Kim Choong spoke with ‘Dr. Whisky’ and discovered how someone with a PhD in English Literature became the Global Ambassador for The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Who gave you the name ‘Dr. Whisky’?
Friends. When I moved to Scotland from Canada 10 years ago, I was funded for a PhD in English Literature. Within about three years, before I completed my PhD, I had become very active in a whisky club, was visiting distilleries, writing articles about the spirit, and conducting classes and tastings on whisky. So my friends started calling me ‘Dr Whisky’. When I moved to London in 2006 and started a whisky blog, I chose to use ‘Dr. Whisky’ as a title.

So is ‘Dr Whisky’ your own brand now?
Yeah, I guess you could put it that way, but it’s really all by accident! The blog was started as a way to help my friends in Scotland and Canada because I had a community of friends who had made me the source of their questions such as “What whisky do I get for my dad on his birthday?” or my friends would want to know what brand of whisky I was drinking, all that. So when I moved to London, the obvious way to keep in touch with them was via the Internet. At first, I was only writing about the whiskies I had on shelf and the story of the distilleries. After a while, people starting to send me samples and invite me for press trips. Since 2007, I have been tasting new whiskies about five days a week!

Good life!
Yeah, but the blog was an excuse to get me to my laptop every morning and work. I would nose and taste a whisky, write the tasting notes, and then work on my dissertation. I was writing a thesis about American poet Ezra Pound and his years in London and whisky was a lure to the “office”.

Was whisky your best friend while you were working on your PhD?
Yes, everyone needs whisky getting through a PhD! It was my social networking tool, as well. When I first moved to Scotland I didn’t know anybody … so I played hockey and went to a whisky club, that was my social circle.

Did you have to drink whisky everyday?
Absolutely not, but I certainly would enjoy a whisky every week, but no, not every day. It was normal in Edinburgh (at least with my circle of hockey or whisky folks) to enjoy a dram regularly, whether at a pub or at a party.

Do you drink anything else other than whisky?
No, my preferred drink really is whisky. I love it! But after a day with the press, tasting and training … I want a beer, a cold, flavourless beer.

Tell us more about this whisky club.
The Edinburgh University Water of Life Society was, and is, a group where members met up every fortnight on a Thursday. Every guest contributed five pounds which would cover the four or five whiskies every other week. I was into the history, the importance of whisky to the culture of Scotland, as well as how fun it was to enjoy the various whiskies in the company of other like-minded people.

Was whisky a big thing in Canada that time?
Not really for me, at the time. I toured Canada playing music (the cello, flute and guitar) and after a show someone would buy me a whisky and say, “Great gig, man, here’s a Scotch.” Down the hatch, as at that time I really had no idea what I was drinking.

How did you get from being a musician to studying PhD in literature?
I studied literature as well for my undergraduate degree, together with music. I had a professor, who became a good friend, who encouraged me to study it further. So I did, moving first to Ottawa and then to Edinburgh.

Tell us about the relation of your trip to Edinburgh and whisky.
If I hadn’t moved to Edinburgh, I would say that my life would be very different from now. In Edinburgh, I invited myself to a whisky tasting held by university’s Student Union. The group called itself the ‘Water of Life Society’ and it sounded very fancy. It opened my eyes about the history and the varieties of whisky there was out there. I was already in an academic environment so I studied it. I read books. I visited distilleries. I spoke with blenders and distillers, and eventually I grew into a complete enthusiast. And I eventually learned that what I do now, talking about whisky for a living, was an actual job! I certainly didn’t know that I would be walking this path when I started the PhD.

What is your first love when it comes to whisky?
Sometimes folks don’t believe me, but long  before I worked for William Grant & Sons I was Balvenie DoubleWood lover. I meet people all over the world doing tastings who say the same thing, for a lot of people this is the ‘discovery whisky’ that got them hooked, as it was for me. It was the first bottle I bought. So many people hold Balvenie in a special place in their hearts. It is most enthusiasts’ favourite malt. We have had Balvenie in Malaysia for a while, but we want to show off the rest of the range.

