Whisky Advocate Blog

Richard Paterson is the master blender for Whyte & Mackay, which includes the Dalmore and Jura single malts. He’s also a great ambassador for the entire Scotch whisky industry. He’s our guest blogger for July (just sneaking in at the last minute). As you will discover by his blog, he also has a great sense of humor. Thanks Richard! (Hey, and maybe next time you can tell us a little more about your new line of whiskies?)

America and whisky – or scotch whisky – as you all seem to have such strange, perverse ways of avoiding calling whisky whisky – but one thing is for sure, you are certainly taking to liking it!

You my have tried to ban it at one point but fortunately you saw sense over that one. And now, you love the great water of life.

But Dear God, how many of you are determined to ruin it with ice? 
Wherever I looked, ice in this, ice in that, ice in ice.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted you’re drinking whisky – I’m even more delighted when it’s Jura, Dalmore or Whyte and Mackay – but you wouldn’t take a beautiful woman out to dinner and tell her to hide her face, you wouldn’t take a hunky strong man out and tell him to hide his muscles, so why ruin the beauty of whisky with ice?

To that end, I’ve been on a US tour this week, stopping off in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Miami, telling people via the internet (you can now find me on a blog, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) where to meet me and talking about whisky.

And it’s been fantastic. I’ve met with some really interesting people and you can see some video and picture highlights on my facebook site. 
Having said that, it’s encouraging how the internet – including John’s sites – are helping people to not only enjoy whisky but develop their appreciation. There are so many people out there who, in the past, would have tried one whisky, not liked it and thrown in the towel.

Now, the internet has changed all that. Now people have a vast range of whisky ambassadors out there and they know that not only are there wide ranges of whiskies, all with different personalities and flavours and that there is a whisky out there for most people.

And even if you aren’t a fan of whisky straight, there are – loath as  
I am to say it – other ways to drink it, including cocktails (and you can see my reaction to what the Best Barman in the World did with my whiskies on the Jura site at http://www.isleofjura.com/richardandcolin )

But while America may be opening its eyes up to whiskies, that’s not to say that it’s all perfect. I mean, here you are, learning what goes well with each whisky, what the best chocolates and coffees are to help bring out the flavours, but can you get a good cigar to go with the whisky? Can you heck.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you have poor cigars. You have some fantastic cigars – you just aren’t allowed to smoke them anywhere. 
It’s Land of the Free until you want to enjoy a cigar and a whisky – and you can’t.

But I’ve enjoyed myself so much so that I want to announce here that I’ll be back in November for visits to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Ft. Lauderdale, so let’s all try and meet up – just leave the ice at home and let’s find a place to enjoy cigars!
Richard Online Links:

http://www.youtube.com/user/masterblenderrichard

http://www.facebook.com/quality.whisky

http://www.themasterblender.com/

http://twitter.com/the_nose