The Waverley Gazette

Whisky In Your Pocket by Neil Wilson has been published in The Netherlands, translated by Hans Offringa

Neil Wilson's book "Whisky in Your Pocket" has been published in the Netherlands.

The translation into Dutch is by Hans Offinga. Hans Offringa has a long history with Neil Wilson's book.

WHISKY IN YOUR POCKET

Neil Wilson's book was first compiled by Wallace Milroy called 'The Malt Whisky Almanac'. That book was a guide for Scottish malt whisky, and was published in 1986. At that time Wallace Milroy with his brother Jack Milroy owned a small drinks shop at 3 Greek Street, in Soho, London.

Hans Offringa is the author of several books on whisky, and include De Smaak van Whisky. Hans met Wallace Milroy, and also Neil. Hans' interest in malt whisky led to not only a life long passion for malt, but also a career as a whisky writer and then publisher.

Hans Offringa recounted the story about the Miroy Brothers in Whisky Passion magazine earlier this year:

In 1964 a small wine and liquor shop opened its doors at 3 Greek Street in the London borough of Soho. Its owner Jack Milroy sported a beautiful collection of world class wines, a nice assortment of blended Scotches and, according to local lore, only four single malts: Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glen Grant and Tomatin. That would all change five years later, when his brother Wallace joined the firm after he returned from a 17-year stint in Africa, where he had worked as a mine engineer and prospector. With his excellent contacts in the Scottish whisky world, being a real connoisseur and lover of Scotch, Wallace commenced to grow the collection of single malts on the shelves of Milroy’s of Soho, as the shop came to be known internationally.

To further promote the business, a little book would be an ideal marketing tool, especially since the brothers had made quite a name for themselves, were excellent hosts and had been entertaining quite a few celebrities from the UK and abroad. Wallace Milroy’s Malt Whisky Almanac was born and spread Wallace’s fame as expert on Scotch malt whisky. He started to travel around the world to promote single malts with tastings and storytelling, and to sign his little book. Brother Jack kept defending the fort at home – more interested in wine, although he would not turn down a fine dram. Legendary stories exist about the business exploits of the brothers. At one time, in 1988, they bought 350 bottles of a 50-year-old Balvenie, from Peter Grant Gordon (of Glenfiddich and Balvenie fame) for £150 per bottle. That same year Wallace went on tour in Japan and managed to sell all bottles for £360 apiece to a local businessman. Then there is the story of four hogsheads of Macallan, distilled (not bottled!) in 1949, bought from the distillery for £8,000 in total and sold within a very short time to another Japanese client over a business breakfast for £100,000! When Jack decided in 1993 to sell the company, Milroy’s of Soho had become world-famous among whisky lovers and contained over 600 different single malts on the shelves. Bothbrothers stayed active in the whisky world as consultants. For a short period of time Jack also bottled his own whisky under the label “John Milroy.” Wallace continued to present whisky masterclasses and tastings, while his almanac was regularly updated with the help of his longtime friend Neil Wilson, a Scottish whisky writer and publisher in his own right. Milroy’s changed hands a couple of times since then but is still located at the same premises. Unfortunately, Wallace died in 2014, after having completed seven different editions of his tasting guide throughout the years. Neil Wilson continued the work, albeit under a different title: Whisky in Your Pocket, now available as the 10th edition, based on the original whisky almanac. The contents have shifted from a mere tasting guide to a compact overview of all Scottish single malt distilleries and grain distilleries, with figures about annual capacity, number of stills, water source, a short note on the standard bottling, addresses and information about visiting possibilities. In the back of the book one can find a number of blended whiskies. Brother Jack continues to live on the Suffolk coast, in his mid-80s, still enjoying a good glass of wine.