Whisky writer Charles Maclean is one of the best known authorities on Scotch whisky. He and his business partner, Vikki Bruce, organise whisky tours for the well-heeled visitor and the global connoisseur.
They are bringing high-spending visitors to Scotland to enjoy our heritage, the castles, lochs and glens, and then to sample fine food and whisky.
What Maclean and Bruce promise is an introduction to the rarest and most unattainable Scotch.
They hold tastings and masterclasses, and can arrange investment in casks and rare bottles from selected distilleries.
More recently, Bruce, who is a member of the family whose lineage stretches back directly to Robert the Bruce, has taken up the claymore in defence of the industry she loves.
“We were not surprised when the whisky cask scandal erupted. We’ve been aware that malpractice was going on. A great deal of damage has been done to this essential industry, and it needs the whole industry to work together to sort it,” she says.
“We are advocating the adoption of technology to rebuild trust in whisky cask ownership. Something, such as the DVLA’s system of motor ownership, which gives each cask a unique ownership code, must be the way ahead.”
Bruce says cask ownership has become a widespread part of the industry, and while there are many overseas investors from China, United States and India, not everyone is a high net-worth individual.
“What we promise our clients is that they can come and sample their whisky, see and touch the actual cask which they have bought, and be absolutely sure of the provenance.”
Bruce says it is only this level of assurance which will restore the joy of owning a cask.
“Of course there is the investment element, and buying and selling casks must be more transparent and easier, but in many instances, it is about people who love whisky being able to bottle fine whisky from their casks for those special occasions in life. We must all fight to protect our vital industry from fraudsters.”