10/03/2023
Chapter 9
A chat with... Dave Worthington (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) - #5
If your whisky journey is quite advanced, and you have already moved into the more refined world of the Independent Bottlings, you definitely already know That Boutique-y Whisky Company.
Owned by ATOM Group, the company behind the already successful Master of Malt (see side mention), TBWC is a sister company, established in 2012. TBWC bottles limited edition whiskies from a variety of renowned distilleries all around the world as well as producing delicious blends. Their whiskies are 50ml bottles adorned with colourful graphic novel-style labels that I had already presented in my article regarding ‘The art of whisky labelling’ (Chapter 4).
I had the pleasure to learn more about TBWC chatting with Dave, originally an engineer, now their Global Brand Ambassador.
Let’s see what they told us…
Hi Dave, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Please introduce yourself, and tell us a little bit about your whisky journey so far.
Hello, I’m Dave Worthington, Global Brand Ambassador for That Boutique-y Whisky Company, all round whisky geek, and part time bread baker (no not sourdough, but I do have a ‘backset dough’ named Ethelbread).
I run on coffee, marmite soldiers, and emergency olives.
I come from an engineering background, and started my working life as a shipbuilding apprentice on the South Coast. I’ve built ships on the Solent, and yachts in the Far East.
When I returned to the UK from the Far East, I spent ten years in yacht steering, visiting most of the major yachtbuilders in the Northern hemisphere during that time. I fell in love with whisky after being introduced to it by my Sales Manager in my engineering life, and was fascinated by what I had tasted, and had that ‘moment’ that changed the course of my life.
I started a little whisky blog called ‘Whisky Discovery’. My eldest daughter started writing with me, too. We started attending whisky shows, trying to learn as much as we could. We started a Whisky Club in Bedford, and we put on tastings.
We would bring together a tasting flight, a theme of six to seven whiskies, and would work with a local hotel and restaurant for the venue and food, for our whisky and food nights.
One thing led to another, and we’ve both gone on to work in the whisky industry full time. My eldest daughter is the UK Sales Manager for the Nc’Nean Distillery. (Proud Dad moment)
When and how did you join this growing industry?
I guess, it was really the classic case of right place, right time. We (my daughter and I) had been attending whisky shows up and down the county, and had been helping out a stand whenever somebody needed a hand, whether it was for a full show, or just a couple of hours while the stand holder went to host a masterclass. We worked with Balcones, and Wemyss Malts at Whisky Live London, as well as some other events, and stood in for a number of other brands for short stints.
It was coming up to Whisky Live London, 2016, and I called a few companies asking if they needed a hand. Maverick Drinks responded with a “Yes please.”,and we worked with That Boutique-y Whisky that weekend. A few days later, they called me up and asked if I would be able to work a whisky festival, on my own, in Bristol for the brand. Of course I said yes.
After a successful weekend in Bristol, I was given a long list of commitments for that year; whisky festivals up and down the country, and was asked which ones I couldn’t do. I told them that I could commit to them all, and was ‘signed up’ to represent That Boutique-y Whisky. They also asked my daughter if she would represent the American craft whiskey brands they were looking after at that time.
Towards the end of that year, I was asked if I would be interested in taking on the brand ambassador role full time. An offer I really couldn’t refuse! I still pinch myself every day that I’ve been given this opportunity.
Now tell us a bit more about That Boutique-y Whisky Company, what is it that makes it stand out in the whisky industry?
That Boutique-y Whisky Company is an award-winning blender and independent bottler of delicious whiskies. Like most independent bottlers, we are not distillers, but curators of select casks from across Scotland. But unlike most independent bottlers, our partners go beyond just Scotland and we seek out whiskies and other spirits from warehouses across the world. We are passionate whisky (and other spirits) lovers who have spent the past decade bringing the best the world has to offer to fine spirits drinkers around the world and our latest endeavour (Return to Oz) is a continuation of that mission.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company entered the Independent Bottler market on the 12th September 2012 with two single malts, from arguably the most collectible Scottish distilleries; Ardbeg and Macallan, and two single malts from long closed Scottish distilleries: Caperdonich (closed: 2002) and Port Ellen (closed: 1983).
We are passionate spirits geeks at Boutique-y, and we are driven to find whiskies that give us that “You’ve GOT to try this” feeling. We certainly take chances, releasing not just one or two “new world whiskies,” but an entire collection of whiskies from a single country, or a collection of whiskies illustrating a specific style of whisky (we brought a collection of nine rye whiskies from across the globe as our second themed collection).
We want whisky enthusiasts to discover new things and be as excited about them as we are.
Personally, I love hosting blind whisky tastings. I’m not there to catch anyone out – no competition, nor prizes, for guessing what I’ve poured. It’s about removing preconceptions, and simply tasting what’s in the glass, before forming an opinion. People are blown away when they learn that they have been tasting a delicious whisky, that’s only a few years old, and comes from a country that they had no idea made whisky!
