Andrew Derbidge

Let’s get out and about!

Generally speaking, as a nation, we are bunch of people who like to travel. Being isolated on the other side of the planet means we have to jump on an aeroplane for 15-24 hours if we are to visit and experience those aspects of Europe, Asia, and the Americas that so pervade our screens, media, and culture. And we readily, happily, and regularly do it.

COVID, therefore, has put a very big dent in the travel plans and behaviours of most…including the many of us who entertain thoughts of heading to Scotland. While we lament and despair that we can’t leave the country as we once so freely did, we sometimes overlook the other side of the coin: People from overseas can’t freely come and visit us.

The flow on from this is the interesting impact it’s had on the marketing and promotion of Scotch whisky in this country. Prior to COVID, Australia enjoyed a regularly rotating door of Scotch industry luminaries who would visit us and present product launches, tastings, masterclasses, press/media functions and the like. Names like Bill Lumsden, Jim McEwan, Richard Patterson, David Stewart, Graham

“Their presence, energy, expertise, and – in many cases, showmanship – would inject life, excitement, colour, and variety into Australia’s whisky appreciation scene.”

Coull, Anthony Wills, Brian Kinsman, Ian Logan, Ian McWilliam, Brendan McCarron, Colin Scott, Jim Beverage, Georgie Bell, John Campbell, Dave Broom, Charlie Maclean, Stewart Buchanan, and….well, the list goes on. And on. Master blenders, distillery managers, whisky icons, global brand ambassadors, whisky writers; these people were once regular visitors to our shores. Their presence, energy, expertise, and – in many cases, showmanship – would inject life, excitement, colour, and variety into Australia’s whisky appreciation scene. Not to mention knowledge, education, and awareness. Needless to say, such visits have been nonexistent for two years now. Many of these industry icons would piggy-back tours of Australia off the back of the Dramfest whisky festival in New Zealand, although this, too, was cancelled last month because New Zealand’s current border restrictions with COVID prevented the international presenters from attending the event! The industry, of course – like every other business – had to adapt, and so promotional tours and visits were replaced with online/ virtual tastings. Whilst such outcomes have been consolation substitutes, there’s simply no comparison to seeing these men and women in the flesh, and tasting their products as they give you the inside word and insights into the brand, the distillery, the history, and the whisky you’re enjoying with them in real time. Lots of businesses and operations are contemplating what the new normal will look like once this pandemic is behind us. How much of the “work from home” ethos will remain, and how much will we return to more traditional work arrangements? The marketing arms of the Scotch whisky industry face the same question. It’s my earnest hope, nay prayer, that the brands will see value in dispatching their missionaries to our shores

once more, and to spread the gospel of malt. But take note: Such undertakings are a twoway street. Speakers at public events need an audience, and the other side of this equation is that if the brands and distributors are to organise and put on tasting events, then we as individuals need to support and attend them. We cannot complain about the brands no longer putting on the public tastings like they once did if we don’t leave our front doors and head into the city to attend the events. Live tasting events need bums on seats; presenters need a “live” audience to feed off and respond to; whisky pre-poured out into glasses needs to be drunk. We cannot complain from our lounge chairs at home if the distributor elects to forgo public tastings and simply sends a free bottle to an Instagram influencer instead. On a vaguely related note: There’s been a lot of chatter amongst Society members recently around the release of whiskies through Outturn, and the bottlings that are now being released at other intervals during the month. What’s less spoken about and is perhaps less appreciated by members – although perhaps it’s fallen into the shadows of COVID over the last two years – is that we bring in a lot of SMWS casks that are released only at live events. Yes, you read that right – we have numerous casks and Society releases that we don’t release through Outturn or alert members to via email, but we serve up as exclusives at our live events, where the attendees can then grab a bottle for themselves. It’s just another reason to get out and head to a tasting event! Our State Managers have been champing at the bit to host live events again after being shackled for two years. On the assumption that we can proceed with events this year and not be hampered by COVID, I encourage you to take advantage of the warm community that is the Society. The Australian branch was founded in 2002 on the basis of holding convivial tastings, dinners, and whisky gatherings. Long may it continue…. Cheers.

Andrew Derbidge ~ Director, Cellarmaster & NSW Manager