I started at Gauntleys in February 2000 and although having a very minimal knowledge of whiskies at the time I took over looking after our spirits selection. At the time this mainly comprised distillery bottlings with a few bottlings from Gordon & MacPhail. I decided that if we were to be truly thought of as a whisky specialist, then I should apply the same criteria to our whisky selection as we did to our wine, this meant tasting as many whisky samples as I could get my hands on!

This period of time was marked by an increased interest in Independently bottled whiskies and I would regularly badger them to send me samples of their new releases, so I could select which ones I thought were worthy of putting on our shelves. Interestingly enough it is now common practice for a number of these companies to regularly send out samples of their new releases, although I’m not taking all the credit for this practice! Over the next few years I believe I became very well versed in judging the quality of these Independent releases, so much so that in 2007 the Whisky Magazine asked me to become a judge for their Independent Bottlers Challenge competition and this subsequently led to being asked to judge the World Whisky Awards in 2012 as well as the World Drinks Awards. Also in that year I started my weekly YouTube channel called the Good Dram Show, which is still going strong.

I am now a regular judge for a number of spirits competitions and spent a happy couple of years doing the New Releases tasting section of the Whisky Magazine. I would like to think that I have a reputation within the whisky industry as a firm but fair judge and having no allegiances I am free to offer an honest opinion and give praise and constructive criticism where due.

Although there are a number of whisky writers and reviewers with a lot more experience than I have, I believe that I make a valid and valuable contribution to the whisky industry as a whole through my passion for whisky and all things spirits related.