Ingvar Ronde Interview
I had the pleasure of meeting often Ingvar when The Whisky Show in London was organized by The Whisky Exchange, and we often talked quite a lot while queuing for getting inside.
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| Ingvar Ronde (courtesy of I. Ronde) |
Since his book, the Malt Whisky yearbook 2025, to be released on the 5th of October, is celebrating 20 years, I kindly asked Ingvar if he was willing to answer some questions I had for him.
Whisky-news.com (WN): Dear Ingvar, can you please tell us, how did you get into whisky?
Ingvar Ronde (IR):
The first whisky I tried was probably in my late teens but to be honest it didn´t leave any lasting memories. In summer 1980 I travelled to London with a friend and after a week we decided to catch a train up to Inverness. We had heard of something called the Whisky Trail and so we rented a car and went on our way. This was really in the infancy of malt whisky but after visits to Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glenfarclas and Strathisla I was absolutely intrigued. Not just by the spirit but also the context in which it was made and the people who made it.
WN: What do you enjoy most in whisky and which type of whiskies do you prefer?
IR:
If we start with the second part of the question it has all to do with the situation and my mood at the time. Sometimes a nice Scotch from second fill bourbon will give me the garden fruits and subtle balance that I crave. If I´ve walked the dog for an hour in the winter a peated Islay is just the thing. In between I might pour a rich dram from a PX cask, a spicy rye, a tropical whisky from India or Taiwan etc. It´s all about the mood I´m in.
What I enjoy most in whisky, and this has certainly developed over time and not least over the past 15 years, is the social context. I find myself focusing less on what I have in the glass rather than with whom I enjoy it and where. It´s always easier for me to remember and cherish a moment with new or old friends in a bar in Scotland or at a whisky show than a specific whisky.
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| The 20th edition of the Malt Whisky Yearbook |
WN: The Malt Whisky Yearbook (MWY) is now celebrating its 20th Edition. Congratulations! But can you tell us, how and why you decided to publish its first edition?
IR:
Thank you Patrick – 20 years seems kind of surreal! It all, of course, goes back to my early interest in whisky. For many years my professional life included some kind of publishing and/or writing. In the early years of the new millennium I was looking for a new challenge in my work life and I had always been missing some kind of handy tool where I could keep track of what was happening in the world of whisky. There were yearbooks about everything but not about whisky. So the idea to do the Malt Whisky Yearbook was actually conceived because of my own need for it. At the same time I figured there would hopefully be other enthusiasts out there looking for the same thing. My experience in publishing and my love for whisky tricked me into feeling that I could be the one to do a yearbook on the subject.
WN: With the trend for moving from paper to digital support, will we see in the future an electronic version of the MWY?
IR:
In short – no. While I strive to have the Yearbook as objective as possible in terms of the facts, it is also a very personal project in the way that I have always enjoyed a physical book where I can flicker through the pages, perhaps make notes in the margin and have a feeling that me and the book age together with all the dents and ripped pages showing the passage of time. How was that for a philosophical answer?!
WN: Is the interest still going strong to the MWY?
IR:
There is something special about a Yearbook… if you´ve bought the first 2-3 editions you get the feeling that you would like to continue the journey and have the whole range. We become collectors wanting to have the entire collection in our bookshelf (while hopefully reading it as well). I´m very happy with the sales and absolutely thrilled by the kind comments from people who have been buying it from the very start.
WN: The world of whisky is very dynamic. Can you tell us a bit more on how you prepare your book?
IR:
Dynamic is definitely an understatement of the industry since I started! In retrospective I feel that 2005 (when I published Malt Whisky Yearbook 2006) was the perfect starting point for the concept. That was the year Kilchoman and Daftmill opened up in Scotland. Before that we had the 90s when in 15 years it was just Kininvie and Arran showing up as new Scottish distilleries. The year 2005 marked the beginning of a completely unexpected wave of new distilleries in Scotland which is still ongoing. On top of that, we saw a huge number of malt distilleries opening up all over the world. In the first edition of the book I had 33 distilleries outside of Scotland. In the latest edition that number has risen to 707 and I realise that there are quite a few that I haven´t discovered yet.
