Nicholas Morgan
Nick Morgan’s career as a historian and writer was rudely interrupted by a thirty-year, award-winning spell in the Scotch whisky business. He established an historical archive for United Distillers (now the largest archive of historical material relating to alcoholic beverages in the world), after which he deftly side-stepped into marketing, managing the largest portfolio of single malts in the world, including brands such as Lagavulin, Talisker, Clynelish and Caol Ila. After more than twelve years he was appointed head of whisky outreach, affectionately known to some as ‘Diageo’s human shield.’ In 2017 he received the IWSC Outstanding Achievement award. He is a Master of the Quaich. Having left Diageo he has now returned to the relative sanity of the past, and recently published A Long Stride (2020), the official history of Johnnie Walker, and in 2021 Everything You Need to Know About Whisky But Are Too Afraid to Ask. He writes regularly for the Master of Malt blog and others about Scotch whisky and other spirits.
Without criticism there is only marketingFor his first column of 2023, Nick Morgan looks into the state of whisky and spirits criticism today and asks whether some writers are too close to the industry giants…
Cardhu Pure Malt and other ill-advised whisky reformulationsEarlier this week, Dr Nick Morgan looked at what happened when United Distillers lowered the strength of Gordon’s gin. Now in the second part, he looks at the furore when…
The reformulation of Gordon’s gin and other PR disastersIn a two-part special Dr. Nick Morgan looks at what happens when distillers mess around with the formula of well-loved brands. First up the sorry saga of when United Distillers…
Who got da funk?We often describe whiskies and other spirits as “funky” but what exactly does this mean? Dr Nick Morgan takes a journey into funk to find out. I doubt I”m not…
The sticky story of Southern ComfortWe’ve got a treat for you today, a look into the history of Southern Comfort. From its origins in a bar in Memphis, Tennessee to a global brand, taking in…
£16 million Ardbeg cask: a source of pride for everybody?Dr. Nick Morgan asks if the industry really should be shouting about the record-breaking £16 million Ardbeg cask from 1975 that sold this week, the sale price of which is more…
The Royal TouchAs the Queen celebrates 70 years on the throne this long weekend, Dr Nick Morgan takes a look at the long interlinked history of the Royal Family and the Scotch…
How Fèis Ìle was stolen by the Scotch whisky industryDr. Nick Morgan returns to chart the history of the Islay festival of Fèis Ìle to see if somewhere along the way it went from a festival of culture to…
The changing role of the whisky distillery managerWith news of the constant churn of distillery manager jobs in Scotch whisky, industry veteran Dr Nick Morgan takes a look at the history of the role, and how it…
Accelerated ageing, in search of whisky’s Holy GrailWhisky takes time. Following distillation, you have to wait years until it is ready to drink. It’s a process that can’t be hurried… Or can it? Dr Nick Morgan takes…
A Love Letter to Dukes BarDuring all the lockdowns, there’s one thing that Nicholas Morgan missed the most: a Martini made by Alessandro Palazzi at Dukes Bar in London. Here’s why… It’s hard to think…
Don’t over-ice my NegroniNick Morgan has a bone to pick with bartenders. He’s noticed a worrying trend to put so much ice in cocktails that it’s impossible to drink them. So for 2022,…
Whisky Investment Déjà VuA number of warnings about whisky investment firms have appeared in the press, and on this blog, in the past year. But, as Dr. Nick Morgan explains, dodgy schemes promising…
Lifting the lid on bulk Scotch whisky sales to JapanToday, we’re delighted to have a new writer for Master of Malt, industry veteran Dr Nick Morgan. Here he brings us a tale of greed, deception, and short-sighted business decisions,…
