It’s exactly twenty-five years ago that my odyssey into Scotch whisky began. I cautiously stepped through the doors of The Vaults in Leith, home to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Another world unfolded: the muted pop of a cork being pulled, the tickling glug of the spirit pouring into the glass, the amber glow of spirit glinting in the firelight. My sensory journey had begun. My years at the Society, then The Glenmorangie Company, allowed me to share this passion.
As some of you will know, I left my post as Director of Keepers of the Quaich in June last year, completing ten years at the helm. In 2013, at the same time as I was establishing my own consultancy, The Whisky Belle, I was approached about the role with Keepers. I’d never been to a banquet, and therefore knew little about the society, which didn’t bode well during my first interview a year later. In the interim, my consultancy thrived despite having no business plan and fortunately, creative offers came my way, allowing me to talk, taste and write about Scotch whisky. And food – always food.
Thankfully, the stars aligned, and in May 2015, the role of Director was mine. I hung up my Whisky Belle cloak, and the hard work began. Tracy Wasson (nee Ewart) and I had worked together at The Glenmorangie Company, and as Executive Assistant, we established a humble office on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The men’s locker room in an old golf club house made the ideal location, and shortly after we received the keys, the boxes from the previous office began to arrive. A lot of boxes.
The following ten years were a rollercoaster and a joy ride.
Two banquets a year took much of our time, but during the ‘quiet times’, we set about a rebrand of the society. We created a website which was recently updated, along with developing a social media presence. During lockdown, when three banquets were lost, we produced online events, including a contribution from Honorary Keeper HRH The Duke of Rothesay, as well as a society dinner hosted by His Royal Highness at Dumfries House. I edited The Keeper magazine, introduced the annual exclusive single cask bottlings, five additional International Chapters and new merchandise with trusted partners, Hamilton and Inches, Kinloch Anderson and The Harris Tweed Authority. The pleasure of seeing the delighted faces (and a few tears) of newly inducted Keepers will always stay with me.
Last year I hosted a handful of events, including a special birthday celebration outside Pitlochry, ‘My life in whisky’ at The Spur Whisky Club and a private party from the US staying at Manderston. Plans were afoot. The first few days of 2026 were spent in Islay with the first snowfall I’ve encountered on my many visits to the island and a very icy swim.
I’m delighted to bring my consultancy back to life, refreshed, revived and raring to go. My mission is to ignite and engage the sensory toolkit you carry around every minute of the day. Our sense of sight, smell, taste and touch are what guide us through each experience.
Your imagination is the final piece of the jigsaw. Let the adventure begin.
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