Angels Whisky Club – the big whisky interview;
Paul McLean (Angels) was chatting to Stewart Buchanan, Distillery;.BenRiach and GlenDronach Title; Brand Ambassador
Hello Stewart, many thanks for talking to us at Angels. Might I start with; How long have you been in the industry? A; I have been in the industry for almost 20 years now.
Q; What is your current role? A; I am the Brand Ambassador for both distilleries, covering all of the world markets.
Q; how did you get into this industry? A; I started off as a stillman in Tobermory Distillery and it has basically just snowballed from there and I’m lucky to have covered most roles within the company from production and warehousing to distillery management and everything else in-between. My new role as Brand Ambassador is the first time I have worked outside of production and it’s great to see this totally different side of the industry and experience firsthand the whisky markets across the world.
Q; unpeated V peated, do you have any preferences for your own brands? A; I like both styles but with the peated BenRiachs being such unique expressions I feel they really stand out among the other peated styles on the shelf. The Curiositas has been a favourite of mine since its creation back in 2004. I suppose I am quite lucky that we have an expression for every occasion and that when I do tastings I have a great portfolio to choose from, so every tasting is different, I love putting together a tasting with the fantastic range we can offer from both distilleries.
Q; any major plans/announcements coming soon? A; This year we have been concentrating on reinstating the traditional floor maltings at BenRiach, they last worked in 1998 and luckily since then it has remained relatively untouched so it has just been a case of sorting out the water supply and drainage at the steeps then oiling everything up and replacing any worn belts and bearings. We did think we were going to have to replace the perforated drying floor at the kiln head but our engineer Les Shand has done a great job getting it into a usable condition which should at least get us started and hopefully last a few years. Another lucky twist is I managed to get in contact the old maltster, so we took a walk around and he has passed on some invaluable production information. The thing now is physically finding the time to give it a try I would hope it will all come together by the end of the year.
Q; do you have any “special” whisky coming soon? A; We are just about to release this year’s batch of single casks from BenRiach covering some fantastic vintages from 1976 through to 1990 as usual we have a great mixture of cask styles including finishes in Sauternes, Port and Rioja as well as the full maturation in traditional barrels, hogsheads and butts. We are also working on a cask strength bottling at GlenDronach which will be hitting the shops soon and will be a fantastic addition to the portfolio so keep your eyes open for the official press release.
Q; what are your views on “Jubilee” whisky releases, anniversary releases etc, are they a collectors bottle or just an “excuse” for another release? Any comments? A; I think the idea of these types of bottling are fine as long as there is exclusivity to them and the whisky is of a superior quality, I personally wouldn’t just buy a bottle just for the label. Every bottle of whisky I have at home is for drinking. Although some on more special occasions than others.
Q; Have you /planning to, take any whisky risks? A new ideas, innovations, a new concept, or just stun the whisky world? A; I think at BenRiach Billy Walker has been experimental from day one, sometimes you have to push your casks to the limit to find out how they are going to react and it takes a brave man to do that but with our cask evaluation programme and quality control over the last 8 or so years we really know our whisky inside out. At GlenDronach the focus is on tradition and to maintain that classic sherry expression it is really a case of a huge financial commitment to bring to the distillery the best casks possible. As Billy says ‘we have only scratched the surface at GlenDronach’ the next 3 to 4 years at GlenDronach are going to be extremely interesting, so watch this space.
Q; Why do you think people are so curious and interested in your brands? What makes you stand out from the pack? A; Obviously I’m going to say it’s all about Quality,Quality,Quality I think when you start a distillery you will automatically take on the “new kid on the block” tag so year 1 and 2 could give you some deceiving figures but with both our brands the markets continue to grow and grow. Getting the core range right is key to longevity, offer good value, quality and a diversity in the portfolio and you have won a watch as we say. From Heavily Peated and Classic Speyside to a good old traditional sherry casks all warehoused at BenRiach and GlenDronach I feel we do have a whisky for every palate. Also, being a small independent distiller we don’t work with a multimillion pound advertising budget so it’s just about covering the ground and getting the whisky to the drinker and hopefully when they hear our story and have a dram or two our passion rubs off on them and they connect with what we are trying to do in the industry, word of mouth has always played a great part in our growth.
