Beiruting News

1-Do you remember the very first time you tasted whiskey?

The first time I've tried Whiskey was when I was at the university back in the 1970s and I was about 18-19 years old I was with some friends and we tried this bottle that one of my friends father got from the duty free. We didn't pour into glasses and drink it instead we drank it really slowly just sipping it all night. I had no idea Whiskey will take such a big part of my life later on.

2-Do you need particularly good tasting abilities in order to become a whiskey expert?

You need special skills: You need to have curiosity, experience, you need to have an idea what you like, a good memory, you need to have tried different types of Whiskey. You have to work hard and have technical skills that specialize you from others.

3-Can a Wine expert become a Whiskey expert?

Some people say clearly that they are wine experts because they like the world of wine which is basically vineyards and a wide culture. They intend to be wine kind of persons. Of course you can find both but they are more likely to be interested in one more than the other. You can also find whiskey experts that are interested in wine. Whiskey lovers have been wine lovers as well back when wine was the hit of all drinks.

4-What are the day-to-day duties/responsibilities of a Master Blender/Taster?

Everyday something changes.  A Whiskey expert must understand how old the whiskeys are mature and that not all whiskey gets better with age. The responsibilities are the continuum because what we do today may affect the whiskey 10 15 or 20 years later... You have to understand the present and plan the future.

5-Can you recommend three whiskeys whiskey lovers overlook that they shouldn't?

In all the ranges of whiskey you start at the bottom and you look upwards so we have the Del More that is a range in the family, we have also the Jura that people tend to overlook and which comes in two styles: the most popular version is the sweet rich version of Jura (Jura Origin) and Jura superstition that  is actually a bit Smokey and we make it for 4 months a year only. The third one that is my personal recommendation is the grain like the Inver Gordon which is rare to find. Older Grain whiskey is more interesting than older Malt Whiskey but is a definite must try.

6-Do you think some women shy away from whisky?

Yes because historically, I think whiskey especially Scotch, has been very masculine. The big picture was guys with a big glass of whiskey and these guys didn't really think about it they were just guys pouring and drinking a glass of whiskey and then along comes wine. That idea about whiskey crashes in the 1970's 1980s when the vodka stepped in. But Vodka that was more flexible back then is tending to slide down today because what's going back up is of course whiskey. Now what's important is what's inside the bottle because it's no longer Scotch, but different types of Whiskey. Also now a tiny tea spoon of water in the Whiskey can change the whole taste but back then, whiskey was whiskey, and this brought a whole generation of women that thought about sticking to their wine and staying away from the strong taste of whiskey.