I arrived on Islay the day before my life changed forever...I had been invited by Anthony Wills to give a talk on the origins of distilling in Scotland on the
site of his proposed farm distillery at Kilchoman, west of Bruichladdich. Later in the day I went up to Caol Ila to meet Dr. Nick Morgan (Diageo's Marketing Director, Malts) and chew the fat with Billy Stitchell, the
distillery manager. A few drams of C-I led us to a couple of pints in Bridgend Hotel, where Nick was staying, and it was here that he asked me whether I knew anything about the Malt Maniacs. 'No', says I.
'I monitor
them closely', says Nick. 'They are a small group of very knowledgeable malt whisky enthusiasts, scattered across the world. We take their comments and tasting notes seriously. There are three of them on the island at
the moment - Serge, Olivier and Davin - watch out for them: they're good guys - dangerous; your types. You will recognise them by Serge, who has a Frank Zappa beard.'
Next morning I went early to Laphroaig and did a
tour. Claiming my dram at the end was difficult, since the bar was blocked by three tall men buying very expensive bottles and requesting samples. I caught the profile of one - more Charles I than Frank Zappa, I
thought. It must be them... Before I could speak, Davin turned and asked whether I was the real Charles MacLean.
As soon as introductions had been made, I dragged them outside for a cigarette, then we had some coffee
(with excellent free sandwiches!) and I suggested lunch at Ardbeg, where I knew my friend Dave Broom would be. He turned out to be sitting with Robert Hicks (Master Blender, Ballantines and Teachers) and Mark Hunt
(Marketing Director, Allied Distillers), so we spent an interesting couple of hours asking these gentlemen tricky questions... They left us around 3pm and I suggested we go and visit Donald Renwick, manager of
Lagavulin, a distillery which is a second home for Dave and I - we go there every other month as part of a malts training programme. Donald was out, but Pinkie was persuaded to look after us.
Pinkie - Ian McArthur, to
give him his proper name (he has a brother called Treacle, but History does not relate why) - is one of the characters of Islay. A small man, he runs a successful farm and various other enterprises, so far as I can
ascertain, but also works at Lagavulin, where he in charge of the filling store. He has a quick wit, and specialises in teasing people and pricking pomposity. No better guide, but before we started he insisted we have a
couple of 'Islay measures' of 16YO and the same of Distillers' Edition. In the still-house we were joined by Donald Renwick who invited us back to blind taste some unusual single cask samples... By the time we
left Lagavulin Distillery we were well primed for the day's major event: a drinks party on board a large private yacht at Port Ellen pier, hosted by Glengoyne Distillery.
A quick word with the owner, Hugh McCaig (with
whom I went on a very wet camping trip to Brittany in 1969 - another story), secured a warm welcome for my new found friends and Mr. Broom. Large Glengoynes were thrust into our hands, but before we got started Stuart
Hendry, from the distillery, asked us to give our opinion of four sherry-cask samples he was thinking of bottling. As I recall, we all agreed which sample we liked best, although they were all very good. But by this
time recall is a problem. I remember only snatches of conversations and have no idea when my new-found friends left the ship.
Perhaps they stayed as stow-aways...
And now I am a member of that very same distinguished circle.
Life will never be the same...
