In college, Aatish Nath got started by drinking Captain Morgan, but in the years since he’s become a whisky drinker. He prefers peaty, Islay malts now, but is looking forward to expanding his collection to include some of the great drams he’s tasted over the years. That includes the GlenDronach 21 and Ardbeg’s newest Fèis Ìle release. When it comes to cocktails, he’s a boulevardier or Negroni fan. He’s excited to try out different whiskies, especially from Australia. That said, most times it’s the setting and company that matters most.

Aatish Nath

It was while working at the Grand Hyatt that Pooja Vir was gifted a Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame for her birthday. She’s also a fan of an Old Monk and Thumbs Up, on occasion. When it comes to whisky though, Vir says that the way she drinks, depends on her mood. She elaborates, “While cooking I’ll make a whisky sour for company. Neat, if it’s a nightcap at home or in a bar. And in the summer heat, nothing quite like a whisky highball to cool things down a bit.” Up next, she’s hoping to buy a bottle from the Elements of Islay whisky collection while also looking forward to a trip to Scotland, where she can, “follow the travels that my friend Rachel McCormack writes about in her book Chasing the Dram.” Vir doesn’t have a favourite whisky, but she notes, “There’s no one answer! But if I want to shock a bartender - in most countries - all I need to do is ask for a specific whisky, and neat. It’s pretty disappointing how this still raises eyebrows.”

Pooja Vir

For Praveen Kamath, his first introduction to alcohol was through chilled beer, had during a company football tournament in the peak of summer. In the seventeen years since, he’s graduated to whisky and beyond. He says that he usually takes his whisky, “always neat with a dash of water if the ABV is too high.” Kamath is planning on buying a Paul John Mithuna while he learns more about the world of whisky and building his own home bar. He says he’s not a cocktail drinker, except maybe an LIIT on occasion, but there’s no particular whisky cocktail he seeks out, preferring instead to drink, “my whisky neat, to get all the flavours the distiller intended.” That said, tequila shots are a guilty pleasure. For Kamath, Paul John’s whiskies are what he drinks most though he’s looking forward to trying to Amrut whiskies too. Speaking about the importance of the Dram Club he says, “For me, I honestly attribute most of my knowledge of whiskies to Dram Club. Over the course of multiple tastings and physical meets, each event has helped to improve my understanding of the complex world of whiskies.”

Praveen Kamath

For Siddharth K, who works in the insurance sector, their first truly memorable drink was during a friend’s wedding on the cliffs around Kannur. He remembers the successions of whiskies at the wedding – reeling off Springbank 10, Aberfeldy 21 and then, Ardbeg Storm, serving as an introduction to the world of drams. The 38-year-old, can drink whisky in many ways, ranging from neat to a cube of ice, with splash of water and even with soda. Next on his to-by list is the Glenmorangie Signet but at some point, he’s looking forward to buying some good, aged cask strength whisky like the Bowmore 50 YO or the Highland Park 54 YO.He says he drinks too much of the Ardbeg 5 and Ardbeg 10, and next on his to-try list is the Arran and the Paul John Orbiter. His guilty pleasure however, is the Port Charlotte, no surprise given his preference for smoky, Islay pours. When it comes to cocktails, he’s happy with the penicillin, boulevardier or a good highball. About the Dram Club he says, “I discovered The Dram Club during the lockdown and ever since it has been an exciting phase. From the blind tastings, to online / physical events, the amount of knowledge garnered has been phenomenal. Add to that, the community members — the club has become a family of fun loving whisky enthusiasts.”

Siddharth K

Vanita Bakshi is a Corporate and Investment Banking Analyst who still remembers her first, great drink. She reminisces, “It was in Goa, almost 10 years ago and it was feni mixed with berries infused in soda. It was so refreshing, I still think of it to this day.” When it comes to new purchases, she’s planning to get a bottle Elijah Craig bourbon after trying it a Dram Club tasting. Another bottle on her to-buy list is Don Julio 1942 tequila, while separately, she’s excited to try more tequila, especially when paired with meals or tasted as a flight. If she’s ordering cocktails, it's usually a whisky sour or a Manhattan that she prefers. She says she has too much Jameson and Monkey Shoulder but her ultimate guilty pleasure is a negroni.No wonder since she says she doesn’t enjoy sweet cocktails and looks for, “a good balance of ice and alcohol.”

Vanita Bakshi