AMBASSADOR’S ADDRESS
Avoiding the ocean I
was at a whisky tasting earlier this year, as a punter, being virtually hosted by Angus MacRaild, for his own bottlings and a bit of banter. As well as his bottlings, Angus also freelances as an expert tasting panellist for The SMWS. He’s easily one of the most respected characters (and satire writers) working in Scotch whisky today with strong connections and who also consults for a number of bottlers, clubs, and associations – not least his work approving single casks for members along with our full panel. However, it was at this virtual tasting earlier in the year where he said something that really struck a chord with me. It was around two-thirds of the way into this tasting where we were tasting a rather old cask of Tormore, something in the late 20’s age statement. This was certainly going to be a crowd favourite and desired by collectors and drinkers alike. After tasting it, a guest asked, “How can we buy a bottle of this?”. Angus then informed
the guest that access to this bottling, which is limited to 150~ odd bottles worldwide, would be via ballot only. There were a few grumblings, a few disappointed sighs, a bit of, “Well, I’ll never have a chance”. He then went on to talk about availability, global demand, scarcity of aged stocks, and how this was a necessity. The phrase he used that resonated with me was, “There’s an ocean of very average whisky out there, and you can always access mediocrity.” This sounds a bit fluff, but at its core, it’s entirely accurate. Let’s compare this to the wine world for a moment, which is not immune to this phenomenon. If you walk into any bottle shop in the world, you can purchase wine. Red or white, Australian, Italian, French, Spanish, etc. If you want some 3
