How do you do R&D on a product that you can only really taste decades later? How do pursue innovation and experimentation while respecting the traditions of Scotch whisky-making?

For me, it’s responsible risk-taking. We are so limited in our stock that we have to be very careful with what we’re feeding into that system. There’s a continual tradition of innovation at The Dalmore throughout its history. Part of it is technical, but then there’s the intuitive side of the art and science of whisky-making, too. It comes down to taking the time to understand the process and ingredients. You don’t become a master whisky maker overnight. For Richard (who has been in the industry for 55 years) and myself (around 24 years), we’re still learning. 

But it’s always a balance. For me, as a custodian of the brand, the distillery, and the whisky itself, my responsibility to the drinker endures. We’re faithful to our unique house style, but within that house style, there’s so much room for creativity. To cite an example, we’ve created a whisky called The Dalmore Luminary Series, which was a collaboration with Kengo Kuma, the globally-renowned architect from Japan, and Maurizio Mucciola, who designed the Victoria and Albert Museum in Dundee. We created a type of cask that’s never been made before: a kintsugi cask. The art of kintsugi involves taking ceramics, breaking it, and putting it back together with gold seams. Thinking about that as a Japanese art form got me thinking, what if we created a kintsugi cask? Let’s look at Japanese oak...how about if we combine that with Scottish oak in a cask together? It’s bringing together all of these different elements to create something unique. But that inspiration can come from anything, so long as the result still feels true to what The Dalmore is.

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How do you, as a whisky-maker, draw inspiration from foreign cultures?

Coming here to the Philippines, I could be eating a Philippine mango and already start thinking, Warehouse two, top level, on the left, the cask that has the little mark on it. But it can go the other way where you go okay, these are the tasting notes we’ve got for this mango. I’ll go away, digest it, and almost critique it, then try to create something new out of that.

Conversely, when we’re doing masterclasses with people from different cultures, they might pick up something special that I had not noticed before because they’re coming from a different perspective with different sense memories.

How do you prefer to enjoy whisky?

It depends on the environment. You could have it alone or with food, even if it’s the same whisky. For example, The Dalmore 15-Year-Old is beautiful on its own—you get the freshness, the vibrancy, the light citrus notes and things like that. But then if you try it later on in the day with food, you’ll appreciate different aspects of it. Because of the weight of The Dalmore, it can work well within a cocktail, too. You can either go for something very light that allows other ingredients to come through, or we can make The Dalmore the hero flavour in a classic cocktail.

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Why is whisky often viewed as an intimidating drink? How can we make whisky more approachable to all?

A lot of it has to do with language—at the end of the day, it’s just liquid on lips. Perhaps part of it is how we traditionally marketed Scotch whisky. The whole fallacy, the nonsense about how Scotch whisky is a man’s drink, totally contradicts our experience in the markets. It’s like with food—would you ever say that there’s a feminine or masculine set of food? No! It’s all about flavour and experience. And technically as well, from a scientific perspective, females generally have a better ability for nosing and tasting than males do. 

What I usually do in my tastings is talk about the rule of three, breaking it all down. Let’s forget this is scotch whisky. What sweet flavours do you taste? What are the fruity notes you pick up? What are the base spice notes you get? That gets the hardcore whisky enthusiasts and novices on the same playing field. 

What are the most exciting new trends you have seen in whisky over the past couple of years?

What’s exciting is the number of new distilleries opening up, and the diversity of whiskies being made in all parts of the world. Some people might see that as a threat to the Scotch whisky industry, but actually, it’s not. There are enough innovation and flavour-led progressions we can pursue within Scotch whisky, and it’s interesting to see how other people make whisky, too. 

In terms of industry-focused trends, we’re seeing a lot of new and different types of casks in ageing and finishing. Around four years ago there was a loosening of Scotch whisky regulations from the Scotch Whisky Association, which started to permit other types of casks like Calvados casks from France, even tequila casks. There’s a lot of diversity and experimentation going on now with ageing and wood sourcing.

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It’s clear that whisky, and the enjoyment of whisky, is truly personal. What, to you, makes an excellent whisky?

To me, an excellent whisky is one you want to share with your friends and family, with company. That is probably where The Dalmore fits in best—it is a whisky you want to share with people, because our house style is so unique and different, but can still resonate with whisky drinkers who hold different preferences.

What do you wish more people knew about whisky?

There are no wrong answers to your own unique experience of flavour from whisky.

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