Best taken in moderation and savoured
A NUMBER of people have in passing referred to the intoxicating nature of whisky and the terrible toll it takes on an unsuspecting audience .
This invariably succeeds in raising the hackles as , like all things , whisky should be taken in moderation and then savoured slowly to appreciate the craft that has gone into the distillers and blenders craft .
Can whisky be intoxicating and lead to problems ? – Of course it can , alcohol is a drug and probably the most abused of its type . Just how intoxicating it can be is ably demonstrated by going back in time to Saturday 16th August 1941 . During the morning , Prince , the Banff distillery cart horse had been working hard transferring about 1,000 gallons of whisky , evacuated from Edinburgh , from railway sidings to the No . 11 Bonded Warehouse .
The workers at the distillery had had their drams and gone home and any soldiers on duty were attending a sports meeting at Banff .
A lone German bomber suddenly appeared at very low level and bombed the No . 11 warehouse setting it ablaze . As the few people left at the distillery rushed to
LAST ORDERS save what they could , the bomber returned for a second run to finish the job . The crew must have thought they had hit an ammunition dump . Whisky that was not on fire flowed freely out of the distillery into the surrounding fields and streams to such an extent that the local dairy herd was unable to be milked , as the cows were all legless !
Hens and ducks were laid non compus mentus and in one dramatic swoop the German air-force brought the local agricultural industry to a complete standstill .
Soldiers who helped the local fire-fighters were inspected the following morning by a very sharp eyed sergeant major and several non-commissioned officers were returned to the ranks following the inspection of their water bottles !
So you have been warned , too much of a good thing can be bad for you , but you all knew that anyway .
Happy sensible imbibing ! Whisky expert Dave Pickard of Old School Wines , Tittensor . T . 01782 372888
SUMMER OF FUN FOR YOUNG FOOTBALL FANS
STREET soccer is set to return to the Moorlands this summer following the success of the scheme last year .
The training , which takes place at recreation grounds across the area , is free to young people aged between eight and 18 thanks to a partnership between Leek Town FC Community and Moorlands Together Safer and Stronger Communities .
The 12-week programme starts on Monday 1st July and runs until the week beginning 15th September . Sessions will be led by two coaches from Leek
Town and will take place between 7pm and 8pm at the following locations : Mondays – Meigh Road Playing Fields , Werrington . Tuesdays – Cheddleton Recreation Ground . Wednesdays – Blythe Bridge Recreation Ground . Thursdays – Brown Edge Playing Fields . Fridays – Churchill Road Recreation Ground , Cheadle .
Course costs of £ 3,000 are being met by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Your Moorlands .
There is no need to book in
advance - anyone interested in taking part should just turn up at the venues in good time .
Leek Town Community Manager Steven Kell said : “ We ’ re delighted to have secured the funding to run this project again in 2013 following a very successful year last year . Hopefully this is a partnership that will flourish and continue for years to come . We would like to thank all involved for their hard work behind the scenes to make this possible .”
For more information , call Steve on 07826 206199 or email leektowncommunity @ hotmail . co . uk .
Leek Life July / August 2013 27