Feel the passion

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon there’s a mood of romance in the air this February, and in this issue of Unfiltered we’re celebrating various tales of love and passion from across the whisky world.

Gavin Smith kicks off by exploring the remarkable Cumming family’s generational love affair with Cardhu distillery on Speyside. We also revisit the amazing story of Rita Cowan and Masataka Taketsuru, and a love affair that started in Scotland and ended up with the realisation of Taketsuru’s dream to build a Scotch-style distillery in Japan – and Rita’s crucial role in making it happen.

Elsewhere we find out how our love for whisky can be blind, with Mads Schmoll gathering tips from near and far about the fun to be had from conducting a tasting without knowing exactly what’s in your glass. And we pay a visit to the workshop of one Society member, Tyler Lunceford, who has taken his twin passion for motorbikes and malts to a whole new level.

Finally, we’re delighted to profile Dr Emma Walker and find out about how her passion for whisky started out with a road trip to Lochranza on Arran and led to her taking on one of the biggest roles in the whisky world – as master blender at Johnnie Walker parent company Diageo.

Here’s hoping you’re enjoying your own love affair with the Society and wherever it leads you,

Cheers,