In this interview, I chat with Richard from @livingbythedram. I love his Instagram feed as he obviously takes great pride in it and his appearance. It is articulate and catches my eye.
Q. What got you into whisky?
A. What really got me into whisky is the fact that every whisky is different and has its own quality level. For me whisky is liquid art and a piece of liquid history in a glass.
Q. You look very dapper in your posts. Who are your favourite suit, shirt and shoe makers?
A. I don’t have a particular tailor or shoemaker. I find what looks good and is of good quality and makes me feel like a gentleman.
A real man is defined by how he takes pride in his appearance and always acts like a gentleman in any situation. Clothes can make the man, but proper norms and values makes a real gentleman.
Q. What defines a good whisky to you?
A. A good whisky to me is one that I can relate to, and with its first sip cleanse the mind and soul. Whisky and definitely a single malt is an art that starts with distilling the spirit and then ageing the spirit within great oak barrels. After all these years of dedication and hard work you as a consumer can finally enjoy that piece of liquid art, after the angels have their share of course. With a blended whisky you will have a great master blender do their magic and then blend something very special for us to consume.
Q. How many distilleries do you think you have visited?
A. Definitely not enough! If I have to guess it would be more then 30 so far. But this year I want to see a lot more. The beauty of visiting a distillery is that every distillery has its own story to tell and has its own character in the whisky. If you visit a distillery you get to see the passion, hard work and dedication these wonderful people put into their whisky’s for us to enjoy. This really makes your whisky taste better the next time you drink it.
Q. Which bottle has been your best find at a distillery?
A. My Best Buy at a distillery is mostly the limited editions you can only buy there. I had a Highland Park single cask bottling that can only be bought at the Highland Park distillery. They even let you put your name on the bottle so you can’t resell it again.
Q. Are you a drinker, collector or both? If the later, in what proportions?
A. Definitely both. But all whisky are meant to be drunk and enjoyed responsibly. But whisky is also liquid gold and a great investment. If you buy the right bottles it can definitely make you a fortune or let you go on early retirement. But please keep in mind you do need to know a thing or two about whisky before you start investing.
Q. Do you have a particular theme for your collection?
A. Yes, I only buy high value bottles and limited editions of particular brands that I know is a good investment in the long run.
Q. From a tourist perspective, what is the most beautiful whisky region and why?
A. Scotland and I would say #Islay or #Speyside. This is because in these areas you can walk to different distilleries and enjoy a wee dram and the landscape at the same time.
Q. Where did you drink your most favourite dram and who with?
A. Luckily I have a lot of these beautiful moments. But on of my highlights was I got to share a dram of 50 year old single malt #benromach At its release with the distillery manager Keith Cruickshank. Also I got the share a dram with malt master David C. Stewart of #thebalvenie and global brand Ambassador Gemma Louise Paterson Showed me around in the distillery. These are some of the great memories I have of Scotland, whisky and it’s amazing people.
Q. What is your most embarrassing whisky moment?
A. Don’t really have a embarrassing whisky moment but I do have a sad and terrible experience with a bottle that broke because I’ve dropped it. I was cleaning my whisky shelf and I’ve dropped a bottle of Highland Park Thor from the Valhalla collection. This was something that almost made me cry a bit.