This month’s Society Life features one of our newer members from Portland. I have just finished a tour in Scotland and Ajay Kumar was one of our guests for a journey through the Highlands and Campbeltown. Most of the members I have interviewed this year have been members for a long time. I thought this month would be a great opportunity to get to know one of the newer members to our ranks.
Our conversation took place at the Ardshiel Hotel in Campbeltown, a proper setting for a whisky conversation. Ajay’s curiosity and excitement for whisky are truly inspiring and we had a lovely time getting to know one another. If you’re ever passing through Portland, you’ll likely find him at Multnomah Whiskey Library sharing one of his locker bottles with friends. I feel lucky that I am now one of those friends!
Grab a dram and get to Mr. Ajay Kumar!
TS: Hi Ajay, please tell us a bit about yourself….
AK: I’m a Midwesterner that has been transplanted to Portland, Oregon, where I work as an attorney in the energy industry and spend a not insignificant amount of drinking whisky at the Multnomah Whisky Library or the Scotch Lodge. I love being able to try new and interesting whisky from across the world.
TS: What is it about whisky that interests you the most?
AK: Every dram of whisky is like a story in a glass. There is the fascinating background of how that whisky was distilled, how it was aged, and how it came to be sitting on the shelf of the bar in front of you. Learning those stories (while enjoying the whisky) is the best part of the experience. Whether it is Pokeno from New Zealand or Balblair from the far north of Scotland, there are distilleries across the globe really contributing to crafting great whisky.
TS: What has been your most memorable whisky experience to date?
AK: The SMWS tour of the Western Highlands and Campbeltown was absolutely amazing. It was wonderful to be able to experience 9 distilleries in 8 days, along with some fellow whisky lovers who made for great company. I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun packed into a single week. I should give a special shoutout to Charles and Holly from Rascal and Thorn and, of course, the indominable Tom Smith for being amazing guides and hosts.
TS: You're stranded on a desert island with one bottle of whisky for an entire month, what is it?
AK: I’m going to break the rules here and choose two bottles of whisky because I am having trouble making a choice. The first bottle is SMWS 76.151 “It’s a Wonderful Life”. This is simply one of the best bottles of single malt that I have ever had in my life. It has complexity, depth, and a honeyed viscosity that blew my mind. The second bottle would be 18-year-old Longrow. This is quite possibly one of the best bottles of peated scotch that I have ever had. The integration of the peat into the flavor profile combined with those heavy Springbank flavors is excellent.
TS: What is your favorite distillery to visit and why?
AK: Springbank, because they let me rake the peat. At every step of the process, they embrace the history and continue the oldest traditions of making scotch. From the malting floor to the bottling, it is the fascinating and very cool. Also, they make some amazing whisky.
TS: Why did you decide to become a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society?
AK: I had a very good friend of mine that kept getting these great bottles of single cask whisky and when he made a purchase, he would reach out and let me buy a few bottles. I realized that I wanted to buy more bottles and that it would be very worthwhile to become a member myself. It was really about being able to access new and interesting whisky.
TS: What has been the highlight of your membership experience so far?
AK: As I noted above, it was the SMWS tour of the Western Highlands and Campbeltown. I can’t speak enough about how cool it was and how much fun I had.
TS: Any advice for the other Society members?
AK: Come for the drams and stay for the community. When I joined, I really just wanted to have access to cool bottles. However, what I found was a community that really goes beyond that. There is nothing better than enjoying some whisky with friends, and the Society really provides you with a worldwide community of whisky lovers.
Thank you for your thoughts, Ajay, and thank you reader for spending some time with us.
