Welcome to our August edition of Society Life! We launched this series in January with each edition featuring an interview that I've conducted with a fellow Society member. We cover all kinds of whisky-related topics but, most importantly, you get to know fellow members I’ve had the pleasure of meeting over the last nine years as a senior director for The Scotch Malt Whisky. Each of you has a story to tell and I am eager to share it. August’s story belongs to US Army Colonel (ret.) Charles Moore. You can call him Chuck. Our conversation took place at the Society’s spiritual home in Leith – The Vaults – over an exquisite flight of drams. We were in Edinburgh for The Whisky Fringe tasting and had this chance to catch up. I have had the absolute pleasure of hosting Chuck on two SMWS America tours to Speyside and Islay. He is often the life of the party and always has an equally insightful and amusing story to share. Grab a dram, sit back and get to know one of our most entertaining members!
TS: Hi Chuck, please tell us a bit about yourself….
CM: I was born near Seattle and left that area many moons ago to serve in the U.S. Army. That service has continued for nearly 40 years and has taken me to several regions of the world, over 40 countries, and other interesting locations. Along that journey, I found a wife, lots of friends, had two kids, and discovered whisky. Within the next year or so, I should be returning to the Northwest with the same wife, two adult children (living on their own – God willing), and many bottles of whisky and fond memories.
TS: What is it about whisky that interests you the most?
CM: What I find most interesting about whisky is the range of flavor outcomes that can be achieved with three simple ingredients. I realize that each of the ingredients can vary. And that the entire process (malting, mashing, fermenting, distilling, maturing) has endless possibilities, but I remain continually surprised by the range of outcomes. I once had an opportunity to taste three sister casks; three barrels were filled with the exact same distillate, they sat side-by-side for 10 years in the same warehouse location and rack, and each produced very different whiskies. I know there is lots of science happening in those barrels and a little bit of mystery that folks try to explain, but I find it simply fascinating. There is still magic in the world, and it’s tasty.
TS: What has been your most memorable whisky experience to date?
CM: During an Ardbeg tour in 2017 we jumped in a boat and headed out to sea, but before we got too far the captain turned off the engine, jumped overboard in his dive suit, and came back with a net full of scallops. We then proceeded to isolated shoals on the outskirts of Islay and ate freshly seared scallops, chocolate, and cask-strength Kelpie while watching the flora and fauna on a clear sunny day in the Hebrides. What a wonderful day.
TS: You're stranded on a desert island with one bottle of whisky for an entire month, what is it?
CM: I have had some fine drams over the years, and choosing just one is difficult. My most memorable whisky experience and the best whisky I have tasted are closely tied together, as discussing the best whisky you have ever had invariably means discussing your best whisky experience, as enjoying whisky is largely about context. If I must choose one, then it is the Lagavulin Feis Ile 2015 bottling, 23 years old, 59.1%, matured in American oak, Pedro Ximénez, and oak puncheons. I joined Iain McArthur’s master class during Lagavulin’s day at the Feis Ile – The Islay Festival. We were all in fine spirits and Iain was treating us to wondrous drams and stories. Each time he whipped about beautiful whisky spilled from his valinch, hitting the floor to moans and gasps from the crowd, only to have their suffering relieved when he finally filled their glasses. What a dram. What a day. It may be a wee bit hard to find, but I promise it is worth the effort, and it has an especially long finish, which is exactly what one needs if a bottle is to last a month on a desert island!
TS: What is your favorite distillery to visit and why?
CM: This too is a difficult question to answer, as the process of making whisky is the same, but each distillery has its own style and culture. If I must choose one, then it is Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay. Aside from the lovely young whisky now being produced and the gorgeous views from the still house floor, I have known Ardnahoe from its raucous fund-raising tastings hosted by Jim McEwan and the Laing family before the first stone was laid. I observed its construction from afar, tasted its new make with its first distillery manager, Frazier Hughes, and purchased a wee share of a cask happily aging somewhere in its warehouses. It is not very often one can see a distillery born, taste its new make, its first editions, and see its production grow and become varied. Its oldest whisky, a six-year-old, was just released, and who knows how long the distillery and I will age together and what may come next? And if I may be a tad snobby, it is hard to get to, so folks who make the trek to the distillery are serious about enjoying a dram while staring at the Paps on the Isle of Jura. Despite the journey, the warm reception and fine drams will not disappoint.
TS: Why did you decide to become a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society?
CM: My tastes and interests evolved from standard core range whiskies to sampling cask strength whiskies around 15 years ago to get a sense of a distillery’s character (if that is possible). When visiting the Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C., I was encouraged to try SMWS bottlings by none other than Harvey Fry and fell in love with the distinct expressions. Harvey told me that if I were smart, I would join SMWS and attend the Feis Ile Islay Festival. So, I did both in 2015 and have enjoyed myself since. My wife argues that there is more to being smart than those two qualifiers, but I am satisfied.
TS: What has been the highlight of your membership experience so far?
CM: I enjoy the SMWS Outturn Tastings, other special events, and lots of whisky, but I have to say the SMWS Rascal + Thorne Fall 2024 Speyside trip stands out. SMWSA’s Tom Smith conspired with Holly Seidewand and Charles Grabitzky from Rascal + Thorne and First Fill Spirits to assemble a fantastic 7-day tour of Speyside’s finest distilleries, hotels, restaurants, and malting and cooperage facilities. It was a masterclass in whisky production (and consumption), but the real surprise was my fellow travelers. Folks from all over the US and different backgrounds come together to appreciate the magic of the big three ingredients and the possibilities they create. We had a great time and continue to cross paths at subsequent whisky events.
TS: Any advice for the other Society members?
CM: I would encourage folks to seek fellow whisky drinkers. Whether that is joining or creating a local tasting club, hosting the uninitiated in basement bar tastings, participating in the SMWS Outturn tastings if possible, or joining one of the upcoming tour groups, I have really enjoyed the community of fellow whisky drinkers I have discovered one dram at a time. Don’t drink alone; find fellow whisky travelers and share a dram!
Thank you for your thoughts, Chuck, and thank you reader for spending some time with us.
