Grant Hutchison, musician and entrepreneur, Spring 2020 Cover Star

"There's one specific dram I remember having with my Dad and it was in the dressing room of the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow. We had just played our first sold-out gig there and before the hoard of pals and hawks descended on the backstage, we had a moment of calm with close friends and family and raised a glass of 12 Year Old Balvenie Doublewood together.

Although my parents have always been supportive of what I chose to do, this felt like a very real moment of proof that we were doing alright and the years of borrowing Mum's car for gigs and sleeping on floors and couches were finally paying off and it was a serious thing! The Doublewood is a dram I will always come back to time and time again as it was my brother's favourite and it holds a lot of great memories for me."

Tony Singh, chef and restaurateur, Spring 2022 Cover Star

"I love Jura and my favourite dram is, well, was (I have a couple of bottles left), Prophecy, because it was over a few drams of this malt that my dad recounted stories of his youth, of travels, and adventures. It was a special moment, sharing a love of whisky and reminiscing on memories old and new. The smooth and smoky flavour of Jura Prophecy was the perfect accompaniment to our conversation."

Dylan, The Whisky Shop Cardiff

My first experience with enjoying whisky was in 2018. It was a cold Christmas morning in a cabin next to the lake in Loch Ness. I bought a bottle of Laphroaig 10 Cask Select for my dad. We cracked it open straight away. His famous words are: "An empty stomach is the best palate for whisky." My first sip was like a bonfire in my mouth with a long blast of lingering smoke and sweetness. That's where my love of whisky began."

Fran, Whiskeria Producer

"Before joining The Whisky Shop, my dad had spent my entire adult life trying to get me into whisky. His favourite drams are big peaty numbers from Laphroaig and Ardbeg - not the best expressions to start an unsuspecting 18-year-old on! After starting my job with The Whisky Shop and developing a palate for the uisge beatha, I now love sharing a dram with the person who introduced me to it in the first place."

Christina Kernohan, photographer

"I was introduced to whisky properly in 2010 by a friend who clearly knew his booze. It was a dram of Yamazaki in Bramble Bar in Edinburgh and that was it - I was in love, and I've never looked back.

I brought a bottle home to my dad for Christmas - a proud Northern Irish man who deemed it "Okay, but no Bushmills." And although I've told stories of all the delicious whiskies I've gotten to taste through work over the years and the various delicious iterations and favourites I brought back home - Hibiki, Balvenie Doublewood, GlenGarioch 15, Caol Ila, and Woven - Dad remains resolute that it's not a whisky if it isn't a Bushmills and I've stopped trying to persuade him otherwise. But I've very much enjoyed the heated discussions over the years with drams in hand that got us here."

The original feature is from the Summer 2023 edition of Whiskeria, delivered to W Club subscribers' doors and free with any Whisky Shop purchase in-store or online.