We talk whisky, refined palates, and talking to the open road with Dr Nick Savage, the jetset master distiller of the Scottish lowland whisky distillery Bladnoch.
With his passion for whisky and his PhD in engineering, Dr Nick Savage has brought a refreshed approach to one of Scotland’s oldest operating distilleries. The former master distiller for The Macallan, where he was instrumental in launching the brand’s new distillery, at Bladnoch, he is helping new Australian owner David Prior shed light on a leading figure in the Lowlands whisky scene, introducing whisky lovers around the world to its unique drams. We caught up with him during a whirlwind visit to the Fragrant Harbour.
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What motivated your recent trip to Hong Kong, and how do you see the whisky culture evolving in that region?
The recent “world tour” was motivated by our partners in the market having established some great groundwork for the brand and the desire to then bolster these efforts with a visit from myself. This particular tour started in Hong Kong, and although it was my first time, I couldn’t imagine a better place to start the journey.
Hong Kong is one of the more mature and established whisky-drinking markets, and the understanding of how Scotch is both made and consumed is excellent. There’s a definite movement by most to actually drink for enjoyment and finding the right-tasting whisky rather than simply drinking by age or brand affiliation, which for me is a clear demonstration of a mature market consumer.
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How would you describe the palates of Hong Kong whisky lovers?
I would say they are well-developed and mature. There’s a lot of whisky experience in Hong Kong and there’s also a thirst for knowledge on the production of whisky along with great appreciation for the history of the industry. I don’t really look for understanding specific palates with regards to whisky, because no matter where I go I find we’re all the same and the diversity in the population is always consistent. Some people like sweet, some like savoury, some spice, some umami. It’s an even distribution no matter where you travel. Observing how similar we are always makes me smile and hopeful.
How difficult was the move from The Macallan, a world-recognised brand, to a lesser-known yet historic distillery?
Although Bladnoch was established in 1817 and is the oldest privately owned Scotch whisky distillery in the world, I like to describe it as a brand new 208-year-old distillery. It has been revived by our owner David Prior, who purchased the distillery in 2015 and undertook a significant renovation, opening our visitor centre in 2019, the same year I joined the team.
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We have an incredible treasure chest of casks maturing in the distillery’s bluestone warehouses to draw on to craft our whiskies, combined with a truly innovative and entrepreneurial ethos under David’s ownership. This gives us the freedom to take a taste-first approach to whisky-making to provide an extraordinary range of whisky experiences rather than being constrained by whisky tradition.
I learned a lot from my time at The Macallan, as well as at Diageo and William Grant, and having the opportunity to roll all that up to deliver with a blank sheet of paper was a little unnerving to start with but exciting at the same time. A lot said I was crazy to leave The Macallan, but for me, you shouldn’t stay comfortable. Challenge yourself constantly and keep learning. If it all fell over tomorrow, I’d say, “Well, at least we took a chance and went for it!”
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As a master distiller with extensive experience, what are some of your favourite whisky bars from around the world?
Generally, I don’t recall specific bar names but the feel of bar and drinking cultures. Hong Kong, for example, has what I would refer to as an “appreciative” whisky culture, and the bars respect the whiskies in the serving and drinking experience, similar to Japanese bars. The US, for example, similar to the UK, would have bars and drinking cultures that are far more relaxed. While in Hong Kong, you can have a 30-year-old whisky in a high-end luxury bar, you can have the same 30-year-old dram served with the same respect in an outdoor bar playing bingo in the middle of Houston. Both cultures resect the whisky but in very different ways. And I love that.
In your opinion, how does the Asian whisky scene compare to traditional markets, and what unique qualities do you think it brings to the global whisky narrative?
In general, I would say the Asia whisky scene is respectful. It honours traditions and is respectful of how the quality of a whisky is arrived at and not just the final product. It really mirrors Scotch whisky making, whereby you need to respect your history, take inspiration from it to progress the right innovations and leave it as best as you can for the next generation to have their adventure. Asia may be “neon heavy”, but underneath, everything is built upon great tradition and respect.
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How have your travels influenced your approach to whisky-making at Bladnoch, particularly in terms of blending different cultural styles and traditions?
Observing that we’re all the same regardless of where we live shows that diversity is consistent throughout all populations. I try to bring that to whisky-making and deliver a “taste first” approach, with the vision of a whisky for everyone within Bladnoch’s range. Pulling flavours together to hit specific palate preferences and experiences is the most important thing to me, and this really does translate to a global audience.
No matter where I travel, the range of Bladnoch whiskies is always evenly appreciated by people, and generally, no one product is really preferred over another, which, for me, means our philosophy of “taste first” is pretty good
Whisky often pairs with cuisine, especially in Asia. What flavour combinations would you recommend for the Bladnoch range?
Bladnoch’s range is deliberately diverse and lends itself to multiple pairings. Two classics for me would be a sweet apple and floral Bladnoch Vinaya combined with a light and delicate fish dish to amplify everything; and for a ribeye steak (medium rare, because every other way should be illegal!), I’d pair an amazing Bladnoch 16-year-old Oloroso sherry cask matured. Similar to a red wine pairing, the 16-year-old whisky adds some richness with dried fruits, so the steak should melt and be amplified
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How is the Scotch whisky scene evolving globally?
In a single word, knowledge. I think the days of “buy it because it’s old” or “buy it because my nose is insured for £5m so just trust me” are leaving us. Everyone everywhere wants to know more about whisky-making and production and find whiskies that resonate with them from a flavour perspective but also with ethos and integrity.
Bladnoch has a straightforward way of talking about whisky, and the more I’ve travelled, the more I realise this really resonates with people. They respect it and appreciate it, and I see this as the future. Coming from Sheffield, maybe I’m more straightforward than most, but I’m always respectful of it. The well-known saying “You can please some of the people, some of the time” always springs to mind at that point.
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Can you share some insights about how your travels have played a role in the revival of the Bladnoch brand and the vision you have for its future?
The personal stories of Bladnoch I hear when I travel are, I think, the most meaningful part of the revival of the brand. Working day to day at the distillery is hard work, and we don’t really see the impact we have globally.
Impacting our local community is amazing, but when I have someone come up to me, shake my hand and tell me their story of how they shared a dram of Bladnoch Samsara with their Dad to celebrate their recovery from cancer treatment and how much the whisky now means to them is amazing. Or people travelling four hours in Korea to show they have the full Bladnoch Waterfall Collection (our distillery exclusive range), really shows how much our whisky means to people.
And I always make a point of sharing these stories with the team when I come back to the distillery to put into context what their whisky means to people around the world. That really does ignite the passion for whisky-making at Bladnoch!
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