WHISKY GURUS WHISKY GURUS THIS ISSUE INSTEAD OF OUR USUAL LICENSEE INTERVIEW TO CELEBRATE ALL THINGS WHISKY WE ASKED VARIOUS PEOPLE ACROSS THE INDUSTRY, WHO CHAMPION WHISKY, TO TELL US ABOUT THEMSELVES. WE TALKED TO (ABOVE L-R) BRENDAN MCCARRON, MASTER DISTILLER AT DISTELL; BLAIR BOWMAN, WHISKY CONSULTANT; LICENSEE DEREK MATHER AND MARK THOMSON, AMBASSADOR TO SCOTLAND - GLENFIDDICH SINGLE MALT WHISKY OF WILLIAM GRANT & SONS UK LTD. HERE IS WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY. CAN YOU GIVE ME A BRIEF, POTTED HISTORY OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH WHISKY AND HOW YOU GOT INTO YOUR ROLE?
Brendan McCarron: As a Scotsman I first started drinking whisky when I was at university. One of my best friends was into it before me and I got swept along by his passion for it. My plan originally wasn’t whisky, which was always a personal choice at the bar, but it made sense to bring that into my working life. I was in chemical engineering - and I joined Diageo’s graduate scheme. For my first role I wsa asked where I wanted to go and I said wherever the best job was. Malt distilling was ramping back up from the decline of the 80s. There were big things afoot and I got positioned in a maltings. A decision was made to build the first distillery in 40 years at Roseisle, then it was a fast track. I was surrounded by clever and experienced whisky people. I got the bug and realised this is what I want to do. I have worked as a blender, distillery manager, group of distilleries, whisky makar, stocks and inventories manager - I’ve covered every single part of the whisky-making process. Now I get to put it all together at Distell. Across everything. It’s brilliant. It’s a lot of fun busy but a lot of fun. Blair Bowman: I’m from Edinburgh but went to Aberdeen University and became a founding member of Aberdeen Whisky Society in Freshers’ Week 2008. I saw an opportunity to create World Whisky Day while studying in Spain – I was inspired by World Gin Day. Four years after launching World Whisky Day I sold it and catapulted myself into the industry. I haven’t looked back. I started to experiment with flavour when I was only 18, and that summer I had my moment, trying Laphroaig for the first time and being blown away. I didn’t know if I loved or hated it but I hadn’t tried anything like that! Derek Mather: My love for whisky started when I was 16 when my dad bought me my first bottle of malt after he found me stealing his whisky from his drinks cabinet (a bottle of Glenlivet 12yo ) and said to me once that bottle is finished then you can buy your own. After working for many years as a chef in many Scottish restaurants I was always pissed off at the selection of whiskies they would offer - usually the main 6 brands that you could buy at the supermarket and a couple of blends. So when I opened Artisan Restaurant I put 60 bottles of my own collection on the gantry and after 14 years of steadily adding to the selection that we offer we are now at 3000+ bottles. 16 DRAM DECEMBER 2021
Mark Thomson: My journey began over 20 years ago whilst managing bars and restaurants in Glasgow and London. My first passion was actually wine and I studied for a few years to hone my skills in that category – but whisky was always a personal choice at the bar so it made sense to bring that into my working life. I fast established a reputation for delivering passionate and educational tasting across many brands whilst working independently, with William Grant & Sons a client of mine. When the permanent role for Glenfiddich arose in 2013, I jumped at the chance – Glenfiddich was the very first whisky I ever tried and I’d always held the brand in high regard. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WHISKY AND/OR THE WHISKY INDUSTRY? Brendan: I do love whisky. I am a whisky drinker first and foremost and love he variety, first and foremost. It’s such a well-regulated process that when it says Scotch you know there’s no way to cut corners in ingredients or quality. With just three ingredients you can make a myriad of different products. Another thing I like is that I’m from just near Glasgow and it has got me to know my own country so well. Mull and especially Islay, where I lived. I love the variety of flavour and also the variety of locations and where the distilleries are. We meet lots and lots of interesting, fascinating people who work in the whisky industry. Pretty much the people you meet are as passionate about whisky as I am and I get a lot of energy from that. It’s just an interesting subject. Even though it’s my job I still love to go and have a whisky in a bar. It’s still my passion. Blair: It still blows my mind the fact that making single malt all around the world involved making whiskies of high quality, but using the same ingredients we used hundreds of years ago, using the same processes. There is so much that can be explored and discovered and that’s what keeps me excited about whisky. Derek: I really love the whisky industry as we are all out to do the same thing which is to promote how diverse, exciting and tasty each and every dram is and from only three ingredients and different barrels and time. Mark: Oh where to begin! For the drink itself, there really isn’t
