I was born and raised on the country side. Our house overlooked a corn field accompanied by a windmill and my grandparents lived on a farm where me and my brothers and sisters used to play a lot. We were never farmer’s kids, since our parents chose a different job, but the feeling of calmness and freedom of the country is deeply embedded.

Although we now live under the smoke of Arnhem and our lives went mostly digital, coming back to the country feels like coming home. It takes away the stress, life right there has a different pace and a feeling of simpleness. There are some whiskies that have a little bit of the same effect. One of those, for me, is Kilchoman, Islay’s Farm Distillery.

It’s hard not to love whiskies from Islay, unless you’re not that much into peat (but hey, there’s always the magnificent Bunnahabhain). They can be quite bold and rough though, but Kilchoman offers a sense of calmness in the peaty storm. I remember my first Kilchoman very vividly, it was the second 100% Islay edition and I was sold. Buttery, flowery, fruity and a farm-like combination of peat and barley.

It’s like a warm spring day back in the days, on the farm with my grandpa, catching crickets in the field and standing with our wellies in the mud, ready to do a little boating on the brook. I miss those days, but it’s never too late to be young again, and with my daughter who is almost able to walk, I hope she will be able to say the same when she’s my age.

It’s beautiful which feelings whisky can evoke. It’s also the realization that all of your memories contribute to making you love (or hate) a dram. Do you have such a whisky in your cabinet?