Opinion Dominic Roskrow

Dominic Roskrow

UK-based world spirits expert Editor - Whisky Quarterly

These uncertain times

As COVID-19 continues to change the world, Dominic Roskrow muses on what the future holds for the international drinks landscape…

BRITISH PRIME Minister Boris Johnson may seem to many people to be a rambling buffoon, but he hit the nail on the head with his description of how we would have to battle COVID-19 in the future. Or rather, he hit the mole on the head. “It is like a giant game of Whack-aMole,” he said. “Every time it pops up somewhere we’ll have to whack it back down again.” If you’re not familiar with the game, a player uses a hammer to bash moles that pop up at random on the playing board. And as anyone from Leicester or Melbourne will tell you, that would seem to be exactly how the authorities are dealing with fresh spikes in the virus. It all adds up to very bad news for our futures. Where we originally thought and hoped the virus would be a tidal wave that would pass over us and leave us with a life that could return to normal, now we’re facing up to the fact that the ensuing waters are very choppy indeed, and that the possibility of more tidal waves cannot be ruled out. While different countries are at different places on the endless graphs that the medical experts bring out on a daily basis (and if you’re not aware, the rest of the world views what has happened in New Zealand with ill-concealed envy), it’s becoming clear that our lives are being transformed, and that our fates are inter-related.

Events are unfurling at a phenomenal rate globally and the drinks industry gives a snapshot of what is happening. As recently as late July, a renowned Austrian spirits expert optimistically thought he could travel to London as a judge for the International Wine and Spirits Competition, only to realise that London wasn’t the problem – but the 14-day self-isolation period on his return to Austria was. London’s The Whisky Show, organised by British retailer The Whisky Exchange and the world’s largest whisky tasting show, announced in late July that this year it would take place over a week rather than two days, and would be available as a virtual show.

At the time of writing, the organisers were selling tickets at a moderate £20, and offering ‘visitors’ entry to the event, access to all virtual exhibitor stands, access to demos and seminars, access to

There’s something a little bit sad about attending a whisky festival on a computer screen from your living room.

masterclasses, and an online show guide and magazine. A separate fee can be paid for tasting packs. The upside of all of this, of course, is that if you’re in New Zealand or anywhere else in the world, then you could enjoy unprecedented access to the world’s best whisky event from the comfort of home. But how sustainable is this business model? And while we may well be able to access online seminars from master distillers and global brand ambassadors broadcasting from their distilleries on Zoom, at what cost? The whole point of having a drink is to bring us together and to interact socially, isn’t it? There’s something a little bit sad about attending a whisky festival on a computer screen from your living room, especially if you live in New Zealand and you’re attending (and drinking) at some unearthly hour. And this is just the beginning. Whacka-Mole indeed.