Cask and Still Magazine | 27
JIM MURRAY WHISKY TASTINGS GUIDELINES
1. NO SMOKING: ‘Jim Murray never attends whisky and cigar evenings.’
2. NO FOOD: ‘The aromas of the preparation must be kept separate from where the event is taking place.’
3. NO OTHER ALCOHOL: ‘People attending the event will not be permitted to carry with them to their tables wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages they obtained before or during the event.’
4. PERFUME: ‘Guests, on buying tickets, will be asked to keep the aftershave or perfume they wear to the event at an absolute minimum.’
5. INTOXICATION: ‘Anyone entering the room already looking under the influence of alcohol will be asked to leave.’
6. SPITTOONS: ‘Spittoons must be provided on each table, at least one for every two guests.’
7. NO ICE: ‘ Under no circumstances can ice be provided for the whisky.’
8. WATER: ‘Guests will be discouraged from adding water to their whisky.’
Pictured: Jim Murray’s bible is a great source of kindling.
9. TASTING GLASSES: ‘All tasting glasses should be made of glass. Plastic glasses will not be permitted.’
are guilty of a lack of innovation, sloppy standards and using thousands of inferior casks. This vitriol is ridiculous – the whisky industry is relentlessly innovative, often to traditionalists’ annoyance. It appears as faux outrage from Murray, with an eye on self-promotion and book sales. If you are ever lucky/unfortunate enough (delete as appropriate) to attend
one of Murray’s tastings, you will find that he has 14 absurd guidelines (see panel) that must be adhered to. This is just another way for Murray to isolate himself further when the whisky industry desperately needs to break down these ‘old school’ barriers that intimidate and put people off whisky. Yet it would be hard to find a more proscriptive, restrictive and uninspiring list of requirements for something that is meant to be fun and enjoyable. Of course Murray has the right to declare which whiskies he likes, but he
doesn’t have the right to come up with results which follow a need to court controversy and to sell books. It leads to the sort of inconsistency of opinion which you see if you have a lot of his books, as I do because friends and family presume they make a good Christmas gift for whisky lovers. Still, on the plus side, I’ve learned through experience that the Whisky Bible does make excellent kindling, especially when sitting by a nice fire with a dram.
10. TICKET ONLY: ‘He will not conduct any tasting that is a turn up on the night, pay at the door affair.’
11. GUARANTEE: ‘Fifty per cent of the minimum agreed fee for the tasting must be paid to Jim Murray in advance of the event.’
12. SUPPLY OF WHISKY: ‘All whisky will be supplied by Jim Murray.’
13. PHOTOGRAPHY: ‘Photographers are allowed to take still pictures only, providing they are not too obtrusive and do not annoy guests whilst doing so.’
14. FILM, VIDEO AND SOUND: ‘Jim Murray works hard to protect his copyright and as such Jim Murray Whisky Tastings cannot be filmed, videoed or recorded for television.’
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