How did you develop your tasting sense?
Some people might tell you that you are born with a good nose, but mine is a learned skill, just as it would be acquiring it through drinking coffee or beer. When I first drank whisky, it didn’t taste like apples or vanilla, it was just whisky. Then I met Charles Maclean, the whisky writer, and Richard Paterson, the whisky maker, and they both told me that I needed to train my nose. The advice I give is to go through life smelling, and repeat details to yourself out loud so that your brain remembers. It’s all mental, it’s not really about your nose but rather your brain. But then, you should probably ask a blender for more guidance. I just love the stuff so the most important thing is whether you are enjoying it and who you are drinking with. As long as you like the taste of a given whisky, life is good.

I heard that whisky helped you meet your wife, is that true?
Yes. I met her in my second year of university, through the Whisky Club. She came to the whisky tasting with her friends and we got to know each other over a bowl of fudge.

You moved to America when you got the job with Balvenie, but now you have moved back to the UK again. What’s that like?
We (my wife and I) wanted to move back to the UK because when we left to go to the US, we felt that it was too soon. We had our fun in New York but when I was offered the current position to be the Global Ambassador for Balvenie, we didn’t hesitate.

Balvenie is still a family-owned whisky distillery. In your view, how is this different from whisky brands owned by corporations?
For big public companies, decisions tend not to be made based on flavour, after all, the most important things are the shareholders, profit, efficiency, etc. At the end of the day the whisky is probably still good, but a family-run whisky distillery is different. In our case, the family believes that the whisky tastes the way it does because of how it is made. It has a logical connection. It is like food, food tastes the way it does because of the way it is made. So, valuing the stuff, the family has protected the way their great-great-grandfather has made the whisky. We grow our own barley, malt it on a traditional floor maltings, have our own cooperage and coppersmith. This is partly because the family wants to invest in the community, but also to maintain the quality of the spirit of The Balvenie. This dedication to craftsmanship is what drew me to the company.

Apart from the family history, what other things attracted you to join  Balvenie?
Well, it is perhaps a bit superficial, but I am not embarrassed to say that I love the way the bottle and tube look. Obviously, I also I like the way it tastes, but mostly because it is family-owned. When I learned about the distillery when I was in uni., I didn’t realise how unusual being Scottish and family-owned was in the world of whisky, but it did seem exciting. When we look at the history of whisky, we see that it grew out of an agricultural tradition, not out of a desire to create luxury commercial goods. Farmers used to make beer with their excess barley, but because beer didn’t last very long, they started to distill it. Distilled, it can travel, and pretty much lasts forever, and is like an asset that you can trade with. It grew out of this crafters tradition, which is romantic and cool. That is the interesting thing about Balvenie, it holds on to some of the traditions which are obsolete in other industries, and increasingly rare in our own.

Which is the most popular Balvenie here in Malaysia?
The DoubleWood 12 Years Old, partly because of the price and the accessibility of the rich flavours.

Can you tell us about the experimental 17-year-old?
Since 2001, our Malt Master David Stewart has been making different experimental 17-year-old expressions. The first one was called Islay Cask, achieved by putting 17yo Balvenie into a cask that held very smoky Islay whisky, giving the sweet Balvenie a layer of burnt, smoky flavours. It was very special and totally unusual at that time and the whole range has become collectible. Because we have our own cooperage, we have the barrels to experiment with, so we tried it out with new oak and new barrels. We used a sherry barrel that was 100% mature oak that used to hold cherries. We also used a rum cask, madeira cask and peated cask. We did these in small batches and phases, just for people who wanted to try something different. So far, there are no plans for a new limited release in this range but hopefully David will work on something around the DoubleWood flavour at an older age.

You seem very eager to have a more aged DoubleWood. Do you have a say in making that decision?
Yes I do. Being part of the Global team, I report to the Global Marketing Director, and we make the decisions on strategy and new product development. My input is in flavour and integrity, so I work closely with David Stewart and the production team to make sure that we make the best whisky possible.

