GOING FOR GOLD

Whyte & Mackay Master Blender Richard Paterson sets off on a trip that will see him go around the world to Melbourne, to pledge the distiller’s support for Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games bid.

The award-winning whisky expert is flying into Melbourne for a whistle-stop two days to conduct exclusive whisky sessions with dignitaries from the 71 Commonwealth nations voting panels.

Whyte & Mackay has already shown its support to the bid by producing 800 specially commissioned bottles for the Scottish Commonwealth Games Bid Team to distribute to key delegates from the Commonwealth Games nations in Melbourne.

However spokesman Richard, who will not only act as a representative of Whyte & Mackay, but for Glasgow and Scotland as a whole, is using his particular charm to reinforce the bid.

Working alongside Louise Martin, Chairwoman of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, and Lynne McPhee of Glasgow City Council, Richard’s presentation will focus on the friendly and welcoming nature of Scotland and demonstrate the Scots’ pride in their heritage and their country.

He said: "I am very much looking forward to making a personal contribution to Glasgow & Scotland’s bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We take great pride in Glasgow’s achievements from our sporting traditions to the arts, shipbuilding to Whyte & Mackay scotch whisky"

He added: "I am confident that were the games to be held in Glasgow, visitors would leave with lifelong friends and cherished memories. At Whyte & Mackay we are proud of who we are, where we come from and the kinship we offer; values we share with both the city of Glasgow and the Commonwealth Games."

Richard’s first port-of-call on the tour saw him depart from Glasgow Prestwick Airport to attend a whisky festival in Belgium, where he displayed the bid flag to the thousands of festival attendees. He will then fly to Melbourne to conduct his official Commonwealth duties, then onto the USA before heading back home to Glasgow on April 1 after a whirlwind 16-day trip.

I WANT TO BE FRANK ...

Let's face it, when you've won Whisky Pub of the Year as often as The Pot Still has, there comes a time when you want to do more than just pile the the trophies up behind the bar and let the customers gaze in admiration. Ken Storrie's plan for the latest award, from Whisky Magazine, was to fill it with water and make it a feature of it with the addition of a goldfish called Frank.
Shock horror from the staff forced a rapid change of plan, but with Frank swimming serenely in his wee plastic bag, a Whyte and Mackay ice bucket was pressed into service. The piscine seems quite happy, as are the staff.
We asked Ken why he called the fish Frank and were told something about fish having the same attention span as a certain member of staff, but we weren't sure just who he was talking about!