Company:Dunphail Distillery / Bimber Distillery
Job:
Director of Whisky Creation
Director of Communications
Website:
Socials:
@TheDunphail @BimberLondon
How long have you been working in
the whisky industry?
A mere four years. My route into
the industry has not followed any type of ‘normal’ or expected path. Barring an
early and brief dalliance with cookery school (I’m still a handy home cook), I
spent two decades working within technical public relations, mainly focussing
on biomedical science and engineering. Whilst that experience was far from
whisky-related – it also wasn’t a million miles away in terms of the some of
the biological and industrial processes which underpin spirit production. I’ve
always possessed something of a technical slate - however, this wasn’t ever an
industry that I felt that I wanted to spend the entirety of my remaining career
in.
Over the same period of time, my
whisky love-in manifested itself with the creation of thedramble.com. Over the
years the website (not nearly as readily updated nowadays as I’d like it to be)
drew the attention of several distilleries – including my nearest – Bimber.
Following a conversation with the Founder and Master Distiller I found myself
signed up as a freelance to lead the launch of Bimber The 1st Release.
That seemed to go ok as shortly
after, the freelance gig morphed into a part-time role managing Bimber’s
communications and marketing - and then over time - leading on cask assessment
and product development. Whilst I’d spent several years skirting around the
fringes of whisky via my soap box-esque website, now I was starting to play an
active role within the industry. And it was at this point that biomedical PR
started to feel like it was increasingly in the rear-view mirror – and that
whisky was firmly on my horizon.
In early 2022 my journey to the
dark side was completed. I was offered the role of Director of Whisky Creation
for the company’s second distillery – Dunphail - based in Speyside. The site
will be opening its doors and commencing distillation in just a few months’
time. There I will be defining and developing the distillery’s wood policy,
creating and managing the site’s cask inventory and shaping the profile and
quality of all whiskies bottled under the Dunphail brand – including those of
The Dava Way the distillery’s recently launched independent bottling operation.
What has been your biggest career
highlight to date?
Without a doubt my appointment as
Director of Whisky Creation for Dunphail. Whilst the construction of the new
distillery is the culmination of Founder and Master Distiller Dariusz
Plazewski’s vision, it is also a hugely significant personal milestone for me.
As well as a refocussing of my career it is also a reflection of the trust and
confidence that the team has in my knowledge and expertise to lead from the
start on the maturation and whisky development of a brand new distillery.
Certainly a career highlight – but also real honour.
Can you remember your first dram,
and indeed what it was?
Possibly a hastily stolen Bells
from my dad’s drinks cabinet – but the first whisky that I actively remember
was Dewars White Label. In the late 90s part of my job at the time was running
international conferences and exhibitions (within the mechanical engineering
field). This involved a reasonable amount of work travel – and sometimes an
unreasonable amount of free drinks whilst on planes
At the time my plane beverage of
choice was typically a gin & tonic. However one day the chap sitting next
to me asked for a whisky & ginger – and being both young and highly
impressionable, when it came to my selection I asked for “what he’s having.”
I found the combination
surprisingly enjoyable, and so when I got back from that trip I immediately
sought out the Scotch component – Dewar’s White Label – to try neat. I hated
it. But it got me thinking, what was it about the Scotch and ginger that I
found enjoyable over and above the Scotch alone. It turned out it was just familiarity.
By the time I’d got to the heel of the bottle my palate had adjusted and I was
sold enough to start an exploration of whisky – a journey which would continue
for the next 25 years.
