig and has been around for yonks. He started an online radio show at one point, playing old vinyl he picked up in car boot sales [what a good idea…] he’s quite an avuncular fellow and his viewing figures are testament to that.
edit – his viewing figures appear to have fallen off a cliff, this might be due to him now singing on his videos
and in this episode he gets double fisted
cheers – will check that out. Your comment about Ralfy’s stills prove the point he’s the real deal – no photoshopped stags at bay here 🙂
His ‘den’ immediately made me think of the scene in the film ‘The Angel’s Share’ where all the reprobates are sampling the different whiskies.
If you haven’t seen the film, it’s a must!
Yeah, great film . Along with Looking for Eric, it’s from the more feelgood side of Ken Loach.
“The more feelgood side of Ken Loach”
Yeah – that’s a phrase that’s never been used to describe “Ladybird Ladybird”.
Great film, which I seem to remember watching with the subtitles on…
I’d buy Ralfy a dram if I saw him in a bar. No problemo!
As long as it was a reasonably-priced malt.
And as long as he had had no more than 2 already.
With water
Ken “Feelgood” Loach? Hilarious!
A season of his cheerier, upbeat films would be as short as one of Tarantino romcoms or screwball comedies by Herzog.
Hats off to these slightly older YouTubers producing clips for a more mature audience.
A new name for me and Ralfy is wonderful. Love the small details, like the dalek on the shelf in the background. 40 years ago he’d have been holding forth in his local. Now the whole world is his snug.
🙂
Ooo-er, wait a moment here….. Dougie/Ralfy? Getting what i’m getting? Bit of shameless self-promotion, mods? (Well, I ain’t ever seen them in a room together.)
D’oh! Unmasked!
Er, no. Sadly I ain’t Ralfy 🙂