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A tiny attic bar above a dim sum restaurant in London’s Chinatown is not the most obvious location for a whisky tasting. But then chugging on a vapourizer while a man dressed in seventies flares and a velvet blazer sings along to Salt ‘n’ Pepa is not a classic approach to exploring flavour profiles, either.

Stepping into the so-called Wonder World of Simply Whisky feels akin to a long weekend in Royston Vasey. We are here for a preview of the antics the team has planned for the The Whisky Show on October 6. We are greeted by Rev Roser, who introduces the flare-wearing Franchi for a psychic reading and he invites us to "invoke the spirit."

After a lot of nervous giggling, we sample some decent drams - from floral and oaky Japanese Nikka Miyagikuyo to the vanilla sweetness of the Scottish 17-year-old Imperial. After each initial sip, tasting notes for each are sent via text message, the premise being that you discover what characteristics float your whisky boat before preconceptions about origin, age and price creep in. At last, there appears to be a method to their madness.

Then, just as I get to grips with everything, a bicycle pump attached to a plastic bottle with very high quality whisky swilling around the bottom is thrust into my hand. Franchi gives the cue to "push it, push it real good" (yep, that’s where Salt ‘n’ Pepa came in), until the pump pops off the bottle. Suddenly I inhale a cloud of whisky vapour so intense, smoky and aromatic that I almost manage to forget how mad the circumstances are.

Whacky this concept may be, but I will definitely remember every single drop. Oh, and I’ve found a great new use for my bike pump.

simplywhisky.co.uk; whisky-show.com