I’ve come late to whisky but now appreciate both the industry and drams
◆ It’s a welcoming, helpful and fun industry to observe and occasionally be part of
As with a lot of people, I came to enjoy and appreciate whisky later in my drinking life. Not because of a horrendous teenage experience (sadly my family aren’t whisky drinkers so there’s no 1960s bottle of Macallan lurking in anyone’s attic) but because it just wasn’t seen as a spirit of choice. As a late teen in the noughties, it was vodka and alcopops that were the drinks of choice. Gin was something your mum drank and whisky was just not even a consideration.
I’ve written before about my first taste of whisky – about 20 years ago now – at The Glenlivet distillery tour. I asked if I could mix it with Irn Bru. A lot has changed since then, The Glenlivet visitor centre and whisky mixers to name just two. As has my taste for our national drink, which I really started to enjoy when I began working here, at The Scotsman. Being a food and drink journalist on a national paper in Scotland, it kind of goes with the territory and, thanks to the guidance of my former colleague Sean Murphy (whose family run Glasgow’s famous Pot
Still whisky bar) I started on the journey of discovery. From the peat-heavy drams of Islay through sherry-bombs and lighter Speyside whiskies, my love and knowledge grew. I also found it to be a very welcoming, helpful and fun industry to observe and occasionally be part of. I’ve seen what it’s like to be a distiller, as well as having the privilege of filling casks, taking behind-the-scenes tours and trying rare whiskies with some of the industry’s biggest names.
It has also been a joy to witness changemakers such as Becky Paskin, founder of Ourwhisky Foundation, break down barriers, challenge perceptions and push for change in both the way whisky is perceived and who the drinkers of this ancient spirit are. As a whole host of distilleries celebrate their 200th anniversary, in the same year that many new businesses are looking forward to opening and welcoming whisky fans from around the globe – not to mention the 25th birthday of the Spirit of Speyside festival in May – there’s never been a better time to sit back and savour one of our most famous, and thriving, exports. Just don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t have Irn Bru in your whisky.