A Ph.D student of Microbial Physiology and Fermentation Science sips a neat glass of the most exquisite whisky he’s tasted till date, and his fate shifted gears towards the singular mission of crafting the finest whiskies one can create. No, that’s not a film script; it’s the real life plot of Dr. Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks. If that doesn’t ring a bell, he’s famously known around the globe as The Mad Scientist of Glenmorangie. Working with Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky for 22 years, Dr. Lumsden is known in the industry for his path-breaking cask innovations to create spellbinding single malts, and an unparalleled expertise on scotch. #DSSCSecretConversations dives to the bottom of this glass and gets talking with Dr. Bill on his journey as the whisky wizard.
In the whisky business for over 30 years, Dr. Lumsden describes his journey as “life-changing and defining”. “With Glenmorangie I have not only become a master of my craft, but have pushed myself and achieved more than I imagined,” he says. As he constantly reinvents the craft of making stellar scotch, he speaks of the change he’s observed among the patrons over the years, “The realisation that single malt is the most prestigious and most interesting category, with more and more people aspiring to drink it.” Celebrated for his experiments with ageing single malts using different woods, we ask what inspires his ingenuity, “Lots of consumers believe that they won’t like whisky. But there is a whisky for everyone, you just need to find the right one – and my challenge is to help them find the right whisky for themselves, and that’s what inspires me,” shares Dr. Bill. He further discusses his penchant for the barrel variations, “I’m a creative rather than a methodical person. My travels, tastes, experiences – each spark off ideas, for example my love for wine drives my quest for finding unique and unadulterated barrels and wood casks for that distinct Glenmorangie flavour.”
Image: scotchwhiskey.com; Dr. Bill is renowned for his innovations with casks.
With the tallest stills (five meters) used to age whisky and air-dried casks, Glenmorangie takes great care to produce the finest whisky, Dr. Lumsden shares his philosophy behind their beliefs, “It doesn’t matter how carefully you’ve distilled the spirit and how good your eau de vie is, if you do not mature it in good quality oak barrels, you would not make good whisky. So that’s led to my obsession in trying to find the perfect barrel for Glenmorangie.” Speaking of this 174-year old whisky maker, we talk about his vision for Glenmorangie, “Our aim is to be the world’s favourite single malt, we want to be the ultimate single malt for the people in terms of image and prestige.”
Happy to see the growing interest in single malts within the Indian market, Dr. Bill adds that one of the first steps of Glenmorangie here would be to introduce and champion Adberg, and additionally diversify their audience. “The Indian consumer has evolved and has a wider knowledge of the world of whisky these days. They travel more, tasting single malts from around the world, including their own homegrown ones (which are quite good, I must add). While I understand there is a huge market for the blended scotch, there is a better understanding of the single malt now,” he quips.
Image: theregister.co.uk; The whisky scientist at work.
The guardian of Glenmorangie’s The Original, the signature whisky is not the lone one that sits on Dr. Lumsden’s mantle, he’s also helped weave magic with ranges such as Private Edition whiskies and Extra Matured whiskies. “As a scientist, it was a heaven sent opportunity to experiment and introduce new flavours, and I had such fun doing that! I’ve been able to fulfil my desire to innovate and try different things.” As we enjoy another sip of his concoctions and the chat moves towards the next plan of action, Dr. Bill prefers to give us a whiff of the new dram and keep us waiting for a sip, “For the past 5 to 10 years my innovation has gone into malting, barley varieties, different types of fermentation, etc. It takes a good 10 years for the product to be ready, so no one’s seen the results yet.” As we reserve a spot for the new Glenmorangie offering in our private bar, we bid adieu to Dr. Bill as he concludes his trip to India – not without clinking over the signature DSSC Rapid Fire first.
What do you drink when not sipping whisky?
Beer, I am very particular about the beer I drink, and am partial to craft beer. Also wine – I have a large personal collection of wine in my cellar back home.
Favourite whisky destination in the world (other than Scotland)?
Japan.
The best way to drink whisky is…?
While I always say that you should drink whisky the way you like it – I personally favour mine with a bit of soda (especially during daytime). Should you prefer an undiluted flavour, I recommend adding a few drops of distilled water to really open up the taste notes.
There are of course plenty of wrong ways of drinking whisky too, like mixing it with a cola.
Your most loved Glenmorangie cocktail?
The Sand & Stone, made with the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.
This conversation is a part of the DSSC Secret Conversation Series, where we get candid with the ace industry disruptors who map its course one masterstroke at a time.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this feature are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of DSSC & its affiliates.
Featured Image Courtesy: honeycombers.com
