Whisky Voices: Billy Abbott

This interview is part of my ongoing “Whisky Voices” series, where I sit down with leading voices in the whisky world, from distillers and writers to ambassadors and innovators, to capture their unfiltered thoughts on heroes, villains, surprises, trends, and wishes.

I recently had a chat with Billy Abbott, whisky writer, speaker, educator, and one of the most recognisable voices in the industry today. Billy’s passion for sharing whisky knowledge is infectious, and his answers to my five questions were as insightful, witty, and thought-provoking as you’d expect.

Whisky Hero

For Billy, there was one obvious choice, even if it felt strange to say it with the man in the same building.

“It feels a bit odd to invoke someone who’s literally here right now,” he said, “but Dave Broom. I’ve been reading his work for years. He’s looked after me in the whisky industry, helped me along, helped me learn loads. He’s just a bit of a hero. And not just in whisky, but in life in general.”

A heartfelt nod to a recurring name in this series.

Whisky Villain

Billy didn’t hesitate to call out a major problem in the industry today. “My general category of whisky villain is the dodgy cask investment companies. It’s something I’ve been watching for years. I have friends who’ve fought against it and friends who try to explain how it should work. Cask investment can be fantastic, but there’s so much misinformation, so much smoke and mirrors. It’s happened before, it’s happening again. Those dodgy people are my villains right now.”

Whisky Surprise

Billy’s biggest surprise is the rapid evolution and diversity of the Nordic whisky scene.

“The whole Nordic zone is my whisky surprise,” he said. “I’ve been talking about whisky from all over the world since I started, and first it was Swedish whisky, then other countries. Then we talked about the Nordics as one region. Now we’re talking about individual countries and even regions within countries as whisky from the Nordics grows.

I just gave a talk pointing out that the distance from Aurora Spirit (Bivrost) in northern Norway to the south of the country is the same as from Denmark to Sicily. It’s a huge area, and I’m constantly surprised by the new flavours and diversity we’re seeing.”

Whisky Trend

On trends, Billy offered a nuanced perspective, and a touch of self-deprecating humour.

“There are so many trends,” he admitted. “The big one I see, and one that’s not really for me, is big, active cask influence. I’m more of an old-school refill-cask person.

We’ve seen huge growth in people using big, active casks that add lots of flavour. It’s not my preferred style, but it’s hugely popular. What’s encouraging is that I’ve seen producers move from [using these active casks as] blunt instruments to much more nuanced approaches, creating whiskies even an old curmudgeon like me enjoys.

It’s a trend I hope continues to evolve, becomes more refined, and produces more whiskies I like.”

Whisky Wish

Billy’s wish ties directly to the previous question, and it’s one many traditionalists will share.

“My whisky wish is tied to the previous one,” he said. “I want lots more refill bourbon cask whiskies. Those so-called ‘boring’ whiskies I love.

Whenever I go into a whisky bar, my standard request is: Can I have a mid- to early-teens refill-bourbon-cask whisky, not smoky? And usually, the closest they can find is a young, peated, sherry-matured whisky.

So my wish is simple: more of those old-school, elegant, easy-drinking whiskies.”

Sláinte!
- Thomas