Whisky Voices: Kurt Maitland
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.
During a recent catch-up with my good friend and acclaimed whisky writer Kurt Maitland from New York. He is also the co-host of the great podcast Decades Distilled together with Sarah Jeltema (aka WhiskyNomad). I posed the same five questions I’ve asked several industry voices recently. As always, Kurt’s responses were insightful, layered, and full of perspective from decades of whisky enthusiasm and writing.
Whisky Hero
Without missing a beat, Kurt named Michael Jackson as his whisky hero.
“As a writer, you really have two patron saints: Barnard and Jackson,” he explained. “It’s fascinating because in the 1990s they were all contemporaries; Michael Jackson, Dave Broom, Charles MacLean, all of them were writing at the same time. But the way we think about reviewing whisky, the frameworks and styles that became iconic, they all come from Michael.
He was the one championing Springbank before it was fashionable. He was the one pushing Japanese whisky long before the wider world caught on. He is the one that introduced Robert Parker’s scoring system for whisky. That’s why he’s my hero. He shaped so much of how we write, talk, and even think about whisky.”
Whisky Villain
The next question gave Kurt pause. “Villain might be too strong a word,” he admitted. “It’s more of a Catch-22.”
“I love that Kirin rebuilt Four Roses. The brand simply wouldn’t be what it is today without them. They brought it back from mediocrity to its former glory. If you’ve ever had Four Roses from the 1970s or 1980s, you know it wasn’t great. Kirin fixed that.
But I wish they’d done the same with Karuizawa in Japan. They owned it and had the means to rebuild it, but instead, they let it be dismantled. So they’re not villains per se as they’re heroes in one case, but it’s bittersweet because of what could have been for Karuizawa.”
Whisky Surprise
When asked about what’s surprised him most in recent years, Kurt immediately mentioned Ardnamurchan and other new distilleries.
“These younger distilleries have impressed me,” he said. “Even though they’re not fully formed yet, they’re certainly fully flavoured and distinct. They don’t all taste the same.
And there’s another hero worth mentioning here: Dr. Jim Swan. Somehow, Jim had a hand in so many of these new projects. Helping with distillate character, still design, fermentation setup etc. His influence is everywhere. But what’s remarkable is how different the results are. Milk & Honey, Ardnamurchan, and others all learned from him, yet each went its own way. That’s been the biggest surprise.”
Whisky Trend
Kurt sees one major trend reshaping the landscape: a growing respect for independent bottlers (IBs).
“They’ve always been around, of course, the big names like Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, Adelphi, Cadenhead’s. But now we’re seeing a wave of smaller, more niche bottlers.
Some are hyper-local, focusing only on whiskies from specific regions. Maybe the East Coast of the U.S., or even focusing on Norwegian whisky. It’s a fantastic way for people to discover bottles that would never make it onto a mainstream shelf.
If you trust a bottler’s palate, you’re more likely to follow them down the rabbit hole and try what they select next. That evolving relationship between enthusiast and bottler is a really positive trend.”
Whisky Wish
Finally, I asked Kurt about his whisky wish. His answer was refreshingly honest:
“I want to get my top ten favourite whiskies into my collection within the next five years. These are all releases from the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. Some are relatively affordable, but others… well, they might require me to sell a limb,” he laughed. “But I’m going to give it a shot. We’ll see what happens.”
Kurt Maitland is one of those whisky voices who blends historical perspective with a writer’s curiosity. Whether he’s honouring the giants like Michael Jackson, lamenting the missed potential of Karuizawa, or championing the rise of independent bottlers, his passion for the spirit and its stories runs deep.
Cheers, and until next time, Kurt!
- Thomas
