Whisky Insiders Interview No. 98 - Ben Ellefsen

Company:
Atom Brands

Job:
Managing Director at Atom Labs

Website:
atombrands.com


How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
Full time for 11 years, but I'd been dabbling for a couple of years before that. If I'm honest with myself it started as an excuse to visit trade shows, but well - look where it led. Good old whisky live!

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Ugh, that's unfair. It's like asking someone what their favourite food is.

If I have to pick just one, then I guess the only answer can be winning the Queen's Award for Export in 2019. The level of pride that inspired in everyone throughout the whole business was truly moving. There're others too though - taking home the Spirits Masters Grand Champion Trophy 2 years in a row, not to mention the (literally thousands of) individual product awards we've racked up. World's best blended whisky for the Lost Distilleries Blend back in 2014 when we were really only just starting out in the blending game in any big way was memorable.

Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
Yup. I can vividly recall trying a tiny sip of my Grandad's Laphroaig 10 Year Old when it was probably older than I was. I can't say that necessarily kicked off a love affair with whisky, but the olfactory memory that's evoked by East Coast Islay still takes me back there.

If you're after something a little more drinkaware-friendly, a group of us resolved to 'get into whisky' aged 18 or so courtesy of a collection of Master of Malt miniatures. There're two drams that really stand out from that epoch - a 21 Year Old Scapa which was truly terrible (with the benefit of hindsight I think it was probably a combination of a bad cask and TCA), and a 10 Year Old Braes of Glenlivet which had an absolutely beguiling but very simple toasted barley breakfast-cereal sort of thing going on. That's the one that did it, I think.

What does whisky mean to you?
I'm meant to say something here about it bringing people together, being a social glue, etc, but to be honest for me personally I'm so much more fascinated by the olfactory chemistry of the stuff. There's no other drink in the entire world which has the same breadth, complexity and variation in flavour profile. It's arguable that there's objectively more to discover in the world of wine, and that it's easier (and cheaper!) to discover with beer, but when it comes down to simple complexity (if you'll pardon the phrase) whisky is the most extraordinary liquid in the world - especially when we get to play and blend and 'make' all day.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years’ time?
I'd like us to be distilling. We've launched some very successful brands, have literally dozens more in the pipeline, and are now in the position to launch brands which have continuous liquid availability (this is a departure from the stuff we've done previously which has tended to be very small batch / limited edition). Working with extant liquid stock - even when you have control over wood - has its limitations. You can liken it to cooking with only the ingredients that are available in the supermarket, as opposed to being given license to grow and rear literally whatever you want. 

What was your last dram?
I had a Caol Ila 25 Year Old as a treat last night, after slightly too many ribs and buffalo wings. 

The Dublin Liberties Distillery Tweet Tasting

More social media based dramfotainment you say? Well allow us to very gladly oblige!

Following on from their recent Gold medal wins at this years Irish Whiskey Masters, we absolutely thrilled to announce that on September 30th, we’ll be teaming up with the mighty Dublin Liberties Distillery, to pour and explore some of their winning whiskey wares.

On the night we’ll be sharing, sipping and savouring their Gold standard Copper Alley, Murder Lane, Keeper’s Coin and Oak Devil expressions. Full details to follow, but if you fancy taking part in an epic evening of Irish whisk(e)y discovery click here to register your interest by emailing your name, address, date of birth and Twitter handle. Please also remember to mark the subject line of your email: #DublinLibertiesWhiskey

The closing date to register is September 3rd, and if you are registering to take part please make sure that you will actually be free on the night!

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 on September 30th at 7pm GMT via #DublinLibertiesWhiskey

For more info on The Dublin Liberties, visit: thedublinlibertiesdistillery.com

@TheWhiskyWire

@DublinLiberties

@WeAreTheDLD

Registration open to over 21's only!

Be part of the dramfotainment!

A D Rattray Tweet Tasting II

Continuing our teeming throng of industry leading Twitter trending Tweet Tastings, we’re absolutely thrilled to announce that on September 11th, we’ll be teaming up again with our friends at the South Ayrshire based AD Rattray, to pour and explore some of their belting independently bottled bounty!

On the night we’ll be pouring and exploring expressions from their Casks of Scotland range, including something so dramspankingly new, it won’t be released until 2020. So if you fancy sharing, sipping and savouring some of the dramming delight’s from A D Rattray’s amazing whisky portfolio click here to register your details by emailing your name, address, date of birth and Twitter handle, remembering to mark the subject line: #ADRattrayWhisky

The closing date to register is August 19th, and if you are registering please make sure that you will actually be free on the evening of September 11th to take part!

Even if you're not one of the selected Tweet Tasters, it'd be great to have you following all the evening’s dramfotainment. So we look forward to seeing you over on Twitter on September 11th at 19:00 BST via #ADRattrayWhisky

Registration open to over 21's only!

For more info on A D Rattray, visit: adrattray.com

@TheWhiskyWire

@ADRattrayWhisky

#ADRattrayWhisky

Be part of the dramfotainment!

Whisky Insiders Interview No. 97 - Lora Hemy

Company:
Roe & Co Distilling Co - Diageo

Job:
Head Distiller

Website:
roeandcowhiskey.com



How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
I’ve been working in the industry now for over five years. I spent my twenties as a sound engineer and DJ. I studied Fine Art originally and went back to university as a mature student to study distillation.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Being part of the team that built the Roe & Co Distillery and Visitor Experience. Especially on this street which has been so important to the history of brewing and distillery, not just in Ireland, but globally. George Roe was a unique, forward-thinking character in his time and this has been a very unique project in so many ways. From restoring and retrofitting this incredible building, the old Guinness Power House dating from 1946, with a contemporary distillery; setting up a new distillery within such a loved brewery; planning the future of Roe and Co with our amazing team. Lots of challenges but all of them incredibly fun. Seeing the first visitors arrive was a brilliant feeling.

Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
I can’t remember my first dram specifically, but I can remember several that have really stuck in my memory. One was at Glen Ord distillery near my parents’ house on the Black Isle – it was a very long time ago, but it was the first time I remember being blown away by the simplicity of taking such basic raw materials and turning them into something beautiful. It was the first time I can remember thinking ‘I want to do this’. Another recent example was just a few weeks ago when we invited some local whiskey enthusiasts to join us for a sneak preview of the distillery before we opened. We shared a Roe & Co together in the bar, that felt like a really special moment, even amongst the dust sheets and dismantled scaffolding.

What does whisky mean to you?
Whisky is about people and places. It has taken me around the world, I’ve met all sorts of interesting people, lived and worked in places I probably would not have thought of visiting otherwise. I have discovered whisky from so many parts of the world that can be enjoyed in so many different ways. I see it as a creative process inspired by the people and places around me. I guess it has become an obsession in that the science behind production is so incredibly complex that I will never have enough life hours to be able to understand everything about it - therefore there is no chance to get bored, and every motivation to stay curious.