FROM THE HEART OF SPEYSIDE
As Malt Ambassador for the
highly-regarded and long-established independent whisky
bottler Douglas Laing & Co Ltd, I have to travel to all four
corners of the globe in order to maintain and further the
company’s reputation for individualistic bottlings of single
cask Scotch. The firm is based in Glasgow, so this means I
have to live and largely work in the hustle and bustle of
the city. Nonetheless, I still think of the rolling hills of
Speyside as my spiritual home. No pun intended.
I was born in Huntly, in Aberdeenshire,
and grew up in the small community of Rothes, at the very
heart of Speyside. With five malt whisky distilleries and a
dark grains plant within a mile of my home, filling the air
on a daily basis with the smells of malt and mash, it was
difficult not to take in whisky by osmosis. Not only have I
been surrounded by whisky for as long as I can remember, but
my father celebrates his 27th year working at
Glenrothes distillery this year. I remember cycling up to
see him when I was a girl, taking him his ‘piece’ dinner
when he was on back shift (2pm-10pm). I would sit and watch
him work, fixated by the smells, the sounds and the big
copper stills.
Amazingly, my first real taste of whisky
didn’t come till I was much older; 17 to be exact. I
remember the moment vividly. I was at my friend’s house at
Macallan distillery and we were sampling an 18 year-old
Macallan of all things. No doubt it was wasted on me at the
time, but it was a memorable occasion and one which became
the catalyst that started me on the path to enlightenment
with the ‘water of life,’ taking me to Glasgow and Douglas
Laing via a spell with Royal Mile Whiskies in Edinburgh.
Although I enjoy my life in Glasgow, I’m
only too eager to pack up my sample glasses and head north
to spend a few days mixing business with pleasure, and
catching up with some old friends, at the two annual
Speyside Whisky Festivals.
Now in its seventh year, the latest
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival last spring saw hordes of
visitors from home and abroad descend on Malt Whisky Country
for four days of Scotch, music, food and fun.
The Festival gives whisky lovers the
world over the chance to visit the site where some of their
favourite drams are distilled, wander round distilleries
which are usually closed to the public - often in the
company of their managers - and sample many rare and unusual
whiskies from the most ‘whisky-rich’ region in Scotland.
This time around, guest speakers held
interactive talks and tastings on the influence water has on
whisky, malts from closed distilleries, ‘dessert’ whiskies
and even ‘breakfast’ whiskies. I have to confess that this
last idea was my own, and I even made breakfast for the
lucky participants to accompany their early morning drams!
Aberlour distillery held its now
traditional Whisky Dinner with distinguished French food and
drinks writer Martine Nouet, while Gordon & Macphail opened
the doors to their renowned shop in Elgin, and to Benromach
distillery, where new releases could be sampled.
An innovation this year was a five-course
dinner hosted by Ricky Christie of Speyside Distillers Co
Ltd, held in Scott’s Restaurant in Dufftown. Each course was
cooked and served with a complementary dram from Ricky’s
Scott’s Selection range of independent bottlings, not to
mention a number of Ricky’s highly entertaining tales of
whisky life.
Dufftown also laid on its legendary Seven
Stills Bus Tour – now subject to a lengthy waiting list for
places. Speak to anyone at the festival, and the majority
will wax lyrical about Speyside’s breathtaking scenery,
peace and tranquillity. Ask these very same people about
their festival highlights, and they will laugh raucously
when recounting their experiences on the Seven Stills Bus
Tour. Peaceful and tranquil it is not. The tour is led by
the irrepressible Ian Millar, Glenfiddich-based malt
distilleries manager for William Grant & Sons Ltd.
My first job in the whisky industry was
as a guide at Glenfiddich during college vacations, and I
still have fond memories of those days. I certainly learnt a
lot about distilling and about thinking on my feet when
faced with all the difficult questions visitors throw at
you. The experience has definitely stood me in good stead
for my current job.
Participants on the Seven Stills Bus Tour
board the bus armed with backpacks full of water and
oatcakes – a necessity if you want to last the journey! Ian
leads the coach round each of Dufftown’s seven distilleries,
regaling the passengers with local tales of a bygone era,
and each stop is celebrated with a dram from the distillery
in question. Great fun…
One of my personal highlights of the
festival is always the ‘Whisky Game’. Loosely based on a
whisky version of Trivial Pursuits, this year connoisseurs
from Scotland, England, Sweden and Norway battled it out to
see who would be crowned Whisky Game Champions of the World.
Sweden played a strong game, as did
England, but the Scotland team regained their crown – lost
to England last year. I have to admit, we competitors tend
to take it all pretty seriously, and nobody dared say “But
it’s only a game”!
In the past I have attended the festival
purely for fun, but this year was my fourth as an exhibitor
and participant, and no matter where my work takes me, I
always manage to come across someone who’s been to the
Speyside Festival. When I meet them professionally it’s
amusing to see their reactions. They tell me I’m not old
enough, that it’s not a job for a woman, and that surely I
don’t drink whisky myself? But then I mention the Speyside
Festival and they just nod their heads and smile in that
knowing sort of way.
Susan Webster
