Q&A With Colin Hampden-White, Whisky Presenter

By Kurt Maitland

Hampden-Whyte with our Deputy Editor, Kurt Maitland
(Credit: Kurt Maitland)

You’ve actually already met Colin Hampden-White in our interview with his fellow Three Drinkers. However, he and I go back a bit (we have a few mutual friends and constantly run into each other at whisky festivals) so I had a few additional questions to ask him about his career in spirits as well his hit Amazon series.

KM: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got in the whisky/spirits industry?

CHW: I got into whisky because of an inherent interest in flavor and where it comes from. I got into the industry through working as a photographer for The FT and Condé Nast, taking portraits of famous wine and whisky makers, and I started to write about them in the same publications. Over ten years on, and I’m thankfully still writing about whisky, but also doing TV and enjoying being able to communicate about all drinks.

KM: Do you have a style of whisky you prefer and if so, what/why is that?

CHW: I love highland, lightly peated whisky from a bygone era, old Brora in particular is a favorite of mine. I also adore old Lochside with its tropical flavor profile. When I’m in the right mood, a heavily sherried, or heavily peated whisky can hit the right spot too.

KM: As a person who has written about and enjoyed whiskies for years, what are the biggest changes (for good or for ill) that you have noticed in the industry?

CHW: The good changes have been in the consistency of the larger brands, and the smaller craft distilleries are making great quality products too. Prices are rising at an incredible rate making whiskies which used to be affordable only accessible to a few, but this overall rise in popularity has created a huge amount of choice. We have more expressions of whisky being created than ever before.

KM: I know that you are a man who loves a whisky festival – can you name a few that you love and why?

CHW: I have a few favorites, and all for different reasons. For overall range, The Whisky Show in London is my all-time top festival. For central European whisky, the Seaside Whisky Festival (actually on Lake Constance in Austria), is perfect. For trying old and rare whiskies, there is nothing like Old and Rare in Scotland every year. Or in the USA, there is the Nth Whisky experience in Vegas also with very old expressions on show. For fun and a real festival feel, the Dom Whisky show in August in Jastrzębia Góra in Poland can’t be beaten. It is 200M from a very long beach as well, for a break and a swim.

KM: Let’s talk about The Three Drinkers series on Amazon. How did that come about and how was the team assembled?

CHW: The three of us have known each other for a number of years. Helena and I have known each other for around ten years, and I met Aidy about four years ago on a distillery trip. We all knew we wanted to do something other than writing to excite consumers about drinks. Over a few drams in Milroy’s of Soho we decided that there wasn’t a drinks show which was travelogue in style, entertainment rather than purely education, and without the presenters spending lots of time sniffing glasses. So, we created The Three Drinkers that evening, and in the morning, it still seemed like a great idea and we set off on our TV adventure.

KM: With the Three Drinkers series, you’ve gotten to travel around Scotland and visit many distilleries. As a native Scot, was there anything in your most recent travels that you discovered or surprised you?

CHW: I’m constantly discovering more. As soon as I think I know loads about whisky, I’m reminded that I actually know very little. Just a little more than most people. There is always something to learn, whether it be about the people, history, processes, changes or simply visiting a distillery I’ve not been to yet, there is always more to see and learn.

KM: As I write this, the Three Drinkers have wrapped filming of your second series, can you give our readers a preview of what lies ahead?

CHW: In the last series we went to Islay, and this time we made it to Jura, which was terrific. We also made it to Campbeltown, as well as back to the highlands and Speyside. It’s not all about the whisky, this time there is a smidge of gin, and I get to indulge in one of my favorite liqueurs, Drambuie. As usual we have a good time along the way and visit a few drinks related businesses, and Aidy sets a competition for us which doesn’t turn out quite how he would have liked.

KM: Now I know that the Three Drinkers will not only cover whiskies but will explore other spirits as well. Is there a future spirit in particular that you are looking forward to learning more about?

CHW: I would love to learn more about Rum. It will be a long-term project as the Rum distilleries of the world are very well spread out.

KM: Finally, what do you want the viewers of the Three Drinkers to take away from the program when they view it?

CHW: Mostly, I’d like people to be entertained. If anyone takes away any knowledge from the show, then that’s great, any knowledge, no matter how small, is better than no knowledge at all.