3 minute read
Opinion Dominic Roskrow
Dominic Roskrow UK-based world spirits expert
Editor - Whisky Quarterly
When the crystal ball fogs up
UK-based writer Dominic Roskrow reflects on what the world of whisky might look like post-pandemic…
“IF ONE more person talks about ‘a new normal’, I think I’m going to hit them.”
Who can’t empathise with this exclamation of frustration from one anonymous social media pundit? For in our increasingly dumbed down world of sound bites and slogans (thank you, Mr Trump), ‘a new normal’ is particularly dumbed down and meaningless.
There will be no ‘new normal’. In the short and medium terms, certainly, there will be no new world order. The COVID19 pandemic hasn’t just cost the world hundreds of thousands of lives, it has tipped economies across the world on their heads, emptied their contents and strewn them far and wide, leaving us all to try and pick up the pieces.
And around the world, that’s what we’re now starting to do. The trouble is, different countries are tidying up at different rates. Where once the world economy worked in some form of harmony – the tectonic plates more or less shifting in the same direction – now it’s shattered and scattered, and it’s every person for themselves in a market freefor-all. Frankly, the view from the bar in Auckland right now is a million miles away from the view from the bar in Manchester. Even if you were allowed into the bar in Manchester.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that while it has always been tricky predicting the future of the world of whisky, now the crystal ball is well and truly misted up.
Firstly, the fallout from the virus will no doubt shape how we approach our leisure activities for years to come. Some countries are coming out of lockdown, others not. Some may well come out of it only to be thrown back into it again. Some countries will return to bars and clubs as before, others, where the dangers
have been greater, may never want to gather in great numbers indoors again. It seems you’re better off outdoors than in, so countries with benign climates will respond to the situation differently to the United Kingdom, Scandinavia or much of America.
Countries such as Australia and New Zealand will interact differently with each other than will Switzerland, Austria and Germany, who share land borders.
The world of whisky, however, has shown itself to be highly creative when it comes to engaging enthusiasts.
It may well be that never again will a global brand ambassador fly business class from Glasgow to Auckland, stay in a top hotel and host three or four dinners/ tasting events for 20-30 bar managers, bloggers and opinion formers.
Instead, local brand ambassadors will host events simultaneously in cities across Australia and New Zealand and the global brand ambassador will link through a platform such as Zoom from one of his or her distilleries. In this way, he or she can take their viewers into the still rooms and warehouses, show them the rugged shoreline of Loch Indaal or the dramatic slopes of Benrinnes, adding a truly local flavour to proceedings.
The virus also encouraged us to take part in online interviews, desert Island dram evenings, quizzes, and question and answer sessions. My dislike of online tastings (previously sorry slapbang-wallops of rushed, sycophantic nothingness), has been replaced by enjoyment of more considered seminar sessions with a top brand manager or master distiller.
Strangely, in an era of distancing, the virus has brought us closer and much of what we have learned during the pandemic will stay with us into the future. Whatever that might look like.
A Fresh New Look From Arran
Every drop of Arran Single Malt starts its life as Scottish rainwater, which pools at Loch Na Davie in the beautiful hills high above the distillery.
