"On
many long journeys have I gone. And waited, too, for others to return from
journeys of their own. Some return; some are broken; some come back so
different only their names remain" Yoda
It's always fascinating to
me where inspiration can come from when I'm thinking about how to write my
latest blog. How ideas come together in my head, images of what I want to
emphasize or what I think will be interesting to read. If people will "get
it" in the end... I get silly sometimes as I'm writing, reading, editing
and I think to myself: "MAN! This is good stuff!!!" But I
digress...
This writer was one of the
first on twitter to follow me, offer advice and talk whisky with me. He decided
at one point to interview me for one of his blogs in July 2012 and it pretty
much changed everything.
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| Courtesy of The Miss Whisky: www.misswhisky.com |
I didn't realize at the
time how much of an impact that article would have not only on me but the rest
of the whisky world we embrace. First of all he compared me to a Mackmyra which
I thought very appropriate at that time! I did see myself as fresh, new and
innovative (I'm entitled to my opinions, hehe) But second of all, it's where
the term #whiskyfabric was first coined and what it meant to me was discussed.
I wish I could remember what his exact question was but I know I described the
whiskyfabric as a huge community that was interlocked and binded in a way that
no matter where you were or what you did (writer, blender, mashman, blogger,
ambassador, newbie, etc) you "fit" and there was a place for you
there. The "fabric" welcomes everyone with open arms, we help each
other, we educate/share and lift each other when needed.It is truly one of the
most amazing groups I've ever encountered and been lucky to be a part of. The
hashtag #whiskyfabric is used the world over and I've been blessed to have met
many of the "weavers" over the last 3 years.
So as stated, I digressed,
sorry... My inspiration to write about this guy came as a result of looking at
the list of people I had contacted for this series. This person has been
involved in the whisky world for years but recently published a whisky related
book using Kickstarter (and I'll note #whiskyfabric, me included, kicked in $$$
to see it come to fruition) entitled: Manly Lies and Whisky Truths.
It’s a very well written personal awareness/journey of growing up using a
trip and life changing experience of working in Scotland as a backdrop and as comparison. Truly, a book I enjoyed reading.
Ladies & Gentlemen:
Mr. Rob Gard
Q1: So how did
you get “here”? When you were a little boy, I’m sure you didn’t say:
“When I grow up I want to be a whisky writer”?
"When I was a little boy, I was tricked into having my first
whiskey by a neighbor. Didn’t touch the stuff again for ages. But, the road
back to whiskey was an inevitable one. It started with a girl… or rather things
ended with a girl… and I needed to do a little tough guy healing. That meant
going to late night happy hour at my local college pub and having Seven &
7-Up. Mixed whiskey drinks were as far as I went for the next decade until I
was introduced to whisky (note the dropped “e”). This time frame corresponded
to my being invited to write about the Whiskies of the World Expo in San Francisco
about 10-12 years ago. I was taught to appreciate Scotch by a representative
from Bowmore and took to it like a fish to water. I loved the complexity of the
drink and how it related to the complexity of life, which opened up a wealth of
writing inspiration."
Q2: What motivates you to be in this part of the industry? Sometimes it can be quite unkind and very few can make a living doing this?
Q2: What motivates you to be in this part of the industry? Sometimes it can be quite unkind and very few can make a living doing this?
"When I first started out, there were maybe 10-20 people in the
world writing exclusively about whisky. The general drinking public had little
knowledge of whisky. I enjoyed the camaraderie that existed at the time among
those of us who loved whisky. Plus, people within the industry were thrilled
people were paying attention to their product. I’d written about wine and that
was, at times, a snarky world. Whisky was far more egalitarian, which I
respected. Plus, it was wonderful being looked upon as a whisky sage. There are
many more people who write or blog about whisky now and some of that wine world
“attitude” has crept into the whisky conversation. Part of that has been driven
by the ridiculous pricing and shallow adulation drinks company accountants and marketing
people had placed upon their products. But, by and large, the people are still
good folks. As for why am I still a part of this whisky world, there are now
countless people to write the reviews and report the news of whisky. That
leaves plenty of room for me to focus on the poetic, esoteric aspects of the
water of life."
Q3: What sacrifices or tough decisions have you made to get to where you are now?
Q3: What sacrifices or tough decisions have you made to get to where you are now?
"I abandoned writing about whisky for magazines to move to Islay
and write a book that was inspired by the world of whisky. When I returned to
the whisky world three years later, the entire landscape had changed. There
were new voices and new perspectives. My secret world was no longer so secret.
If I would have aggressively focused on the whisky columnist opportunities that
existed, I think there would have been a good chance for me to become one of
the best known whisky writers today. Not that I’m so much better than other
writers, but I had five years of experience and momentum going for me around
2006, 2007. Little known fact, but I was actually asked by some key people in
the publishing industry and whisky industry to start an American magazine
focusing exclusively on whisky at the time. I went a different direction. I
wouldn’t change anything and am thrilled with the choices I made. But, passing
up the chance to launch a magazine in favor of living alone on an island
definitely changed the course of my life."
Q4: With your book recently published, care to share what some of your upcoming plans are?
Q4: With your book recently published, care to share what some of your upcoming plans are?
"I really want to focus on selling this book, getting word of the
story to a large audience. The whisky community has been tremendously
supportive of this venture, even though the part about working at Bruichladdich
Distillery is primarily a literary catalyst to propel the reader into the
theme: using the whisky maturation process as an analogy to how boys mature
into men. I think there’s a lot of room to reach other audiences with this
story, so it’s all about marketing, marketing, marketing.
I’ve started to get involved more with local cooking schools here in Los
Angeles leading whisky cooking and pairing classes, so I’d like to do more of
that. I’d also like to write more about the whisky industry and do some more
reviews, but so many other people already do that and do it well, I’m not if
that will happen.
Finally, I’ve settled on a theme for my new book. It’s a sequel to the
current release. While whisky won’t be the main theme, there very well may be a
whisky thread that runs through it. I hope to start writing that next
spring."
Q5: If you could go back in time and talk to Rob Gard in 1984, what would you want to tell him?
Q5: If you could go back in time and talk to Rob Gard in 1984, what would you want to tell him?
"Apple!!! Put all your allowance money into Apple!!!"
End of interview...
What propels people
to write? Where do the words come from? In my case I often feel it's a
little voice in my head that simply tells me what to type. I go into "auto
pilot" or "drone" mode. I can hear the keyboard keys being hit
and I watch the words magically appear on the screen. It's all very surreal. I
wonder if that's why it comes easier to some then others, and then again maybe
that's why not all of us can write?
As I sat in New York city
in October of this year at the St Andrew's Bar on West 46th I looked around the
table at the likes of Dave Broom, Lew Bryson, Davin de Kergommeaux, John
Hansell, Gavin Smith and Dominic Roskrow just to name a few; it dawned on me
that I was the youngest sitting there. These "giants" all in their
50's & 60's with a breadth of experience combined equalling 150
years +... I sat, in awe, several times almost experiencing giddiness. The
reality is they can't write forever? So what happens in the next 10-15 years? Who
becomes the next generation of whisky writers...? Again, in my opinion Rob is
certainly a front runner and I’m sure there will be more but the question
becomes who?
There is nothing more I can say, but I will include
one last photo. It’s the inside cover of
the book and I thank Rob personally for reminding me every time I open it, how
important the fabric is.
Lassie
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