Bilingual writer, journalist, translator and media expert Hans Offringa has been a celebrated whisky personality in Scotland and beyond for over 35 years.
Over time he was made a Keeper of the Quaich, a Kentucky Colonel (for his work on bourbon), and he is the only Dutchman inducted into the International Whisky Hall of Fame.
Hans and his wife Becky’s shared passion for whisky led them to create media production company The Whisky Couple in 2005 to better support their diverse and creative work within the whisky industry.
We caught up with Hans to discuss his past, present and future in whisky.
What inspired you to write your first book on whisky?
In the late 70s and 80s, there was hardly any literature on whisky – excluding Harrods Book of Whiskies, Wallace Milroy’s Malt Whisky Almanac and Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion and World Guide to Whisky. Two decades later I would translate all three into Dutch.
In 1990, I visited Scotland for the first time and fell in love with the country, its history, scenery, its people and last, but not least, its whisky. During that time, I found a unique collection of whisky labels and digitized them for publishing my first English work, The Craigellachie Collection of Scotch Whisky Labels (with M. Lawson and J. LaDell – 1998) with my own Elgin-based publishing company Gopher Publishers.
To date I’ve written over 40 books on whisky, overlapping different genres like travel, food and music, as well as more than 1,200 articles and columns about whisky for a score of magazines and newspapers around the globe. My other work contains, among others, two books on bourbon, a book on rum, an historical account of the salvage of the Russian nuclear sub Kursk (Raising the Kursk), a few novels, two books on champagne and two on golf. I was honoured to contribute to 16 books of other whisky writers, either in text and/or photography and translated the first edition of Dave Broom’s seminal book The World Atlas of Whisky into Dutch as well.
How has your career as a whisky writer shaped your views on whisky? How has the way you appreciate whisky changed?
I became very interested in the world behind the scenes. From tasting to its history to making it, and how people get trained. I’ve visited 180-200 distilleries in the past 35 years, but I always approach each visit as if it’s my first, keep my brain, eyes and ears wide open. Every tour I’ve been on, the guide always had something interesting to say.
Of course, meeting Becky and establishing The Whisky Couple also changed my perceptions. She helps me with research. She originally is a marine biologist and is tremendously dedicated, and an excellent taster in her own right. She also has a vast memory on English literature. When she was made a Keeper of the Quaich in 2022, it made me very proud and happy.
Becky and I have similar approaches, but the way we taste differs. I break it down from broad to specific. Becky works from memory. For example it could be something that reminded her of her grandmother, and she would further narrow it down to treacle eaten at her grandmother’s house. Then we combine tasting notes and compare. We usually find that about 70% of our notes are similar.
The Whisky Couple: Hans and Becky Offringa
Can you breakdown your role at Saltire Rare Malt? What does it mean to be Whisky Curators?
Curating the stock for Saltire means Becky and I sample casks from time to time and then advise what can be bottled, what needs to be longer in the cask, what should be re-casked and what should be discarded. We are also involved in proactively sourcing casks to replenish the stock. Furthermore, we use our extended international network to introduce Saltire to other parts of the world, most notably Japan, the USA and South Africa, not to mention my home country the Netherlands.
Which of the whiskies you curated for Saltire has been your favourite? Which one surprised you the most?
The 17-year-old Craigellachie single malt which last month won a Gold Award in the category Single Cask Single Malts of 13 years and older, at the Scottish Whisky Awards. Saltire Rare Malt also won the much-coveted Newcomer of the Year Award – a double Whammy!
Where is the most interesting or unconventional place you have enjoyed a dram?
From a geographical standpoint on top of Ben Rinnes with a group of whisky lovers and professionals during the Spirit of Speyside Festival. (Hans was appointed Lifetime international Brand Ambassador of said festival in 2016).
From an emotional point of view, a dram shared with my oldest son Sietse who has inherited my sense of smell. He developed his palate from an early age and it opened up a wealth of possibilities in the whisky world for him. He has been employed by Edrington for years and currently holds the role of Brand Education Manager for Northwest Europe.
What is your controversial/unpopular whisky opinion?
Over the last two decades, we’ve seen a huge growth in distillers all around the world and therefore, terms are being diluted. For example, ‘American Single Malt’ in the USA is open to interpretation since it is allowed over there to produce a ‘single malt’ at different locations. ‘Single’ however usually refers to a single distillery for the whole process.
Distillers, brokers and bottlers should be clear about what it is in their casks and bottles so buyers know what they are drinking. More transparency and quality checks by the industry are really needed. We made sure when we became involved with Saltire Rare Malt that the label informs the consumer as best as possible about the pedigree of the whisky in the bottle.
What is your go-to dram and what is the dram you have as a treat?
I am a seasonal drinker. In the autumn and winter, I like something strong and smoky. Personal favourites are The Macallan 12 Years Old Sherry Oak and the Lagavulin Distillers Edition. In spring I prefer something floral and fruity. My go-to dram then is a Glenmorangie. I also like Glenlivet and Glenfiddich in the summer.
We have our own Macallan single cask whisky that was bottled exclusively for the Whisky Couple in the Macallan En Primeur program. We were the very first of the limited group of cask owners who brought such a bottling onto the market. We donated some bottles to auctions and gave a few away to friends and family, but retained a couple of cases for personal pleasure.
What international dram are you enjoying at the moment?
Dutch BUS whisky. They are carbon neutral and even generate their own electricity. Everything on their farm is used from the barley grown to the fish served in their restaurant.
Making whisky isn’t too difficult – making good whisky is. You need people who know how to make it right. The Dutch have a centuries long tradition in distilling (jenever), so already know how to heat a still. They follow the Scottish rules, but some use local oak for their casks, grown on their estate, for instance Sculte Distillery in the eastern part of the Netherlands.
What are you currently working on?
For the international market, we are working on a book with Charlie Maclean about blended Scotch. Blended whisky after all is the backbone of the industry. For the Dutch market, I am near completion of Still Stories 3, the third volume in a trilogy of short stories about the wonderful world of whisky. And of course, our work as curators for Saltire Single Malt will hopefully continue for years to come.
Hans’ latest book is the 2025 revised and updated edition of A Field Guide to Whisky which book was originally published in 2017 by New York based publisher Artisan/Workman. See also: www.thewhiskycouple.com
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