| Richard Paterson | Bill Lumsden | Sam Simmons | Ronnie Cox |
Charles MacLean – Whisky Consultant, Author and Master of the Quaich
Charles is a world leading authority on Scotch whisky. He was elected a Keeper of the Quaich for “his services to Scotch over many years” in 1992 and was granted the rare honour of being elected Master of The Quaich, the industry’s highest accolade, in October 2009.
Charles began researching and writing about Scotch whisky in 1981, and has published thirteen books on the subject, including “Malt Whisky” and “Whisky: A Liquid History” (2003) which won the top U.S prize, the James Beard Award, for “Best Drinks Book 2005”.
He was founding editor of “Whisky Magazine” and host of the TV channel www.singlemalt.tv dedicated to the world of whisky. He stars in Ken Loach’s entertaining film “The Angel’s Share” (released Spring 2012).
He was trained in ‘the sensory evaluation of potable spirits’ by the Scotch Whisky Research Institute in 1992 and presents numerous tastings and talks in the U.K. and abroad (21 countries in 2011) for whisky companies, corporations, universities and clubs, and on radio and TV. He is a member of the Judging Panel (Spirits) of the International Wines & Spirits Competition, and was runner-up as ‘Communicator of the Year’ in the 2003 IWSC Awards.
He acts as a consultant to the whisky industry on a variety of matters, and over the past 30 years has written promotional materials for all the leading companies and brands. He is also Whisky Consultant to Bonham’s Auctioneers.