June’s Society Life spotlight takes us south, introducing us to Mr. Nate Douglas, our Member Ambassador for the great State of Texas. Back in February 2020 at Balcones Distilling in Waco, I was hosting one of our last events before all hell broke loose with COVID. A confident young man approached me and said he was very much interested in helping the Society in Texas. Following this brief encounter, my inbox proceeded to explode with follow-ups from the motivated member, culminating in a late 2021 meeting at my office. His business brought him to New York, and I took the meeting in hopes that he might email me just a wee bit less….
Little did I know this meeting would signify the rebirth of SMWS America in Texas. Fast-forward to 2025 when I was finally ready to introduce Nate to his fellow Texans as the new Member Ambassador for the Lone Star State. Nate addressed the entire spirits team from Balcones Distilling, international whisky treasure Charlie MacLean and about 30 local members (no pressure). And he CRUSHED it. I mean rousing applause from the audience. Since then, he’s hosted over one dozen events across Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin, soon to be adding Houston, along with several recruitment events in Texas and Louisiana. All this with four kids and a high-powered job!
I am so grateful Nate approached me six years ago and wouldn’t let me forget him. Today, our Texas members are some of the luckiest in the country thanks to this man’s efforts.
Cheers and many thanks to you, Nate!
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TS: Hi Nate, please tell us a bit about yourself….
ND: Father of four, husband to an amazing wife of seventeen years, who, for twelve of those (thankfully!), has taken my whisky journey in stride side-by-side. Member ambassador, spreading the good news of the SMWS to Texas
TS: What is it about whisky that interests you the most?
ND: The width and breadth of the experience it can deliver is astounding. The diversity of smells and flavors, the joy it brings others when shared, the nostalgia it can conjure, the deepening and enrichening of relationships over drams, the memories that mark the moments when grounded with the malt, the ability to make time stand still when accompanying vinyl jazz and a good book, how it can be used to show hospitality to and bless others, and the craftsmanship, country, history and people behind the spirit. It truly is amazing what the water of life means to me and so many other people.
TS: What has been your most memorable whisky experience to date?
ND: The 2017 Limited Edition PX from Bunnahabhain. I watched an interview in 2020 where Roy Duff was interviewing Dr. Kirstie McCallum (who was at Glen Moray at the time, and former Master Blender at Bunnahabhain, Tobermory and Deanston), and he asked her what her epiphany whisky was (a whisky that just make you stop and stare and fall into the whisky) - and it was this particular single malt from Bunnahabhain, and I could not agree more. It was still early-ish in my whisky journey, and at the time, I had never had anything like it - it was truly sublime. Perfectly balanced PX with the classic Bunna spirit coming through in decadent richness. I immediately went back to the store and bought a case.
TS: You're stranded on a desert island with one bottle of whisky for an entire month, what is it?
ND: Probably one of the "chameleon malts" as Ralfy likes to call them - a dram that changes and constantly reveals new layers over time as you get to know the bottle. The distilleries that do this best, in my opinion, are Springbank (so give me the 12 cask strength) or Glen Scotia (15). That plus desert island, you need a versatile dram that ticks all the boxes - Swiss army knife scotches. Or if I wanted to be a Society man, I'd say SMWS 26.156 "Waxy Ruminations".
TS: What is your favorite distillery to visit and why?
ND: Bunnahabhain for the reasons mentioned earlier, but a close second is Bruichladdich. Who doesn't love a classic comeback story that's ready to challenge the status quo while winning hearts and minds with a fantastic and incredibly versatile spirit and cask management program?
TS: Why did you decide to become a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society?
ND: Put simply, I wanted access to the best whiskies and whisky community in the world.
TS: What has been the highlight of your membership experience so far?
ND: The lengths the SMWS has gone to provide more value to its members since I joined in 2018. Simplifying shipping, more tasting experiences and events, being able to buy integrity bottlings from distilleries whose official bottlings can be a bit sanitized, access to niche producers, and keeping the prices reasonable when other producers and brands continue to increase them. But that's gravy when I consider the whiskies I've had year-over-year - the SMWS bottlings are always among the best.
TS: Any advice for the other Society members?
ND: Don't rely too much on researching who the producers of the bottlings are - as tempting as that is - spend time reading the tasting panel notes and flavor profiles and use those to stretch yourself with trying distilleries you normally would not gravitate toward. You might be surprised with what you discover...
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Thank you, Nate, for sharing your thoughts. And thank you, reader, for spending some time with us.
