Whisky Voices: Dave Broom

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.

It’s not every day you get to interview one of the most respected names in whisky writing. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Broom, world-renowned author, storyteller, and whisky guru, and asked him the same five questions I’ve been posing to industry icons from around the world. His answers, as you might expect, were thoughtful, sharp, and deeply rooted in decades of experience.

Whisky Hero

For Dave, there’s one name that immediately comes to mind: Michael Jackson.

“Michael Jackson, definitely,” he said. “He was my mentor. He taught me how to write about whisky, how to taste, how to listen. He remains my whisky hero. I’ve got plenty of whisky heroes, many distillers and blenders come to mind, but Michael is always top of mind.”

It’s a sentiment shared by many in the whisky world. Jackson’s influence on how we write, think, and talk about whisky is still felt today.

Whisky Villain

This one got a wry smile from Dave. “There are so many,” he said. “But whisky villains are the people who use the word innovation when all they mean is putting the whisky in a different bottle. That really annoys me. And there are quite a few villains about at the moment.”

A short and sweet answer right there.

Whisky Surprise

The thing that surprised Dave most recently wasn’t a bottle or a brand, but a barley experiment in the Arctic. “I was amazed by Arctic barley from Aurora, from Bivrost,” he said. “The fact that you can grow barley in the Arctic at all is incredible, but the quality of the spirit, with its ridiculously long fermentation and everything, that was a real surprise.”

A great shout-out to fellow Norwegians at the world’s northernmost whisky distillery, Aurora Spirit.

Whisky Trend

Dave sees one trend as both exciting and vital: learning from the past. “I think the most positive trend is looking back and learning,” he explained. “For a long time, especially in Scotland, distillers were either trying to keep things the same or just looking forward and forgetting their history. But you have to know your history, not just from a commercial point of view, but from a production point of view too.

Now we’re seeing people revisit older barley varieties, rethink their use of yeast, even bring back direct-fired stills, but doing it all with a modern understanding. That, for me, is the most exciting global trend.”

Whisky Wish

Dave’s wish ties closely to his critique of the industry’s excesses. “My wish? An end to stupidly packaged, ridiculously expensive whiskies that nobody is going to buy,” he said. “And a return to people making great juice and selling it at a sensible price.”

It’s a call for whisky to focus less on hype and more on what really matters, the liquid itself!

Few voices in the whisky world combine deep historical knowledge with sharp critical insight like Dave Broom. I must admit he is my personal whisky hero.

Sláinte!
- Thomas