From Learning to the Links

Learning About Golf Through Whisky

I came to golf backwards. 

I know far more about whisky than I do about golf. If you put a scorecard in front of me, I'd need a few minutes to work out what I was looking at. I’ve held a golf club once. Put a dram in front of me, though, and I'd be much more confident. I’ve held a whisky too many times to count. 

So, when I heard that Loch Lomond Whiskies was the Official Spirit of The Open, I assumed it was simply a sponsorship deal. Golf tournament meets whisky brand. Makes sense. End of story.  

The more I delve into the world of golf, the less I think that's true. 

One thing that surprised me about golf is how much time people spend talking about places. Not just famous courses, but individual holes. A golfer can tell you exactly where a tournament was won, lost or nearly thrown away twenty years ago. The landscape becomes part of the story.  

Whisky isn't so different. People talk about distilleries in the same way. A bottle isn't just a flavour; it's a place, a history and a set of people. You can mention Islay or Speyside, and whisky drinkers immediately know the sort of conversation they're about to have.  

That's what finally made the partnership click for me. Both golf and whisky are full of stories attached to places. 

The Open moves around Britain's great links courses. It’s the same tournament but every year the venue is different, stretching from Portrush, to St Andrews, to Royal Birkdale and beyond. Each course provides a new set of challenges and a different style. One tournament, many faces. And there, again, I spot a similarity. 

Loch Lomond's distilling set-up allows it to create a wide range of styles and flavours without ever leaving its home on the loch. The identity remains consistent, but the expressions vary. In that sense, there is an interesting parallel with The Open: a familiar name that reveals a slightly different character each time.  

Perhaps that's why the relationship feels natural rather than manufactured. 

And if you're the sort of person who enjoys learning about whisky through tasting it, July is a good time to visit Luss Distillery. Alongside the usual opportunity to sample Loch Lomond Whiskies, you'll also find a chance to learn more about the special bottles inspired by The Open and the partnership between two institutions that are, in different ways, telling Scottish stories.