Can you tell us what That Boutique-y Whisky Company's target audience is?
I think our Boutique-y audience are whisky enthusiasts like any other, but who are at odds with the dominant, and out-dated, tropes of whisky product design and marketing. They’re curious, adventurous, and typically passionate about exploring the diverse world of whisky.
What attracts people to Boutique-y is that we take our whisky seriously (inside the bottle), but we do not take ourselves seriously (outside the bottle) and our fans around the world love learning about new whiskies, discovering new stories in our labels, or just drinking something they know they could not find anywhere else but from us.
Can you tell us how you select your casks, and anticipate anything about what we can expect to see next?
At Boutique-y Whisky we’re bloody passionate about whisky, and as independent bottlers we’re only as good as our last release. This is why we spend so much time searching for the right casks to bottle under a Boutique-y label.
We have a great network of Scotch Whisky suppliers that stems from our relationships over 15 years in the whisky industry within the ATOM Group. We select our casks to bottle because we love what we’re tasting – it’s back to that ‘You’ve got to try this!’ feeling!
We are also constantly seeking new discoveries, and we regularly approach distilleries to see if there’s the possibility of working together. Our reputation is such that nowadays we are often being approached by some of these new world distilleries.
What has been really wonderful about working with these ‘new world’ distillers, is the time they have put into selecting the right casks for us to sample. They wanted to make sure we had their best work to showcase under a Boutique-y label as for many of these distilleries, it would be the first time their spirit would be available on a global scale. They, and we, took that honour and occasion very seriously.
What’s coming up next? – More great whisky from distilleries you may not have come across before!
What advice would you give to a beginner that is approaching this world and perhaps starting his/her own collection?
Whisky can be an expensive hobby, so please do not get onto that ‘fear of missing out’ train, It is just whisky after all!
Try lots of different whiskies. I started off by trying everything I could get my hands on at the supermarkets, looking for the bargains when discounted. Once I’d run out of supermarket options I started looking for an opportunity to buy samples. I found Master of Malt’s online store, and their rather handy ‘Drinks by The Dram’ 3cl samples that allowed me to try lots of different whiskies without buying a whole bottle. There are lots of companies doing this now, some with subscriptions where they chose the whiskies for you, so find one and join in!
Get to a whisky show, or two. (seriously, you’ll want to get to them all eventually!) There were very few whisky shows when I first started out, but there seems to be something going on every weekend these days! They are a lot of fun, a chance to make new friends, and try lots of different whiskies. I’ve made so many friends at whisky festivals.
Join a whisky club, if there is one local. If not, try and join an online community. You’ll be doing sample swaps with friends before you know it. The whisky community, on the whole, are a very generous lot, and much like us, they have that ‘you’ve gotta try this!’ mentality.
Lastly, what is, generally speaking, your favourite whisky style (cask type, ageing, peated/unpeated etc.)? What’s your dram of choice at the moment and/or your go to drams on a Friday evening?
Haha good question! I’m often asked what my favourite whisky is, and my reply is always: “Usually the next one.”
My favourite whisky styles change from day to day, much like my music choice will change, depending on the mood I’m in. There is very little music I don’t like, and it’s much the same with whisky. I love whisky, When it comes to Scotch Whisky, I seem to have a penchant for wormtub distilleries, and I prefer the simple refill Bourbon cask maturation over big sherry cask matured whisky, in general, to taste the spirit.
Recently however, I’ve been drawn to Rye whisky. I had my first rye whisky just over 10 years ago, and was immediately intrigued (and very much delighted).
There wasn’t a huge selection of rye whisky around just 10 years ago, but I’ve watched the category grow, and rye is back! It was once the prevalent spirit of the USA until prohibition put paid to that. However there are so many whisky makers right around the world turning to rye at the moment.
European distillers like Millstone have definitely been leading the charge on this side of the pond, but the rye from Germany whisky and Finland have been really exceptional. I love the variety of the styles of rye. It can be 100% malted, it can be a mix of malted/unmalted grain, and then the American styles of mashbill introducing wheat, barley, and maize into the equation. So much variety before we even get to the cask!
Official website: https://www.thatboutiqueywhiskycompany.com/
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- Bruichladdich 28yo TBWC (batch 19, 1123 bottles) – 48.5%
- Invergordon 25yo TBWC (batch 22, 340 bottles) – 55.5%
- Blair Athol 14yo TBWC (batch 13, 370 bottles) – 52.1%
- Overeem 5yo TBWC (batch 3, 522 bottles), Return to Oz – 50%
- Limeburners 5yo TBWC (batch 1, 434 bottles), Return to Oz -51.5%
Master of Malt
Master of Malt is a very well known and established online retailer of single malt whisky, blended whisky, bourbon, rum, brandy, vodka, gin and many other fine spirits. Definitely worth a visit…