Spirit of Craft Awards return for 2025 - TimeforWhisky.com interviews two winners

Last August we post about Asia's new Spirits Awards focusing on smaller producers around the world - "Spirit of Craft Awards", launched in January 2024. At the time, we interviewed a number of the winners to learn about their fascinating journeys in distilling and marketing whisky..

With the 2nd edition of the Awards coming up (with entries closing in just a few days) we thought it would be fun to re-visit some of the winners and ask them some questions specifically about the market in Asia. Tania Unsworth (Co-Founder of Seekers Independent Spirits) and Allison Renfrew (Head of Marketing for Isle of Raasay) were good enough to answer our questions

1) How do you see / approach the broader market in Asia - and have you seen any shifts since the first awards? Are there any particular Asian markets you’re focusing on in the future?

Seekers Spirits: Asia is an incredibly dynamic and exciting region for craft spirits. There’s a growing appreciation for high-quality, locally produced spirits, driven by a younger, more adventurous consumer base that values both authenticity and sustainability. We’ve always taken a region-first approach, focusing on flavors and ingredients that resonate with Asian palates while ensuring that our products meet international quality standards.

SOCraft Awards launched at a time where there’s more curiosity and confidence in homegrown brands. Asian consumers and bartenders are increasingly looking for spirits that have a real sense of place rather than defaulting to imported brands. This plays to our strengths, as our spirits, from Seekers Mekong Dry Gin to Jason Kong Butterfly Gin, highlight regional botanicals and flavors. Looking ahead, we’re particularly focused on growing our market share in Thailand and Vietnam, where craft spirits are really gaining traction. At the same time, we’re looking to establish strong distribution partnerships in Singapore and Hong Kong, both of which have world-class cocktail scenes.

Isle of Raasay: Asia is an exciting and rapidly evolving market, it offers a broad and diverse landscape of tastes, preferences, and cultures that provide great opportunities for Raasay Distillery. The growth of craft spirits and whisky culture in Asia, especially among younger, more discerning drinkers, has been a key development we’ve observed. SOCraft was a fantastic platform for showcasing our whisky and is a real credit to the hard work from our dedicated team on Raasay. The positive reception of this award has helped build awareness with consumers and we have found that awards like this really grab people's interest to try and explore new brands. Looking ahead, we’re working closely with markets like Japan and Southeast Asia. Interestingly, we will be attending our first whisky show in Singapore this year which we are really looking forward to.

2) What’s some advice you could give for brands looking to get into Asia, or specific markets in Asia?

Seekers Spirits: Absolutely. Asia is not a single, homogenous market—it’s a complex mix of cultures, drinking preferences, and regulatory environments. My main advice would be to take the time to understand each market individually. What works in Singapore may not work in Cambodia or Japan. Find strong local partners who understand the trade Platforms like SOCraft are invaluable because they provide validation, exposure, and access to industry professionals who are genuinely passionate about craft spirits. Winning an award at SOCraft isn’t just about a medal—it’s a signal to bartenders, distributors, and consumers that your product meets a high standard. The media visibility that comes with it also helps open doors to new markets.

Isle of Raasay: Entering the Asian market requires patience, cultural understanding, and an adaptable strategy. My advice would be to first do thorough market research to understand the local drinking habits, trends, and regulatory requirements for your category. Each country has its own preferences and unique challenges. For example, Japan has an established whisky tradition, whereas Southeast Asia may have a more experimental consumer base. Brands should prioritise building relationships with local distributors, bars, and restaurants, as these partnerships are critical to getting your product in front of the right audience. Networking with local influencers, industry professionals, and participating in events like SOCraft are great ways to introduce your brand, establish credibility, and create long-term connections.  SOCraft has helped us showcase our whiskies quality and credentials, so I would recommend it.

3) How do you balance between addressing the needs of customers looking to use your spirits in cocktails, against those looking to drink neat / straight? In terms of promotion, events, working with on-premise etc..?

Seekers Spirits: For us, it’s about versatility without compromise. We design our spirits to work beautifully in cocktails while still standing strong on their own. For example, Seekers Mekong Coffee Liqueur has enough depth and complexity to be sipped neat but also integrates perfectly into an Espresso Martini. Our wood-finished Mekong Gold Gin, works beautifully as a whiskey substitute in traditionally whisky based cocktails, but is exceptionally smooth and complex and can be enjoyed just on the rocks. When it comes to promotion, we work closely with bartenders to showcase the versatility of our range. We host masterclasses, tasting events, and brand collaborations that highlight the full potential of our spirits.

