Dan Humphrey (Summerton Whisky Club Founder) poses the question for industry expert, Sebastian Bunford‑Jones (The Glasgow Distillery Co. Global Marketing Manager):

What whisky would you give to a friend as their first bottle? And why?

“Of course it would depend on the friend and whether I think they will like peated/unpeated and their flavour preferences, but a great go-to I find is the Bruichladdich Classic Laddie – because it’s a wonderfully open and honest single malt that showcases a contemporary approach to making and promoting whisky.

Not only is it visually impactful and aesthetically pleasing on shelf it has a great feature that allows you to enter the batch number on their website and see what casks have gone into the batch vatting. To be able to taste the whisky and see exactly what kind of casks are giving you the flavour your experiencing is a great way to understand how cask maturation impacts on flavour within whisky – so a great introduction into the industry and into the category for not just those new to whisky but also those interested in what is in their glass. Not to mention the whisky itself is mighty fine, too!”