19/05/2023

Chapter 17

A chat with...Alistair Walker (Alistair Walker Whisky) - #13

Alistair and its Alistair Walker Whisky Company are an old acquaintance here at Drampath, as I had already mentioned them in my Chapter 4.

The company is currently focused on bottling the Infrequent Flyers range, which is a series of single cask, cask strength bottlings of mainly scotch whiskies. The casks are sourced from different distilleries throughout Scotland (and beyond).

As discussed in Chapter 4, the series takes its name from its mission: giving visibility and access to lesser known distilleries, which either don’t or rarely release official bottlings and whiskies that are not seen so often around, hence the name.

Let’s see what he told us…

Hi Alistair, 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.

So I’m Alistair Walker, I’ve worked in the whisky industry for over 25 years now, basically my whole adult life.

Towards the end of 2016 I had just come to the end of a 12-year spell with The BenRiach Distillery Co (BenRiach, GlenDronach, Glenglassaugh), having decided to move on to a new adventure following the sale of the business. Independent bottling seemed like an interesting option, and more importantly an opportunity to stay involved with the industry.

I set up the Infrequent Flyers brand in 2018, although it was the summer of 2019 before I bottled my 1st batch of casks, starting with a 26YO Glen Keith.

When and how did you join this growing industry?

That would be January 1997.

I was fresh out of university with limited work experience and even less idea of what to do next. My father Billy has been in the whisky industry for a while, he was with Burn Stewart Distillers (now Distell) at the time, and he suggested I go and work there, in the sales and marketing team, just for a year or so to get some experience on my CV.

6 years later and I was still there… So in truth, I fell into this world by accident.

Now tell us a bit more about Alistair Walker Whisky, what is it that makes it stand out in the whisky industry?

I’m not sure that we do anything particularly unique – there are a lot of bottlers out there, and we’re certainly not re-inventing the wheel.

I guess the key thing is just to focus on your own story and what you are trying to achieve. As a one-man operation, Infrequent Flyers reflects my own experience in the industry, and what I’ve picked up along the way from my time first at Burn Stewart Distillers and then at The BenRiach Distillery Co.

So I’m talking about the importance of re-racking (pouring whisky from one cask into another) and good wood management, and of having patience – it all takes time, there are no shortcuts.

As long as you are happy with what goes into the bottle then that is a great starting point.

Can you tell us what Alistair Walker Whisky's target audience is?

Anyone that is interested in whisky really.

I suppose independent bottlers have always appealed more to seasoned whisky afficionados than the casual drinker, but I think we have something for anyone that appreciates a good dram.

Can you tell us how you select your casks, and anticipate anything about what we can expect to see next?

The starting point is the quality of the whisky – first and foremost you yourself have to appreciate what you bottle.

After that I’m also looking for variety across the releases – that’s in terms of distillery makes, regions, style, wood type, age. By building the inventory over time, that gives me the time and opportunity to work with the liquid through re-racks and further maturation, which ultimately leads to more choices when it comes to selecting casks to bottle.

What next? Well, we indie bottlers all tend to play our cards very close to our chest! I’ll continue to do what I’ve been doing over the last 5 years, with a few wee surprises along the way.

The re-racking is an ongoing component, so more wood types, and longer finishing periods. With every month that passes the inventory evolves and becomes more diverse. I also purchased some new make over the last two or three years, so eventually some of those will appear as bottlings in due course.

Plus there are a few wee gems that I’ve been sitting on for a while, and will do so for a little longer – but they all have to be bottled eventually.

What advice would you give to a beginner that is approaching this world and perhaps starting his/her own collection?

It’s certainly a fascinating world to become involved in, and it can be a very sociable experience. Tastings and festivals offer great opportunities to try new (and old) drams, and to engage with the wider whisky community.

Explore, learn, find out what you like (and don’t like) – and most importantly enjoy the journey.

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?

I do enjoy a whisky that has spent some time ageing in a sherry cask, I guess this really stems from my time at GlenDronach: the 18YO (Allardice) there was always one of my favourite whiskies.

That said, your palate is a fickle creature, so there are always moments to reach for whiskies of differing styles and flavour profiles. Virgin oak for me has an excellent influence on a whisky, I’m a big fan, and I have also had some great experiences with other wood types like Sauternes, Marsala (fantastic) and Port, to name but a few.

I’m a keen wine enthusiast, and have recently bottled a couple of whiskies from Recioto della Valpolicella casks, that I think have worked really well.

Obviously Glenallachie are putting out some fantastic liquid, and if you want to go old-school then a Ben Nevis is always an enjoyable experience.

Chapter 17

A chat with...Alistair Walker (Alistair Walker Whisky) - #13

Hi Alistair, 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.

When and how did you join this growing industry?

Now tell us a bit more about Alistair Walker Whisky, what is it that makes it stand out in the whisky industry?

Can you tell us what Alistair Walker Whisky's target audience is?

Can you tell us how you select your casks, and anticipate anything about what we can expect to see next?

What advice would you give to a beginner that is approaching this world and perhaps starting his/her own collection?

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?

Drams

and more...

Today's drams