At bars and restaurants, we encourage venues to include a range of serves, ensuring different consumer preferences are catered to.

Isle of Raasay: At Isle of Raasay Distillery our aim is to make whisky consumption enjoyable and accessible to all, so showing variety of ways to consume allows us to do so. We primarily focus on enjoying the whisky neat but at events and on-premise we have the opportunity to be creative in the serves. For example, we recommend trying a Draamhattan which uses our Isle of Raasay Single Malt, The Draam instead of american whiskey. For those who prefer to drink our spirits neat or straight, we emphasize the quality, craftsmanship, and distinctive flavour profiles of our whiskies, highlighting our unique distillation process of using peated and unpeated spirit.

For the on-premise, we work closely with bars and restaurants, and provide training and support for staff on how to best use our products in mixed drinks. At events, we like to offer tastings that reflect who we are as a brand. We like to bring fun and engagement into the learning experience.

4) What has winning your award(s) last year meant for your brand?

Seekers Spirits: Winning at SOCraft was a great moment for us. It reinforced that what we’re doing—both in terms of liquid quality and sustainable production—is resonating with the industry. The recognition helped us build credibility in key markets, opening up conversations with distributors and bars that might not have been familiar with Seekers before.

It also validated our approach to craft spirits in Asia. We believe that local production, premium ingredients, and sustainable sourcing can compete at an international level, and the SOCraft awards proved that. It’s given us even more motivation to push forward, continue innovating, and showcase what Asia has to offer to the world of spirits.

Isle of Raasay: Winning the SOCraft award last year was an incredible recognition for Raasay Distillery. It validated the hard work and passion we put into every bottle, and it gave us increased credibility in a competitive market. It reinforced that we are producing something special, and we are very proud of that.

Many thanks to Tania & Allison for taking the time to answer our questions, and to the team at Foodnews Singapore for making the interview happen!

Cheers,

Martin.

Westward - getting to know Miles Munroe, Lead Distiller (Tasted #449)

Launching last month in Australia is a new single malt 'whiskey' from the Portland, Oregon. Well known for its hipster and craft culture, it is no surprise to see a craft single malt whiskey borne out of one of the most diverse, food-centric city in the United States. As a category, American single malts are still uncommon as compared to its bourbon brethren though the category is growing, riding on the wave of the boom in scotch and new world single malt whiskies globally. According to International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR), the American single malts category grew 131% from 2014 through to 2017 which is a significant growth over a mere three years.

Craft distillation is also growing at a staggering rate in United States with different distillers driving a range of innovations to mold and shape the quality of their whisky. Miles Munroe, Westward Lead Distiller told us that Westward, like others, are continuing to explore various innovative techniques and have been given the freedom and flexibility through which they can do this in. Their latest bottling, Westward Stout Cask Finish is a result of a collaboration between Westward and various local breweries and he is also exploring cask finishes and other ways to alter the farm to table approach so as to influence the overall profile of the final whisky.

Those with keen eyes may have picked up that Westward has actually been in existence for some time. In fact, Westward has been making whiskey since Christian Krogstad, Founder of Westward founded House Spirits 15 years ago. Though the focus significantly changed in 2015 when, under the direction of current CEO and co-owner Thomas Mooney, Westward built its current Portland, Oregon distillery. Westward became the largest independent distiller of American single malt whiskey with a daily production quota of around 3,000 gallons of pale ale whiskey wash. Prior, releases have been single barrels and in smaller quantity. Facing the same challenges as smaller Australian distilleries, there was never enough barrels mature enough to blend and to supply the local and global markets. This all changed when production ramped up with the new Portland distillery.

Embracing the "farm to table, grain to glass" phenomenon worldwide, Westward is brewed and distilled using locally malted Pacific Northwest barley and ale yeast. The style takes inspiration from Portland's craft brewing culture and in fact, if you research Westward notes, it has often been said that Westward does exhibit beer like profile which makes it quite distinct though may detract some from the product. The production sees Westward double pot distilled and matured in American Oak newly charred barrels for a couple of years before being mingled in batches and bottled at 45% ABV (the ABV has remained the same since its single barrel days).

In September last year, Westward, shared similar news to another distillery with a similar name, Starward - they announced a strategic investment from Diageo via Distill Ventures; Diageo's independent spirits accelerator entity. The investment has accelerated investment in the brand, enabled capacity expansion by around 40% and allow Westward to meet its growing demand.

