We’ve all been there. Sitting in a restaurant after an epic meal, dreaming of the perfect 3 course meal we have just indulged in, perfectly matched with wine chosen by our extremely passionate and knowledgable sommelier.

We would love something to round off the experience and the best sommeliers have occasionally wowed me with something out of this world, whether an unusual sherry, spirit made from dates or an incredible eau de vie. Yet when I ask for a Whisky list, I’m presented with a list of single malts I can buy anywhere and at ridiculous prices and end up ordering a double espresso.

(The spelling of the Whiskies is worth another post entirely…)

These experiences got me thinking:

Why are Whisky lists overlooked?; Why has nobody questioned the fact that after we see a Whisky list we generally ask for a coffee?; Why does a place with hundreds of wines, some of which are exclusive to them, have such difficulty in compiling an interesting list of drams?

Well, these top 5 tips may help…

1. Compile a list of the must have distilleries and then source an unusual expression.

“Glenfiddich sir? Yes, we have managed to source their 125th anniversary expression, would you like to try a glass?”

You can always keep the staple expressions in the back for any customer set in their ways.

2. Learn about Whisky flavour profiles and ask the consumer what they normally drink.

“What is your favoured tipple madam?… Lagavulin? Well if you love a peaty Whisky, we stock the peatiest in the world. Wonderfully balanced Octomore from Bruichladdich on Islay…”

Knowing the basic flavour of a Whisky is just as easy as knowing your wine. It just takes a bit of practice.

3. Hand sell. Don’t ask if I’d like a coffee until you have suggested a digestif or two…

“How was your dessert? Can we interest you in a digestif? We currently have a distillery only bottle of Glenkinchie in the back or a cracking example of Springbank from a Calvados cask…”

I’m more likely to take a recommendation than peruse a long list, and an unusual recommendation will make me WANT to see the rest of the list. It may even lead to a second dram!

4. Ask the brands and distributors for info. Most will be happy to send in someone to take your staff through a crash course in malts in return for a listing or two, even if the listing involves extra leg work for them. They won’t expect huge orders, and remember a bottle of Whisky carried higher profit than a case of vodka. A focused push on the bottle from your staff will mean you can sell through it faster than a case of vodka too.

5. Despite number 4, don’t rely on their product lists. Source from websites, auctions an local shops. It may mean extra legwork, but an exclusive means you can price accordingly. I’d rather see a list of 5 Whiskies I can’t buy by the glass anywhere else than a list of 40 I can pick up in Waitrose. Plus, 5 is easier to learn than 40 and also easier to justify expanding!

So there you are. 5 simple steps which will hopefully allow the fine dining sector to jump on the Whisky boom happening at the moment as well as allow us Whisky drinking foodies to round off our evening in a more exciting way. And then we can have a coffee…

The top 5 drams I’d love to see after a Michelin Star dinner:

1. Bruichladdich Bere Barley - Ultimately traceable to a single field, 7650 bottled worldwide and a wonderful flavour.

2. Balvenie Tun 1401 - the ultimate in single malt marriage. Words annoy describe.

3. Ardbeg Blasda - think you know Ardbeg? Think again. Every part of this malt was designed to showcase a new side to this monster!

4. Springbank Rundlets and Kilderkins - small casks have brought a sweeter side to this coastal darling.

5. Octomore 5.1 - the peatiest Whisky in the Universe, yet balanced and refined. Unexpectedly awesome!

@whiskycraig is available for training and also more than happy to field any questions on the above, should you find it of interest.

An afternoon of olfactory training… Preliminary results: qualifies for further training! Extremely pleased! #whiskygeeks (Taken with Instagram)

I’ve been inducted onto the Dortmund #whisky wall of fame!

Kiel kens whit’s goin on!

So now I find myself with a travel delay the other way. I’m on the airport express train to Oslo airport from Drammen, and a couple feet of snow overnight has led to a missed flight out. However I’m not too bothered, yes I am getting home tonight, but there’s something more magical at work, pulling me back to this place.

After landing on Friday, my bags decided to holiday in Amsterdam. So my samples and clothes were lost in transit. Turns out KLM decided I could not make my connection. They didn’t see me sprinting around Schiphol obviously!

But that never even crossed my mind because of the warm welcome I was given here.

Two master classes and a press interview encouraged some great questions, enjoyable conversations and connections with new friends. Norway as a whole has an outstanding reputation for drinking well. Alcohol is so expensive here that when you do decide to buy booze, it is an informed and educated decision. Any mistakes can be very costly. This leads to superb listings of quality wines, incredible cognacs, unusual liqueurs and a very competitive Whisky market.

But despite the strict regulations and high taxation, Norway cannot be ignored. In fact, there is no better market to host events and seminars for. You cannot influence the Monopoly to stock anything, and Norwegians have grown to accept this, but what you can do is entertain the Norwegians who want to make these educated buying decisions, and let them know exactly what they can buy because as we all know, the drinker is by far the most important part of the equation!

Therefore I must confess that it is not KLM’s fault that Norway tried to keep me, it was the warmth of the people and their ability to make any stranger with no suitcase and yesterday’s socks on feel as if he had been living here for years.

In short, I can’t wait to come back here again, but maybe next time, I’ll arrive in the summer.

Cheers,
Craig

So I’m sitting in a runway at Edinburgh airport. It’s 6am and Schipol is running at a reduced capacity due to high winds. Looks like my connection to Oslo will also be delayed. Now we have a race against time.

I’ve been two weeks in the Bruichladdich Family, and as expected there are adventures and opportunities everywhere.

My first week was spent on Islay at the distillery helping to produce spirit with a shipment of Orcadian Bere barley, a notoriously difficult variety to work with. There were thrills and spills as I was unleashed in Warehouse 2 with a valinch and shown the pure water source on Octomore farm with the legendary James Brown, all of which deserve their own posts, which I’ll try to get round to.

Despite the warm welcome and incredible brand transparency, it was really only yesterday that I felt really at ease in my new role. I was privileged to grab 5 whiskies from our excellent range and present them to 100 students at the Edinburgh Water of Life Scoiety. A bit of a homecoming for me as I studied Astrophysics here, but also new ground as I was too busy bartending and tour guiding at Glenkinchie to join the Society whilst at University. I was excitedly nervous to say the least!

What I found was an open, eager and downright curious group of students ready to appreciate and question every single aspect of the Whisky industry. A potential tough crowd, but when you have the integrity and belief in your product that Bruichladdich inspires, you can’t help but take joy in the fact that these evenings exist.

A worthwhile exercise and wonderful insight into the future of our Whisky drinking public. The future’s looking good, the bling bubble has burst and quality of product is going to be the only thing we Whisky drinkers look for in years to come. Question your brands, I may not have all the answers, but I’m more than happy to find them on your behalf!

Cheers,
Craig

P.s. if anyone would like an evening with Bruichladdich send details to me at craig@bruichladdich.com and I can forward event details, as well as investigate providing a private evening with myself and the most exciting of Single Malt Whiskies on the shelve today!

@WhiskyCraig is heading to Oslo!