With Father's Day getting ever closer, our thoughts are heading whisky way. With this in mind, last night a friend and I went to a Diageo whisky tasting in the Penthouse Suite, Dukes Hotel, Mayfair.

When we arrived we were greeted with a refreshing Johnnie Walker Black Label with Ginger Ale, ice and a wedge of lime and an array of canapés from mini cheese burgers to quails egg scotch eggs.

We sat on the balcony taking in the sights of London, which looked even more beautiful framed by the setting sun...I wished all work days ended so!

Colin Dunn was our whisky tour guide for the evening, taking us on a journey of whisky appreciation. Not only did he beautifully explain the process of distilling the whiskeys but he also taught us the correct way to taste them (and happily that didn't mean we had to spit any out).

Our tables had four whiskeys to taste: Talisker, The Singleton of Dufftown, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie - all single malt whiskeys and, flavour wise, range from a full bodied smoky, to a delicate and fruity.

The correct way to taste whiskey, Mr Dunn informed us, is to firstly swill it in the glass - this awakens the flavours. Then sniff it and then finally sip it.

The age of the malt will dictate how long you should keep it in your mouth to get the best flavour, for example a ten year old malt meant 10 seconds in the mouth.

The evening culminated with the tasting of the pièce de résistance of Diageo's collection, the Blended Whisky, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and that's when I had my Meg Ryan moment! Having been taught how to taste whiskey correctly I can now safely say that I am a whisky convert.

Words by Melonie Clarke