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From Arctic island distilleries to Irn-Bru bottle samples, Andrew Smith\u2019s whisky journey has been anything but conventional.<\/span><\/p>\n A practicing vet before co-founding <\/span>Little Brown Dog Spirits Ltd<\/span><\/a> in 2018, Andrew now spends his days selecting casks, managing maturation, blending, and designing releases for one of Scotland\u2019s most characterful independent bottlers. Alongside co-founder Chris Reid, he\u2019s helped turn LBD Spirits into an award-winning name, including taking home Best Blended Scotch and Independent Bottler of the Year at the 2024 Scottish Whisky Awards.<\/span><\/p>\n We caught up with Andrew to talk global whisky, dream drams, and the overlooked art of finding flavour in the unexpected.<\/span><\/p>\n Scotch may be Andrew Smith\u2019s first love, but his interest in global whisky runs deep, especially when it comes to the new Nordic scene.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a particular passion for the new wave of Nordic distillers,\u201d he says. Among his top picks are Thy and Sall in Denmark, Sm\u00f6gen in Sweden, and Kyr\u00f6 in Finland, a distillery LBD Spirits has even bottled from. But the one that really stands out?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMyken,\u201d says Smith, \u201cis probably one of the craziest places you could ever build a distillery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Located on a remote island north of the Arctic Circle, <\/span>Myken<\/span><\/a> is accessible only by a five-hour boat trip from Bod\u00f8 in northern Norway. It has no fresh water, seawater is desalinated for use, and just twelve full-time residents. And yet, improbably, it houses a working whisky distillery and even a restaurant run by a Michelin-starred chef.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDespite the obvious challenges in distilling in such a wild and remote location,\u201d Smith says, \u201cthey produce an incredible spirit that deserves all of our attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For him, whisky isn\u2019t just about flavour profiles, it\u2019s about story, setting, and the places whisky takes you. \u201cI\u2019ve always believed that whisky is an adventure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For someone who\u2019s built a career around whisky, you might expect Andrew Smith\u2019s dream drams to come from rare auctions or prestige bottlings. In reality, some of his most unforgettable whiskies came in recycled bottles with handwritten labels.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe had an old farming neighbour who\u2019d made friends with various warehouse managers over the years,\u201d Smith explains. \u201cHe\u2019d \u2018acquired\u2019 some absolutely crazy old whiskies, all in Irn-Bru bottles, wine bottles or reused whisky bottles, labelled with post-it notes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While the provenance may have been murky, the experience was invaluable. \u201cIt was a very useful exercise in developing your palate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n But not all of his favourites are anonymous. One standout was a 1939 <\/span>G&M<\/span><\/a> Mortlach<\/span><\/a>, shared among friends at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. Another memorable moment came at Lagavulin, spending an afternoon sampling casks in the warehouse with the legendary distillery character Pinkie.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo many of my best whisky drinking experiences have been as much about the people I was enjoying them with,\u201d he says. \u201cThat perhaps biases my perception of the dram and the moment, but that\u2019s kind of the point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While Andrew Smith\u2019s work at Little Brown Dog often focuses on small batches and single casks, he\u2019s quick to champion the value of well-made, widely available whiskies.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cReputations are built on your core product,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are a number of stand-out, excellent value malts out there right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Top of his list is the Arran 10 Year Old, not just because of his connection to the distillery, but because it consistently overdelivers. \u201cIt\u2019s just a quality product at a very fair price.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Other current favourites include:<\/span><\/p>\n Smith also singles out <\/span>Drookit Dug<\/span><\/a>, Little Brown Dog\u2019s own blended scotch. \u201cWe wanted to create a whisky that was good enough for whisky nerds like myself to enjoy, but also approachable and affordable for sharing,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n Bottled at cask strength (albeit a slightly lower ABV), with no chill filtering or added colour, it\u2019s what Smith calls \u201ca cask strength session dram.\u201d That balance between complexity and drinkability clearly resonated, Drookit Dug won Best Blended scotch at the 2024 Scottish Whisky Awards.<\/span><\/p>\n When asked about whisky styles, Andrew Smith doesn\u2019t have a single answer, and that\u2019s the point.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy love of whisky has developed because of the diversity of the spirit,\u201d he says. For Smith, preferences shift with mood, weather, location, and company. But his real focus is the relationship between spirit and cask.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA big part of my job at Little Brown Dog is trying to match spirit character with wood,\u201d he explains. It\u2019s not just about flavour, it\u2019s about finding harmony between distillate and maturation.<\/span><\/p>\n Some of his favourite pairings include:<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond the traditional options, Smith also enjoys experimenting with less common cask types, Calvados, Pineau des Charentes, and white port, to name a few. These more unusual finishes allow for new textures and flavours, while still respecting the underlying character of the spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI suppose variety is my own style.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For Andrew Smith, one distillery stands out not just for its spirit, but for its people: <\/span>Arran<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n It was <\/span>Lagavulin 16<\/span><\/a> that first sparked his curiosity in whisky back in 2002. But it was Arran that turned that curiosity into something more lasting. \u201cThe distillery that developed my interest in whisky from a passion to an obsession was Arran,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n What set it apart wasn\u2019t just the quality of the whisky, though that helped. It was the sense of community and welcome that left its mark. \u201cThe team there really made you feel like part of what they were doing,\u201d Smith explains.<\/span><\/p>\n Arran also played a key role in launching Little Brown Dog Spirits. \u201cLBD really owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to Euan Mitchell, MD at Isle of Arran Distillers, for the massive leg up they gave us in the beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Through Arran, Smith made a tight-knit, international group of lifelong friends, all brought together by a shared love of whisky. \u201cThat connection,\u201d he says, \u201cis what made it special.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ask Andrew Smith what defines a great independent bottler, and he\u2019ll tell you it\u2019s not about recreating consistency, it\u2019s about celebrating difference.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always in awe of the skills of the blenders in larger companies,\u201d he says. \u201cManaging to create consistent and recognisable products over and over again is a serious skill.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n But independent bottlers operate differently. \u201cThe skill of the IB is finding the inconsistencies, the little gems and casks with character that deserve to be singled out and celebrated individually.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a reminder that great whisky doesn\u2019t always follow the rules. Sometimes it\u2019s the unexpected cask, the unusual finish, or the one-off moment that makes something truly special.<\/span><\/p>\n Andrew Smith\u2019s whisky world is full of contradictions, Arctic islands and old grain, Irn-Bru bottles and sherry casks, session drams and once-in-a-lifetime pours. But running through it all is a clear philosophy: whisky should be adventurous, shared, and full of character.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether he\u2019s blending something new or tracking down a cask with a story to tell, Smith brings a deep respect for flavour, place, and people. It\u2019s not about the most expensive bottle on the shelf, it\u2019s about the one you remember, and why.<\/span><\/p>\n To explore the whiskies he\u2019s bottling now, including the award-winning Drookit Dug blend, visit<\/span> littlebrowndogspirits.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhisky Is an Adventure: Global Picks Beyond Scotch<\/span><\/h2>\n
Dream Drams & Memorable Moments<\/span><\/h2>\n
Best Core Range Picks: Quality Without the Price Tag<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Where Style Meets Wood<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The Distillery That Made It Personal<\/span><\/h2>\n
On Hidden Gems and the Art of Independent Bottling<\/span><\/h2>\n
Final Thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n