An Interview with Camilo Gómez Pinto
Whisky Brand Ambassador
To kick-off our series of ambassador interviews, we recently met with Camilo Gómez Pinto, who has recently completed his MBA in Glasgow and founded Once Upon a Whisky.
Before moving to Scotland, Camilo successfully launched Grant’s Cask Editions in the Colombian market, and was recognised for his outstanding execution of Grant's 'Celebration Tours' in Venezuela.
Q1. Why a career in whisky?
Whisky has been a source of inspiration for me, and others that I admire; historians, musicians, writers, actors, businessmen, and story tellers, among many others.
I believe whisky is much more than just an alcoholic beverage. It is a lifestyle, helping to connect people through a variety of passions and cultures.
For me, ‘Once Upon a Whisky’ emerged as an option for both locals and tourists in Glasgow, as it is really important that we inspire businesses to share the story of Scotland’s national drink with locals and visitors.
Q2. How important is whisky to Glasgow?
Glasgow is Scotland's biggest city, and has ambitious plans to grow the number of tourists. It is positioning itself as the 'gateway to Scotland', and Rough Guides recently named Glasgow as one of the best places in the world to experience culinary experimentation.
Launching Once Upon a Whisky in Glasgow is perfect as the city has unique characteristics - similar to whisky - and loads of personality.
For many whisky is still viewed as an old-fashioned drink, especially amongst some younger drinkers. The vibrancy of the city enables us to use the walking tour to change perceptions of the city and whisky through a unique experience.
Q3. What is your goal?
Our main objective is to demonstrate that the only old-fashioned thing about whisky is the perceptions.
If only more people knew that in countries like Japan they drink their whisky with lots of water, in South-America they drink it with coconut water, in China they preferred it with green tea, and some others drink it with ginger ale.
Same can be said for food pairings with seafood, sushi, chocolate, and cheese.
Our experiences of what the bartenders and restauranteurs are doing in some of the cosmopolitan venues in Glasgow proves this. We want to do out bit to shout about it!
Q4. Is whisky still a man’s drink?
Try telling Master Blenders like Maureen Robinson, Diageo, or Kirsteen Campbell, Cuty Sark that whisky is a man’s drink.
We need to continue encouraging as many people as possible to that whisky can be equally enjoyed by men and women.
Glasgow's cosmopolitan culture and exciting drinks menus will help open up the eyes and senses.
Q5. Tell us more about your tour product?
Glasgow is a Unesco City of Music, and Film City, with unique screen heritage, with many stories about theatre and cinema, so both tours, in the city centre or the west end, have been created to enjoy whisky from a different perspective.
During the experience, you will be able to break some myths about the spirit, learn different ways to drink whisky; pair whisky and food, sample popular whisky cocktails, and discover how whisky has influenced famous films and great personalities of the music industry.
Coming up : two separate blog posts, detailing Once Upon a Whisky tours in more detail.
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