In order to keep track of everything new, I keep in constant touch with the established producers – either face to face during travels or by emails and phone calls. I also read various newsletters and reports more or less daily. Last, but not least, I get a lot of help from local whisky enthusiasts who kindly inform me about new projects in their part of the world.
WN: I find impressive that some news released a few weeks before your MWY is released are often included. How do you manage that?
IR:
To be honest, that was a bit easier ten years ago. These days some of the companies are less keen on giving me embargoed news as they themselves would like to present the news to the whisky world on the day it happens which I definitely understand.
WN: I started to get interested into whisky shortly before your first edition of the MWY, but the world had changed a lot. Can you please tell us what have been the biggest changes over the last 20 years that you have seen in this industry and during the last decade?
IR:
Apart from the huge number of new distilleries, and not least outside the established Big Five whisky countries, that I mentioned before, there has been a shift in how the consumers perceive whisky. It is still definitely the number one spirits category but we´ve seen other spirits stepping up challenging whisky. Gin and (more recently) tequila are two of the categories and while white spirits such as these perhaps are not what a whisky drinker would swap to, there is always rum growing the numbers. At the same time there are markets in the world that are quite new to whisky, not least in Asia, that will compensate for the falling sales in more mature markets, Europe for instance.
We´ve also seen a lot of work from the producers trying to establish whisky in the on-trade market (bars, pubs, restaurants) moving away from enjoying your whisky neat or perhaps with ice into a myriad of exciting cocktails and drinks. This is one trend that I myself enjoy very much!
One of the biggest changes in the last decade can be found not least in Scotland where new distilleries are looking back into history to create their whisky. Old production methods using heritage barley, longer fermentations, direct fired stills and floor malting is all about recreating what whisky used to be.
Finally we have the trend of Gen Z where drinking no or low alcohol will affect the whisky business. A young generation being considerate about their health could be a threat to the industry although I´m kind of reluctant to label concern about your well-being as a bad thing.
WN: How has your relationship evolved with the industry during these years? And the main challenges that you are facing?
IR:
I created the Malt Whisky Yearbook as a tool for whisky enthusiasts like myself to keep abreast of what was happening in the whisky world. What pleasantly surprised me within a few years was that the whisky industry itself decided that the book could be something to put in then hand of their sales people, tour guides and brand ambassadors. I didn´t see that coming but it was a very pleasant add-on.
From being completely un-known in the industry back in 2005, I realise that I have over the years earned more respect for my work which often gives me an easier access to news or distillery visits.
WN: The Whisky scene has changed a lot in Sweden over these 20 years, and recently Macmyra has filed for bankruptcy. Can you describe, in your eyes, what is the situation, in your home country, Sweden, currently and how it has changed over the last decade?
IR:
Currently we have around a dozen malt distilleries working in Sweden and everybody knows that Mackmyra were the first back in 1999, paving the way for the rest. The fact that Mackmyra filed for bankruptcy a few months ago had a lot to do with too brave investments in their new gravity distillery a decade ago. Anyway, the distillery has made its way back with new investment and every distillery in Sweden is happy for that as are the consumers.
Swedish producers, as well as many other companies in the Nordics, produce amazing whisky that I am sure will grace the overall world of whisky for many years to come.
WN: What have been your most memorable events or experiences during these 20 years?
IR:
Apologies for a very boring answer but it´s absolutely impossible for me to single out a few moments. What I can say is that it has always been down to meeting and sharing moments with the people producing the whisky, hearing their stories and together enjoying the spirit they made. The proud look in their eyes when we raise our glasses is incomparable!
WN: What are your favourite whiskies?
IR:
Apologies again but impossible for me to answer.
WN: When now involved in whisky, what is your favourite occupation?
IR:
I´m a keen birdwatcher and have been for as long as I can remember.
WN: Thank you so much for your time Ingvar, and please keep going on with your book, as it is an invaluable reference. I wish you all the best.
IR:
Thanks Patrick for giving me the time and hope to see you along the whisky trails again before long!
Patrick B., whisky-news.com©2024