133rd Whisky Insiders Interview - Alasdair Stevenson

Company:
Turntable Spirits Limited

Job:

Co-Founder
Website:

turntablespirits.com
Socials:

@turntablespirits

How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
I’ve worked in the whisky industry for 12 years, having joined The BenRiach Distillery Co. straight out of university in 2012.
 
What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Undoubtedly, partnering with my brother, Gordon, and taking the leap to go out on our own and launch Turntable Spirits in 2023.
 
Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
My Dad, Graham, has worked in the industry for many years, so there was always a good selection of whiskies in the cupboard. The one that really resonates and takes me back is Old Pulteney 12 Year Old.
 
What does whisky mean to you?
It’s difficult to put into words what whisky means to me. I think “connection” and “pride” probably capture the feeling best. Connection, in all the fantastic memories made and times shared over a dram with great people. And pride that our small country has produced this incredible spirit that is enjoyed all over the world and offers those moments of connection to so many.
 
Where would you like to see yourself in five years’ time?
Starting Turntable together with Gordon has been incredible and whilst we’ve been delighted with the response so far, we believe there is so much potential to drive the brand forward and that’s exactly what we want to be doing. We want to change the perception that blends are inferior to single malts and showcase just how exciting this category can be.
 
What was your last dram?
It was our Turntable Spirits – Track 4 – One Way or Another. A blend comprised of 30% Strathclyde first-fill Bourbon barrels, 21% Invergordon ex-Red wine  barrels, 15% Cameronbridge ex-Marsala barrels, Cameronbridge ex- Madeira barrels and 22% Linkwood first-fill Bourbon barrels.
 
Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
I remember hosting a tasting in Vancouver years ago and pairing the BenRiach 10 Year Old Curiositas (peated) with oysters, and it worked beautifully.
 
What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
A really hard question to answer. Catching up with old friends in a great whisky bar, a post dinner dram in a comfortable chair with some great songs playing, out on a hike, at the turn on the golf course to help me get through the back 9… there are so many great occasions to enjoy a dram.
 
What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
There’s so much innovation coming through and loads to be excited about. From our point of view, the response we’ve had since launching Turntable has been incredible and it makes me really excited about the future of blended whisky. We feel this is often an underappreciated category and hope we can help change that.  
 
What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
Old Pulteney 12 Year Old – a great dram but also nostalgic for me.
 
Many thanks to Alasdair Stevenson. Who will be our next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!

Speyside Distillery Tweet Tasting

Continuing our teeming throng of industry leading Tweet Tastings (the original series of virtual tastings), we’re thrilled to announce that on October 30th, we’ll be teaming up again with our very good friends at the Speyside Distillery, for another epic evening of full-flavour driven dramfotainment.

The tasting line-up details are under wraps for now, but if you fancy taking part in an evening which promises to be brimmed with splendorous Speyside sips click here to register by emailing your name, address, mobile number, date of birth and Twitter / X handle. Remember to mark the subject line of your email: #SpeysideDistillery

The closing date to register is October 10th, and if you are registering, please make sure that you will actually be free on the night of Wedneday October 30th to take part!

As ever, even if you're not one of the selected Tweet Tasters, it'd be great to have you following the evening’s dramfotainment. So we look forward to seeing you over on Twitter / X on October 30th from 19:00 GMT via #SpeysideDistillery

Registrations open to over 21's only!

For more info on the Speyside Distillery, visit: speysidedistillery.co.uk

@TheWhiskyWire

@SpeySingleMalt

#SpeysideDistillery

#BePartOfTheDramfotainment

#TheHomeOfTheTweetTasting

#TheOriginalSeriesOfVirtualTastings

132nd Whisky Insiders Interview - Sean Fennelly

Company:

The Balvenie

Job:

UK Brand Ambassador

Website:

thebalvenie.com

Socials:

@thebalvenie

How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
Not long at all – just 16 months, though the majority of my career to this point has been spent behind a bar, so I’ve been blethering about whisky for much longer than that.
 
What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Visiting the home of sherry, Jerez, in Andalucia last year, with the rest of The Balvenie’s international brand ambassador team. We try to get together at least once a year, and as I’ve said above, I’m still very much the baby of the crew, so being made to feel so welcome by them, in a part of Europe I’m absolutely in love with was brilliant. We’ve all cultivated this exact same specific obsession for our whiskies, but the way we deploy it, to audiences from Taipei to Sydney, New York to London is so so different – they’re an inspiring bunch to be around.
 
Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
I do! Growing up, my Dad had a proper niche interest in Royal Lochnagar, so it was probably their 12 Year Old that I was offered in about 2005, and to my shame, requested on ice and chased with Coca Cola. You’ll never believe me, but a year or so later, the first bottle I ever bought with my own money was The Balvenie’s old Signature 12 Year Old, from Sainsburys in Camden Town, for £21.49, which felt like a staggering indulgence.
 
What does whisky mean to you?
It’s a great leveller – even the most exalted, experienced people in our industry haven’t lost their capacity to be surprised, struck-dumb by a special dram. There aren’t enough years in this life to properly get to the bottom of the whole thing, we’re all just bearing witness to our own little corner of it.
 
Where would you like to see yourself in five years’ time?
I’d love to see more of the world through this job – I love the vibey, sleet-slicked granite of Aberdeen as much as the next man, but it might be nice to do the odd whisky tasting on a warm beach…
 
What was your last dram?
The new Glenrothes 18 Year Old, whilst watching the changing of the King’s guard on Whitehall in London, from the window of Raffles’ Hotel bar. It was lovely.
 
Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
I used to manage a bar in Soho called Milk & Honey, one evening, my predecessor-but-one, James Buntin came through to host a ‘Balvenie and Cheese’ session for some of our guests. That night’s pairing of Portwood 21 Year Old and creamy blue cheese remains pretty undeniable.
 
What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
I do my best to attend a specific Yin yoga class from an incredibly soothing instructor called Carl every Friday at 5pm, before walking to my partner’s bar (Swift, in Shoreditch). So it’s that dram, dozy and relaxed, surrounded by friends, the whole weekend spread out before me – bliss.
 
What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
Oof, I’ve no idea – what tends to feel like ‘a big thing’ to us on the inside of the industry rarely even registers with regular folk. One thing does come to mind, some of the most interesting (not to mention, keenly priced) whiskies I’ve had this year have been super-old grains. I don’t know if it’s something to do with distillers choosing to fill grain whisky into better quality casks in the 90s, or an uptick in interest of that era from the independent bottlers, but I’ve never known there to be so much circa-30 year old grain kicking about. It’s a brilliant change of pace if you’re inured to single malts.
 
What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
It would have to be The Balvenie French Oak 16 Year Old, which was finished on Pineau de Charentes casks. Released two years ago, and sitting alongside the iconic Doublewood 12 Year Old, Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old and Portwood 21 Year Old, it’s not yet got the attention it deserves. It’s a cask finish that absolutely sparkles!
 
Many thanks to Sean Fennelly. Who will be our next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!