The SSO remembers Robin Laing (aka The Whisky Bard)

Robin Laing was a musician at heart, whose songs and stories were inspired by whisky. In July of 2023, the SSO along with the Ottawa Whisky Guild, held a concert with him at Lexington’s Smoke House in the Byward market.

He told the Scottish Society of Ottawa that he fell in love with whisky as a student, working a summer job in the 1970s at the Arisaig Hotel in the west Highlands, where he was put in charge of the cocktail bar.

“For that time, they had a remarkable selection of single malts, and it was my job to tell the customers about them, so I had to get interested pretty quickly,” he said. “I realized that single malts were quite different from blended whisky, and then discovered Talisker 100°. That got me started, and for the rest of my student days I would always have a decent bottle tucked away in the cupboard.”

At the time of his passing, Robin had recorded 16 albums, written countless poems, and produced four books about “the angel’s share.”

John McCheyne, the Master Ambassador for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, shared a post on Facebook, where he called Robin “... a great friend known across the globe as #TheWhiskyBard, and Chair of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society tasting panel for so many years.”

John also listed details of the service to remember Robin, which was scheduled for December 18 at the Daldowie Crematorium in Glasgow. He provided coordinates to view the recording, which will be available for 28 days after Robin’s service.

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