Page 18 - IWSCReport2017

lifetime achievement
Sponsor: Glenmorangie
In 1843, William Matheson founded the Glenmorangie Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. Inspired by the distillery’s peaceful surroundings on the banks of the Dornoch Firth, we pursue our craft with uncompromising dedication – endlessly creative in our quest for perfection. To this day, we honour the distillery’s provenance in our award- winning single malt whiskies. Our smooth yet complex spirit is distilled
in Scotland’s tallest stills, matured in the finest casks and perfected by The Men of Tain.
CONTACT: The Glenmorangie Company Ltd, The Cube, 45 Leith Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3AT
Tel: +44 (0)131 603 8888.
Email: website@glenmorangie.co.uk
A LIFE’S work
In 2016, The Dalmore master blender Richard Paterson marked five decades in the Scotch whisky industry
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT:
RICHARD PATERSON
This year the IWSC chose to honour a man who in 2016 marked 50 years in the Scotch whisky industry – The Dalmore’s master blender Richard Paterson.
Growing up around Scotch whisky, Paterson got a ‘nose’ for whisky when he was just eight years old, when his father took over the family’s specialist blending, bottling and brokerage company. He began his own whisky career in 1966, when, at 16, he became general production assistant at A. Gilles & Company Whisky Blender & Brokers in Glasgow, before moving to Whyte & Mackay. When he was 26, Paterson was promoted to the position of master blender, later transitioning to become master blender at the Whyte & Mackay- owned brand The Dalmore.
To mark five decades in the whisky trade, Paterson embarked upon an 18- month world tour in 2016, which is seeing him host a series of tastings worldwide showcasing a selection of bottles including The Dalmore Paterson Collection and the recently released The
Dalmore Quintessence. As part of the celebrations, the distiller also released The Dalmore 50-year-old Single Malt, finished in Domaine Henri Giraud Champagne casks, marking half a century of Paterson’s “pioneering whisky-making”. In particular, he is known for his work in the art of multi-cask maturation and finishing, which led to releases such as The Dalmore King Alexander III – the first single malt whisky to undergo a six-cask finish in ex-wine, Port, Sherry, Madeira, Bourbon and Marsala vessels. The Dalmore 50-year-old meanwhile was matured in American white oak, Matusalem oloroso Sherry casks and Port Colheita pipes, before undertaking a “final finesse” for 50 days in Domaine Henri Giraud Champagne casks.
“The past 50 years have flown by, and I am so proud of what I have achieved in the industry,” said Paterson of the milestone. “My time with The Dalmore has provided me with some of my fondest moments. The chance to create and work with the world’s oldest and rarest malts has been an absolute privilege.”
Paterson’s gift for discerning the
structure of whisky on smell alone has also earned him the title of ‘The Nose’. A writer in his spare time, in 2008 Paterson published his first book, Goodness Nose – The Passionate Revelations of a Scotch Whisky Master Blender, in which he reveals some of the secrets of his craft and thoughts on where the industry is heading. When he’s not making whisky, Paterson is also a diploma lecturer for Scotch whisky at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London.
Praising his contribution to the industry, a spokesperson for The Dalmore said: “As the creative force behind some of the most iconic and innovative releases in the world, Richard’s passion, expertise and artistry have seen him pioneer the art of maturation and cask finishing which has been instrumental to the success of The Dalmore.” db
17