Alexander Riehn,
a hotelier who has had a passion for whisky and Scotland since 1992 and has enjoyed sharing his expert knowledge with others for the past 25 years. That’s me!
It all began with a bottle of Highland Park 12yo that my parents brought back for me after a trip to Scotland. Completely unskilled in spirits at the time, I definitely liked the taste of this “water of life”. A few weeks later at an event I was introduced to Maker’s Mark, which was also very agreeable, but it tasted completely different. Both bottles were labelled “Whisky” (that’s right, without the “e”), yet they had such an utterly different character – and I was determined to find out why. I’ve known the reason why now for many years, but the story captivated me. I travelled, researched, taste tested (something I still do today) and decided that whisky, usually without the “e”, is my drink.
I studied Scottish history in depth, completed an internship at a distillery on the island of Islay, tried countless whiskies from all over the world, read the relevant books for employees of the Scottish whisky industry, took various whisky-related trips to Scotland and engaged in discussions with villagers and workers from the distilleries evenings at the pub. And from the very first talks I know: The stillman knows the most ….
For over 20 years I have incorporated my great passion into my profession by offering tastings, seminars and dinners for companies as well as training courses for service teams, bartenders and sommeliers at the hotels I have managed.
What makes my tastings so special? I share my passion for whisky by explaining where it comes from and how it is made with many illustrations and interesting and entertaining stories from Scottish history. Being a hobby photographer for the past 40 plus years has enabled me to extensively document my travels through Scotland. Various anecdotes, interesting occurrences and Gaelic toasts make every evening a fascinating and stimulating event.
Slainte!