I sat down with Miles Munroe last month to hear more from him on the brand and what we can expect.

1. How did you become the Lead Distiller for Westward? 

As a bit of history, I've got a biology background but really I wasn' using it that much until I started managing this whisky bar in Kansas City, Missouri at the top floor of this ancient steakhouse, a classic roost there. I was given an opportunity to work with lots of single malt whiskies that I have never come across. 

Growing up in the states it was bourbon and if you wanted something nice, it was small batch bourbon so it was exciting to experience this massive collection so I decided to taste my way through. 

That's when I had this epiphany, it was something that I wanted to get involved with, to create and be part of. What struck me the most about single malt was its variability. Not only from region to region but from producer to producer, you can sense their style, technique and it's something I've ever experienced with whisky before. The whole thing actually started with Edradour, back in 2005. 

There was a lot kicking around at the time and I had this realisation on the limitless possibilities in the way you can modify barley during the malting process and how it can be handled in different ways. There are really limitless ways to create just from the one raw material. Growing up in the states, there's a lot of corn whisky and it's not something that really featured in the final spirit and this contrasts with barley where it does feature in the final spirit. That was what really kicked it off. 

The journey with Westward started when I became a brewer, going to tasting, eventually hosting tasting, talking to any brand ambassadors, reps I could find. I was reading this quote, essentially a good single malt is a beer first. If I wanted to be a great single malt maker and have something to contribute to the world of single malt,  I should become a brewer first, understand fermentation at that level, understand the nuances of the different yeast strains and what those can do as far as flavour profiles go. I went to Portland and studied at the American Brewers Guild and studied Brewing Science and Engineering and became a brewer. But the intention has always to get to distillation, single malt specifically. 

I brewed beers for a few years in Portland and worked for some great craft breweries. The idea was to brew in Portland for a while then move to Scotland, potentially Japan. But in the meantime, I started to hear about Westward. Whispers around town was about this distillery that was starting a single malt label. So obviously I was immediately fascinated and I started knocking on their door and bugging them about it and eventually I was brought on. 

It was an interesting time for Westward, they were just starting to build up the stock so they've started to bottle these half bottles, single barrel, half bottles, it was what was available at the time because we had do one barrel at a time. It wasn't an exvluexcl thing, it was what was there. 

When I was hired in March 2013, they actually hadn't turned the whisky still on since the previous October. I was brought on because of my brewing experience to help develop the flavour profile of Westward a bit more and actually produce a lot more of the spirit. At the time I was the only Production Distiller and there was a Distiller that hired me on but he had to take on operation duties so it was just me and the stills. I had no idea whether it was going to work. The Distiller that brought me on was an ex brewer, the founder, Christian Krogstad, was also an ex brewer so I knew I was in good hands. 

2. The number one challenge facing Australian whisky is the lack of supply. What are the biggest challenges you're facing at the moment? 

The first bottlings were put out six months before I was hired on. It wasn't very well known but for people that spotted it, it attracted an influx of collectors thinking it was a very exclusive thing but in fact it was our (limited) supply so we had to raise the price, almost to an absurd amount to slow down people from snatching it all up. 

We were conscious of that from the beginning, your supply needs to meet demand from the market. That's tough with whisky when you're not sourcing the spirit and when you're making it from scratch, grain to glass, that takes time, that takes money, takes patience and so I don't think we were ever short in supply as we never had overreach but over the six years that I've been there, we had fits and starts. There have been a few times where we had overreach a little bit here and there. 

I'm very thankful that I've always been trusted with the final say on when the whisky is ready. Even when we were trying to grow a little more in certain markets, in certain ways, it was up to me to decide when it was actually going to hit the bottle. Which I think is also a rarity, especially when you're talking about putting all this money into this product that just has to sit there and take time without a whole lot of revenue, without return on investment but I'm privileged to be in that position to have the final say.

On the contrary, we have also had other issue growing up as a distillery, there's this funny role reversal recently. In 2015, we built a distillery that was designed specifically to make a lot more of Westward. It was great to grow and design this facility the way we want to. The Director and I studied at the same Brewing School and we studied how to grow a distillery, the logistic and it was great to sit down and plot your dream distillery. We moved into there and started hiring more Distillers and we grew from about 4-6 barrels of whisky a month to 20 barrels a week, huge expansion. But that stock wasn't going to be ready for more years. Fast forward to early this year, there's almost a role reversal now where the stocks have been maturing for around 3 years and as of the last few months the view have changed from "when's the whisky ready, when's the whisky ready, please package more" to now where we are opening the floodgates. 

