Company:
Whyte & Mackay
Job:
Master Blender
Website:
whyteandmackay.co.uk
How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
Officially 45 years, although I started with my father when I was 8 years old.
What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Producing 3 bottles of The Dalmore Trinitas 64 Years Old and selling them for £100,000 each, making it a world record.
Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
My first dram was Paterson’s Best Blended Scotch Whisky when I was 8 years old!
What does whisky mean to you?
It’s my life!
Where would you like to see yourself in five years time?
Continuing in the Scotch whisky industry and contributing towards its success through education and promotion.
What was your last dram?
The Dalmore King Alexander III 1263 last night.
Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
You cannot beat a crème brulee followed by Java coffee (no milk), a Dalmore Candela 50 Years Old, bitter chocolate (86% cocoa fat) finished off with a Partagas No. 4 D series cigar.
What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
There are many, but my two favourites are on the top of a hillside with the wind and rain in your face enjoying a Jura Superstition, and late in the evening after a Whisky show sharing a few drams with my fellow industry colleagues.
What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
More innovative single malts with special ages and a rise in aged blended whiskies.
What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
It’s been part of my life for the past 40 years so it’s got to be Whyte & Mackay Special Blend.
Many thanks to Richard Paterson aka 'The Nose'. Who will be the next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!