Q; how does a person ”learn” to nose a whisky? Or is it within already? A; Related; I have a feeling that some “experts” make up a nosing/expression and use this so they appear a hell of a lot “better” than we can ever do, do you have any thoughts on this? EG; has a nose like diesel from a submarine been at sea for 6 months. Nosing is such a personal thing, you can only work with the palate you have so you don’t particularly “learn” how to nose, you learn how to expand your palate. I’m sure most people as adults are reminded of smells from their childhood so the trick is to try and train your brain to recall the smells and tastes you experience throughout your life time. Wherever I am I try and hold on to what smells are around me and put them in a wee box in the back of my mind wither it’s the sea air, pine forests, tobacco, cigar box, different fruits, nuts and desserts the list is endless. Just get out there and smell everything is all I can say, although I would tend to stay away from “wet socks and sandshoes” etc or you’ll end up getting some funny looks or even arrested!!
Q; if pushed what is the next best whisky making country after Scotland? A; I suppose the natural country next to Scotland would be Japan, with their history and presence in the market they are the next big player, they really do produce some great expressions. My world whisky of choice would be from the Indian Amrut range; I admire how the deal with maturation is such difficult climatic conditions and the care they take in their cask selection, and it’s always on my dram list on a night out.
Q; would you say there is an age that any good whisky has to be bottled? In other words, is there a cut off point (in your view) where a whisky HAS to be bottled? A; Obviously there are limits as far as how well a cask holds its strength, below 40% and it’s no longer whisky. Some whiskies and also different cask styles will take up the “wood” note in different degrees over time which is a line I personally wouldn’t over step. We will bottle a 1966 hogshead at BenRiach in the near future which is still bursting with big tropical fruit notes and has maintained a great strength of around 44% which is great for a cask that age. Our philosophy is to bottle when the whisky is at its best and not just to aim for an age statement to put on the label. The 66 for example probably could stay above 40% until 50 years of maturation but with the lower alcohol the risk is it would become too one dimensional. At the end of the day it’s about good cask management, constantly evaluating your casks no matter what age and trying not to get caught up in the age game.
Q; what are your views on; adding water to a dram, ice, coke etc? A; I like my whisky straight but that’s probably after many years of sampling from the cask (officially of course). If anything I would take down a young peated whisky just to release its full character but just a drop at a time. More and more around the world you see single malts be used in cocktails, this might be sacrilege to some but it is something I enjoy although wouldn’t particularly pay for myself.
Q; if water is acceptable, is this bottled water, tap water? A; It all depends where you stay but if in doubt I would always use bottled spring water.
Q; does winning a gold medal really help sales of a whisky? A; It’s always fantastic when any of our whiskies have won medals or awards; it lets us know that we are doing something right. You also gain additional press coverage which is always good, I don’t know the figures but I’m sure it does have an impact on sales at the end of the day.
Q; If you HAD to enjoy a dram not of your own making, where would this come from? Or shall I rephrase that; what did you last drink, your company did not make? A; I first tasted both the Auchantoshan Valinch and Glenlivets Nadurra at Whisky Ships Show in Zurich last year and always have a bottle of each at home, the cask strength bourbon style is right up my street and being a “tight Scotsman” it’s even better that I normally get a free dram of them as I go through duty free when I travel.
Q; finally, how do you relax after a hard week? A; If I’m not chilling with family and friends I like being outdoors as much as possible so festivals and camping are always a laugh. I don’t do or watch any sports particularly but give me a motorbike, snowboard or even a horse and I’ll get it going flat-out, I can be a bit of an adrenalin junky sometimes.
Q; finally finally; I like humour and am known as a wee bit of a joker (numpty in some cases) do you add humour to your work? I think too many whisky experts and drinkers are lacking on humour, any thoughts? A; Ach! I think everyone has their own ways of doing things so each to their own but personally I stay pretty laid back and always have a bit of a laugh after all drinking whisky is meant to be fun and enjoyed in good company.
Paul was talking to Stewart Buchanan, Brand Ambassador for BenRiach & GlenDronach
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