3. What do you think will be the next big thing on the whisky scene? and the American whiskey scene? 

I know what we would like to see people become more savvy, to rid of this stigma against blended whisky. In the US, we associate blended whisky with cheap Canadian whisky. There's demerit there. 

But I love what the Japanese have been doing for years now. It would be amazing to see more craft blended whisky in that (Japanese) style, some triple aged grain spirit with great old malt which makes some fantastic whisky. Because I think that's something that people, at least in the states tend to baulk at, we have access to so much whiskies and at such a low price. You can try something else, craft whiskies at a bit higher price but people get put off by it 

As far as the trend goes, and once people become familiar and shake off the idea that more age is better quality, they can then enjoy younger whisky. We are also featuring more of the raw material aspect and not age the whisky too much otherwise various elements will disappear. To see more blended style, make it more approachable, great entry whisky and you can bring the price down 

4. Without giving away any secrets, what are some of the styles or trends we might expect over the next couple of years? More finishing, more multi-cask bottlings, more single cask bottlings etc? 

We built this new distillery to build our core, our flagship. It's a lot of work to make that consistently at our scale. We get creative here and there. We're also Distillers, ex-Brewers and always keen to try something new. A couple of weeks ago we tried stout cask finish. 

We're also developing a partnership with a brewery in Oregon, Deschutes, to make a lot more of the stout cask finish bottlings. I'll be sending a couple hundred of recently empty barrels to them where they age the stock and they'll send back and as a second expression, get it outside the states and eventually outside the country and I'd love to send it here. 

Portland is in the Willamette Valley which is known for its Pinot Noir, excellent, excellent Pinot Noir and so there's plenty of winemakers and they also want to give us some of their barrels too and in the spirit of new world whisky and in the spirit of American single malt. Rather than putting our whisky in sherry or port, why not put our whisky in a local winery that is more renown. 

I find younger whisky responds a little better and again, we're so careful to not want to over oak or mask any of those grain and fermentation flavours that something a little less assertive than a sherry, something like pinot noir barrel elements, it's got a nice light toast on it, I think pairs perfectly with whisky and allow attributes to shine through without stepping all over it, like sherry flavoured whisky. we're doing some finish with some pinot 

We've also experimented here and there with 10% malted rye, 30% midnight wheat, just to see what comes out. 

As brewers, we have an idea of what the mash and fermentation are going to be like and we have a pretty good idea of what the new make is going to be like. 

We have been collaborating with other brewers around the city and around the states where we actually invite them and sit down with them to drink our whisky and rink their beer and we talk about what beer would make a good single malt. 

5. You've been with Westward, since 2013. If you had to pick one highlight moment, one moment that made you proud, what would it be? 

Highlights, I think, I have to say, the biggest highlight for me was being a part of the team to plan out and plot the new facility. Getting in there was exciting but our hands were tied financially, equipment wise, capacity - so being able to build the new facility ground up, that was incredibly exciting!

Here are my notes on the new Westward 'blended' single malt whiskey:

Westward 700mL (45% ABV, NAS, Blend, Portland, Oregon, A$129)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colour: Bronze

Nose: The nose is striking, rich and sharp - you can smell a bit of beer here. Honey, molasses, treacle, cinnamon scroll, oak, caramel, vanilla, orange peel, mint

Palate: The palate is soft and light with growing orange citrus note, peppermint, dark chocolate butterscotch followed by cinnamon and black pepper,

Finish:  The finish is drying, waxing, there is a subtle herbal note that  slowly disappears leaving a trickle of, fresh peppermint

Rating (on Hendy's very non-scientific scale): 91/100

Westward makes its Australian debut via an exclusive partnership with Baranows Emporium, a premium spirits distributor that has been behind the rollout of brands including Diplomatico rum, Monkey 47 gin (prior to the Pernod-Ricard takeover), and Tapatio tequila.

Thanks to Miles Munroe for travelling all the way down to Australia and sharing his stories with us. I'd also like to thank Margo Jamieson from House Spirits, the team from Barranows for inviting us.

Cheers,
Hendy.

Glenfiddich Artists in Residence and interview with Lead Curator, Andy Fairgrieve

Last month, the 2015 Sydney Contemporary International Art Fair was held over five days at Carriageworks, south east of the CBD. The fair presented curated arts and collections from various local and international galleries, showcasing contemporary artefacts from photographs, sculptures, paintings, prints to modern, dynamic audio-visual animations and installations.