How would you want to advance from your current role in Balvenie?
I love what I do now but the challenge for me in the longer term will be the travelling. The strategy, planning and what whisky we should introduce and what direction we should go as a global brand, those kind of decisions are what I am very keen to be part of. Also, setting up best practices, such as setting up examples of good events, or good partnerships that other parts of the market can borrow. However, at the moment, there isn’t a specific role within the company that I would like to switch to. I am very proud and happy to be The Balvenie Global Ambassador.

Can you tell us about the tasting notes for DoubleWood?
It uses two types of barrels. Remember when whisky comes off the stills, it is totally clear. All of the colour and as much as 70% of the flavour comes from the barrels. For DoubleWood, we mature whisky in American oak ex-bourbon barrels for 12 years where the spirit sucks up flavours like vanilla, apples and burnt sugar. It is then taken out and put into a European Oak cask that used to hold sherry. All the previous flavour stays, but you get an extra layer from the second barrel – raisins, maple syrup, dried fruit, spices, for a rounded, sweet flavour. The key note in all Balvenie whiskies is a slight honey flavour, which mingles with coconut, flowers or tobacco. DoubleWood is made in this sweet style with maple syrup, dried fruit, the sweetness of raisins and a nice long vanilla richness.

You used to be in a poetry club, do you still write poems after working with whisky?
Not anymore. I still take part in academic conferences. I did one last year in London and this year I will present in Copenhagen. Actually, that’s an interesting one: it is a conference on the sociology of connoisseurship so I will be bringing in some of my whisky knowledge.

When was the last time you wrote a poem?
Last week, when I was working with this company called Simply Whisky in London. It was a competition pitting Balvenie against any whisky they said was better. It was something like Balvenie against Highland Park, our 21-year-old against theirs, going head to head. Not only did we compete via tastings, we also attacked each other personally and sometimes physically! One of the challenges was a poem rap, it was silly, very short but fun.

Can you share a poem with us?
Sure. Here is one from 2003, purpose written to excite and audience 3 whiskies in. It was all for fun!

We love whisky
Single malt, Cask strength, independent blends and limited bottlings,
In any weather we are in this room together
For we love whisky.
I don’t know why.
 
We love whisky.
Wine comes from grapes, this I know
ice wine, I imagine, is related to snow
there’s sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay and merlot
they’re just words, like the drink, they just come and they go.
We are not a wine society
We avoid tall glasses and sobriety.
 
We love whisky
 
Gin tastes nice with lemons and ice
Paint thinner or panty remover, any brand will suffice
‘Cuz its all about the high and not about the price,
The flavour, or the Bombay spice.
I don’t care about the subtly of vodka, it has one function:
Vodka before beer, you’re in the clear,
beer before vodka everything vradkrafghegaghga
Getting drunk.
Period.
Can’t be worth shit 'cuz they mix with sugar
Pump it into clear glass bottles
And give it stupid ass monikers.
Is that any way to show a liquor you respect her?
What happened to Matt’s “Hi,” and “How are you?”
Vodka is a conspirator’s poison, a communist elixir.
Needs fancy brand names and masking mixers
A drink for ladies, little boys, and for guaranteed hangovers.
 
We love whisky
 
Beauty on the eye, the nose, the palate
The tease, the taste the finish…
Speyside, Highland,
Lowland, Island
A beautiful spirit that doesn’t make the Vikings violent.
It makes them beautiful.
Beautiful held up to light, tinting amber what once shone white
Or keeping pale in bourbon baste
Or dark sherry face, a meniscus waist
Heather and honey
Beautiful to nose and to taste
A Flower basket, or a basket case
A pungent peat, A Blinding mace
What kind of funk is spilling over your face?
 
Having said a few words I feel much better
About poetry without a pipe or a cardigan sweater
So enjoy each dram, your liver to imbue
'Cuz you bring as much to whisky as whisky brings to you.
 
Sam Simmons
6 November 2003