From butcher to bartender, to whisky ambassador with Josh Davies

This episode of Drinks At Work is sponsored by The Dalmore — you can get more information by getting in touch with your Vanguard Luxury Brands representative, or you can contact josh himself via social media on @jdavies_whisky.

We’ve often asked the question on Boothby, what does it take to become a brand ambassador? It’s a job that many bartenders consider as a way of getting out from behind the bar, and into something more like civilian working hours.

Well, one quality that is essential in any ambassador — and desirable in bartenders, to be honest — is the ability to get along with people. It sounds simple enough, but you’ll find the best at it have not just natural talent, but a wealth of experience to draw upon.

Like today’s guest on Drinks At Work, Josh Davies. Josh is the Australian single malt whisky specialist for Whyte & Mackay, and that means he’s the ambassador for some very special whiskies — just like The Dalmore, which we talk about at length here. Josh is a Melbourne boy who spent time in England (in Leeds, not London, by the way); a butcher by trade who made the skip to the UK to play cricket, but fell in love with the bar world, before stepping into the world of ambassadoring.

And, as you’ll find in the chat, Josh loves talking about whisky but also cricket, sports, hospitality, travel, family, life — he’s happy to yarn about everything. That’s what comes with experience, and that’s what makes him great at his job — confidence, and self-assuredness; it also helps that he’s good to have a dram with.

So on this episode Josh talks about his career, and how he’s approaching this new role for The Dalmore and Whyte & Mackay; he brought along a trio of top end single malts from The Dalmore for a bit of an impromptu tasting, which is always welcome.

We also talk about storytelling and its importance in the whisky world, the rich history of The Dalmore (and how great liquid makes an ambassador’s job easier), how Josh engages with the trade and gets the word out, what makes a great bar for him, and loads more.

Below, get a look at notes about the three single malts we tasted, and a few quotes from Josh himself. As always, though, the episode is best] listened to in full — you can do that below, or in you the podcast player of choice.

The Dalmore, according to Josh Davies

The Dalmore King Alexander III
“We actually use six different types of casks. And it’s essentially Richard Patterson’s way of honouring that story, and really honing in on the luxury side of The Dalmore and our ability to create an incredible whisky using really old casks — really highlighting that quality of cask that we’re able to use; because we make such a big, bold whisky, we’re able to use really beautiful old casks.

“What The Dalmore is, is this beautiful chocolateyness, orangeyness and this spice — they’re the three core pillars. I think for me, though, like when you when you taste a whisky like that, there is some incredibly old whisky in there. We’re able to use six different types of casks: small batch bourbon casks, Matusalem oloroso sherry casks, madeira casks, marsala casks, port pipes and cabernet sauvignon wine barriques.”

The Dalmore 18 Year Old
“This is the epitome of what The Dalmore is. If someone was to ask me, what’s the truest representation of The Dalmore in liquid form? The 18 year old is that whisky. So it’s ex-bourbon into Matusalem sherry casks. What I love about it is the sweetness and the dryness all in one. And we’re able to create these expressions — our stills are designed to create a beautiful, bold, robust spirit. The way they’ve been designed, is allowing us to create this really luxurious piece of liquid. Which we’re then able to take and put into these really premium, beautifully-designed casks that hold so much flavour. It’s my pick of the bunch.”

The Dalmore 21 Year Old
“A bit of a softer, lighter finish. But this one, we go less about the sweetness side of things, a bit more of that oakiness comes through, which is the lighter colour. We wanted to elevate from the 18, making sure that it’s a different style of whisky. You can even see that in the colour. It is a lot lighter.It’s a little bit more vibrant. It’s hits more on those charred green fruit notes. Which you typically wouldn’t expect from a 21. Whereas with the 18, the roles are reversed almost.”

Quotable Josh Davies

“I took the bold leap to England to play six months of cricket back in 2015 when I was 22. And I was actually a butcher by trade then. So I never actually worked in hospitality before. I’m a Melbourne boy originally.”

“The little bar I ran in Leeds, called The Hedonist, was actually a gin bar,” Josh says. “That was a great leg into when I started as the Northern UK ambassador for Four Pillars gin. I worked in a gin bar, but I always used to describe myself as a whisky drinker turned gin ambassador. So I’ve always loved whisky.”

“The most iconic figure of The Dalmore is the 12 point stag’s head. It was back in 1263 that Colin of Kintail, who was head of the Mackenzie clan, was fighting along with King Alexander the Third and actually saved the king from from a 12 pointed stag. Right. And the king was so impressed with the bravery of Colin of Kintail, he awarded Colin the right to use that 12 pointed stag as the emblem on their crest of arms. And then in 1839, Alexander Matheson opened up The Dalmore distillery with this beautiful vision to create a really bold and excellent whisky.”

This episode of Drinks At Work is sponsored by The Dalmore — you can get more information by getting in touch with your Vanguard Luxury Brands representative, or you can contact josh himself via social media on @jdavies_whisky.