 

There were many artefacts being exhibited - in fact, over 30,000 artefacts were being exhibited at the fair, also available for sale (for the right price). Personally, two striking highlights for me were the Golden Teardrop (Pyramid) by Arin Rungjang (above) and the MDF and LED installations by Jason Sims of Mars Galleries (below).

 

"...so what does this have to do with Whisky?" we hear you ask. Well, Glenfiddich was also present at the 'Fair' to host both a swanky bar, and also the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Competition. 

The Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Competition first began in Scotland in 2002 and opened to Australian residents for the first time this year. The competition provides the winning artist with the opportunity to reside at the Glenfiddich distillery for 3 months, to be inspired and to be mentored by the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Curator, Andy Fairgrieve.

A panel of judges led by Andy that included representations from the Sydney Contemporary International Art Fair Advisory Council was tasked with selecting the winner of the competition. As we highlighted in our recent This Week in Whisky post, dual Blackheath and Bondi resident Joan Ross was selected by the panel as the winner of the competition for her work titled 'I Have Your Cake and I'm Eating it too' (pictured below).

We spoke to Andy Fairgrieve about the competition, and the development of the Artists in Residence program by Glenfiddich.

Can you please briefly describe how you fell in love or how you managed to get involved with contemporary art?

My arts background is not exactly orthodox, I did spend a good few years after school working as a layout artist on magazines for a large publishing company in Dundee, but I have spent as many years working on farms and as a self employed building contractor. My last job before joining Glenfiddich was working at a historical interpretation centre covering the pre history of North east Scotland from late Mesolithic to early Roman period. I have a Masters degree in cultural history and I play drums in a punk band, I like things that make me think.

My road into the world of whisky and contemporary art might have been pretty random but then it is a very unique role overseeing the creation of new art at a working distillery so understanding of the creative process as well as the practical skill to make it happen are important factors.

How did you get involved with the Glenfiddich Artist in Residence program? Looking back, is the program anything like what you had expected at the start?

While I was studying at Aberdeen University I took a summer job at Duff House in the coastal town of Banff, which is home to a large historical collection of art and serves as a northern outpost of the Scottish National Galleries in Edinburgh. It also has a wing dedicated to touring exhibitions of contemporary art. This led to further part time work with a local art organisation called Deveron Arts based in Huntly, who in turn were given the consultancy to run the Glenfiddich programme when it was being set up in 2002. Given the programme was initially only to run as a pilot for the first year, the fact that it is still going strong and entering its 15th year is almost beyond any expectation!

What inspired the development of the Artist in Residence program by Glenfiddich?

The inspiration and indeed continued appetite for the residency programme is rooted in the fact that Glenfiddich is a family owned and run company. It was our late chairman Charles Gordon who first suggested that William Grant and Sons should look to build a collection of art and it was his nephew Peter Gordon who refined the idea of the residency programme.

They chose to take on all the built in challenges of engaging with artists directly by inviting them to live and work at The Glenfiddich Distillery. These artists would be not be producing the type of art that might be expected for a Single Malt Whisky Brand - i.e. traditional heather and weather, were both incredibly bold choices and are what makes this programme so exciting and dynamic. This confidence is continued through in that the programme is non prescriptive in what should be produced. At Glenfiddich we aim not just to provide time and space to artists but freedom as well.

From your experience in mentoring many artists through the Dufftown Distillery doors since the Residence began, what messages can you share with potential artists out there or those that simply love contemporary art?

Embrace experience and embrace it often.

What can we expect from the upcoming Glenfiddich Artist in Residence exhibitions across Scotland, India, China Taiwan, Canada and Korea?

The weekend will see the final exhibition of the summer at Glenfiddich; one of the two artists exhibiting is Krupa Makhija who has been collecting what she terms as architectural trash from Balvenie House, which at one time was home to William Grant and his family. It is now a derelict shell but will remain so for not much longer as a major renovation project has just begun to restore it to its former glory.

Krupa has managed to salvage some artefacts such as light fittings and bell pulls which will be worked into an installation alongside fragments of old photographs showing the house and its inhabitants reproduced on chunks of plaster from the wall of the house itself. Krupa shall also be showing works in her first solo show at Art District 13 in Delhi next summer as the follow up to her time at Glenfiddich. 

In early November Su Chang shall be exhibiting works inspired and informed from his summer here at Glenfiddich at the Don Gallery in Shanghai, and the following weekend in Taipei Chang Huei-ming opens his post residency exhibition at IT Park.

