Richard Paterson

The Path

The discipline of whisky blending was built early in Richard Paterson’s career, beginning in 1966 as an office junior at A. Gillies & Co. That entry point led into a long run in whisky, where patience, memory and a steady palate became part of the job. By 1975, he had become master blender at Whyte & Mackay, a post he held until 2020. Across those years, his work was tied to steadiness: keeping a house recognisable while adapting to changing demand without losing the line. That length of service points to something practical in the trade: trust. A company trusts its blender to keep the liquid in line, and the blender trusts the liquid to hold to form. Richard Paterson’s career has been built on that balance between adjustment and restraint, between improving a house and preserving what already defines it. It is work carried out in casks, flavour and time, where small calls affect the public face of the distillery. Today, Richard Paterson’s current work is with Wolfcraig Distillery (since 2020). The task remains exacting, and his language stays focused on identity and precision. The job is to make sure each expression reads as itself, with no drift away from the house style.

The Work Today

“ The launch of The Dalmore 50 YO was incredibly exciting,” Richard Paterson said of one release. In trade terms, that kind of bottling is defined by age, rarity and the care required to bring it to point without overworking it. The emphasis is on control: the liquid has to arrive with its character intact. For that expression, he chose to finesse The Dalmore 50 YO in Henri Giraud Champagne casks for 50 days, a drink closely linked with celebrations. The detail is specific, but the principle is broader: cask, time and finish are used to shape the final balance. It is the sort of release that asks for a measured pour and attention to what the blender has kept in place.

Signature

Richard's signature wines include The Dalmore 50 YO, The Dalmore 45, The Dalmore Quintessence, and Dalmore 50 year old. Within the Dalmore line-up, those names cover long-aged statements and house expressions that carry the distillery’s defining profile. Taken together, they show the range of a blender’s work: holding style, building depth and keeping continuity visible across releases.

In Their Words “The first priority is to maintain house style; the second is consistency – that is sacrosanct.”