Adam Drummond
I am the Blue Collar in this whisky pairing duo. I am a 38-years old certified red seal Automotive Service Technician and have been fixing cars for a living for 13 years. Although new car technology is sometimes cutting edge and very complex, it is still, very much, a blue collar job (my uniform shirt collar is actually blue!). I am happily married, for 17 years, to my beautiful wife Brandy and have two amazing daughters. My wife and I work very hard as a team to provide our girls with as many opportunities in life as possible.
I am a throws coach for a local Track and Field Club and have also been a Scottish Highland Games Heavy Events Athlete (yes, I toss the telephone pole) for 11 years now. Working 10 hours a day, raising 2 daughters, lifting weights and training for competitions keeps me pretty busy.
My first experience with Scotch was on my wedding day when my brother gave me a bottle of 21 year single malt (can’t remember the brand). I remember being so amazed at how smooth and rich it was and how I drank it all night long and woke the next day with very little consequences. So this, along with being immersed in Scottish culture at Highland Games for the past decade, has shaped my taste and passion for the aqua vitae (Water of Life).
Gregory Cran
So, I am the scholar side of this whisky pair. I am a practitioner and an academic. My master’s degree and doctorate are in leadership and conflict. I have travelled extensively with my pen in hand; worked as a consultant with the World Bank and the UN Development Programme; taught in different graduate programs; and lectured at different universities around the world. In recent years, as my faculty colleagues would say, I moved to the dark side when I became a university administrator. Although I am still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, I love the journey so far.
My wife Wendy and I have travelled to Scotland numerous times and logged many hours and miles locating our subterranean relatives, learning about our past and experiencing the essence of what Scotland has to offer. Learning the history, touring the Highlands and
the Islands and sharing a dram of single malt along the way has been the highlight of our travels. The only thing blended we enjoy is our families.
Working with Adam on this project, meeting people with a passion for the ‘water of life’ that parallels ours own, is a rich and rewarding experience.