Finally, with all the lovely Glenfiddich expressions that you have sampled, any expression you prefer, and why?

For me it has to be the Glenfiddich 15 year old, the rich fruit and honey notes from the sherry butts it is matured in is enriched through our solar process which just finishes all the warm flavours off perfectly.

Thanks to Andy for taking the time to talk to us. As Andy noted, "embrace experience and embrace it often".

Cheers,
Hendy

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Teresa of Agent 99 for arranging this Q&A with Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Curator, Andy Fairgrieve.

Whisky interview #1: Sam Simmons - The Balvenie's global brand ambassador (aka Dr Whisky)

As mentioned a few weeks ago, Steph and I were fortunate enough to attend a brilliantly fun dinner with Dr Sam Simmons (aka Dr Whisky), The Balvenie's global brand ambassador.

Despite a jam-packed schedule (and no doubt some horrible jetlag), Sam, a genuinely nice bloke, was kind enough to sit down for an interview, and answer some further follow-up questions via e-mail.

(Please excuse the seedy Mo on the left - solely there for the month
of Movember)

Favourite part of your (short) visit in Sydney?
I wish I could have stayed longer as I had a great, if incredibly busy, time and barely scratched the surface of this great city. Memorable moment was playing AC/DC pinball with a slice of pizza and a Monkey Shoulder and ginger ale at Frankie's.

You've had a variety of whisky roles, but was an ambassadorial role always the plan/aspiration?
I had no idea such a job existed (talking about whisky for a living? SERIOUSLY?) so when a few opportunities presented themselves in 2008 I was a good mix of excited and terrified. Everyone who gets into whisky becomes an ambassador and I suppose I have been an ambassador from the beginning: sharing drams with folks, reading about the stuff, telling others about some new great whisky I tried or distillery I visited, hosting tastings, etc. Do something love (or something you'd do anyway) and you'll never work a day in your life, right?

In your experience are there any differences in how whisky drinkers differ in how they enjoy their whisky between UK, Canada and Australia?
Ah, the empire, the pink parts of the map. In Canada, most provinces strictly control the sale of alcohol and in Australia taxation keeps malt out of reach for many, so there is a parallel there in that there is an unfortunate economic barrier for most discerning drinkers. In Scotland, it was easy to experiment and try new whiskies, all my favourite pubs would have a malt of the week or malt of the month for about £2 so it was easily accessible and actually consumed by the patrons of the bar male/female/old/young, not just the tweeded elderly men. In all three of these countries there is a respect for Scotch whisky, often by some connection through family ties to Scotland, but we've been fortunate in these countries to have whisky for decades. Because of this there are plenty of inherited stereotypes, rules and myths but the blooming local malt distilling movements are, I think, shaking these shackles off and allowing whisky to be enjoyed by whoever, however and wherever we damn well please.

If you had to pick one whisky for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Doublewood 12?)
DoubleWood 12yo has always been a favourite, in any mood, long before I worked with the distillery. The whiskies I tend to empty (and replace) at home include DoubleWood, Johnnie Walker Black, Lagavulin 16, Aberlour A'bunadh and Compass Box Spice Tree.

What's one whisky that has really surprised you - either in a good way or bad?
Bain's from South Africa. Grain whisky that is as clean and fresh as it is complex and balanced. Lovely stuff. While in Oz, I really liked Starward (Victoria, Aus) and Overeem Port cask (Old Hobart's Distillery, Tasmania) and didn't necessarily expect to.

Lastly what's one whisky trend you think will take off / continue to grow in 2014? (Eg more cask strength bottlings, more NAS whiskies, more independent bottlers, something else entirely?)
NAS is just finding its legs and I think we'll see more next year before whisky companies can really assess whether the whisky consumer will continue to buy whiskies without age statements.

The independent bottler has a tough future, I think, so while I don't think we'll see a boom in more bottlers, distilleries will become more experimental in their releases to satisfy this thirst. So while The Balvenie is still the only distillery that has a core range of single casks, I think we'll see more and more proprietary limited or single cask offerings.

I think "new world" whiskies have great momentum right now, and you could really sense that when I was in Australia. Bars stocked local whisky and a lot of the stuff I tried was actually very good. I don't think it can replace Scotch whisky in the throats of the world but there is plenty of room for the new and unusual dram from down under, the great white north, the land of the rising sun, or Vikingland on the bars of the whisky enthusiast.

Another huge thanks to Sam for giving up his time to answer our questions, and entertain us during his time in Australia. Sláinte!

Cheers,

 - Martin.