Dr Andy Forrester

SMWS Spirits Educator

First whisky memory

I’d definitely drunk blended whisky with my dad when I was younger, but I don’t think it really made much of an impression on me. My first truly memorable experience however was sitting in a big green armchair in my room (which I’d rescued from a skip) at university when I was supposed to be writing up my PhD. Someone had given me an Oddbins voucher … I took it to the local branch where I met my now best friend Eddie Ludlow (of Whisky Lounge fame), who was manager at the time. Eddie suggested I swap it for a bottle of Bruichladdich 10 YO (that was in the days shortly after it had been rescued by Jim McEwan et al). Looking back, I don’t think it was one of the greatest whiskies I have ever tasted – but I remember taking the first sip and thinking – “**** me, this is absolutely incredible – where on earth does all this flavour come from?” And that was the start of a journey of learning and discovery that has lasted 20 years and will continue for many more..

Favourite whisky-drinking music Heavy Metal… the heavier the better. Some say it if you play death metal to the casks, the whisky matures better… which is utter tosh of course… but it does bring two of my great passions together.

Best box sets I don’t know if these count as box sets, but if it is a TV series then Fawlty Towers (when I grow up I want to be Basil Fawlty) and if it is a collection of movies, then the Back to the Future Trilogy.

Fantasy whisky tasting companions I’ve been lucky enough to drink whisky with some very interesting people during my career. Top of the list must be the astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, who invited me to do a tasting at his house when I worked for Balvenie. Don’t ask how that came about! The living person I’d like to meet most, in all the world, is Sir James Lovelock – of The Gaia Hypothesis fame. He is my scientific hero so if whisky brought us together then I’d be very happy indeed.

Most memorable dram There are memorable whisky moments because of the time and place of drinking, and of course those when it is all down to the whisky. For the former, I would probably cite drinking Balvenie halfway down the Mer De Glace, in the Vallée Blanche, Chamonix. Unforgettable. We’d stopped for a crevasse rescue lesson. Our guide knew I worked for Balvenie at the time and had heroically carried a bottle of 12YO DoubleWood in his rucksack along with all the kit. So, I was forced to give an impromptu tasting to the group in this stunning mountain landscape and, even better, on one of the world’s most legendary off-piste ski runs. As for a dram itself, probably Cask No. G10.40: A beguilingly syrupy sweet, spiced baba. A truly delicious single grain whisky matured in a second fill toasted French oak barrique. Sadly, there is none left, but I’ve enjoyed sharing it with friends.

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Guilty pleasure I have a garage full on 1980s BMX bikes – mostly Raleigh Burners. Now, clearly you can’t ride 12 bikes at once, and BMXs are hardly suitable for grown-ups – so I think that makes it a guilty pleasure rather than an environmentally sustainable and economical means of transport.

Dream destination November 5th 1955!! No, seriously (well maybe) … I’d love to go to Japan – for me it holds many mysteries and potential pleasures. I’d love to see the cherry blossom trees in bloom. Skiing in deep powder through the trees would be my idea of heaven. And the distilleries of course. The Japanese learned the art of whisky making in Scotland in the 1930s and then went back and perfected it, bringing in new technology and innovation. Most Scottish distilleries make just one style of spirit (maybe two – a peated and unpeated version of the same), with Loch Lomond being a notable exception. The Japanese whisky blenders however didn’t have over 100 distilleries to draw on, so each distillery was set up to make multiple styles of spirit. So, you will find various shapes and styles of pot still, column-pot hybrids and all sorts of curious configurations. Utterly fascinating if you are interested in the link between process and flavour!

Strangest food Andrew Dane, our finance director, who secretly likes whisky more than spreadsheets (and he does really like spreadsheets a lot), keeps trying to persuade me to try peanut butter and marmite on toast. Weird – but I guess I’ll give it a try at some point, so I may have a properly considered answer for this one next time round. What I’m sat here wondering now though is how you might achieve that flavour combination in spirit…cloudy wort, short fermentations and not too much copper contact or reflux – hmmm…one to ponder, so great question after all!

Favourite bar The Fiddichside Inn in Craigellachie, Speyside, under the guise of the legendary barman Joe Brandie – a place that time really did forget. Indeed, you almost needed a DeLorean travelling at 88mph to get there. As an ambassador in my William Grants days, I once took a group of London bartenders there who worked in some of the most iconic bars in the world. To say that they were utterly humbled is an understatement.

If you were a flavour profile, what would you be, and why? Oily & Coastal – a bit of an oddity, tries hard to fit into a more conventional category (Peated perhaps) but just doesn’t quite conform enough.