Interview with the Independent Bottler, The Roots

First and foremost, we’d like to tell you that The Roots were the first Independent Bottler that we contacted before we even started 3spirits. We were so impressed by their releases that we really wanted to work with them more than ever. Their bottlings are a great mix of traditional and very modern approach to the spirits industry. Whiskies like Old Rhosdhu of 29 years of age were never to be found, a Glenrothes from the 80’s and a Secret Highland ( well, Tomatin) from the 70’s were the types you could only dream of tasting unless you have a really deep pocket or knew a very good old friend who happened to decide to crack open a bottle. Rums from Hampden and Foursquare, arguably some of the best rums in the market and cognacs from the 40’s and 50’s.. All of these with beautifully designed labels. If only we could try them all…

Long story short, a few phone calls later, paperwork and emails later, transportations and customs later,  and here they are, finally available in Switzerland!!

We will be forever grateful to The Roots for their trusting, their availability, their kindness and for the fact that they are bottling some of the best spirits at the moment!

-          The Roots, thank you very much for your time. First of all, can you tell us about the creation of The Roots? How did it start?

In December 2020, my girlfriend (41 years old) died of skin cancer. At moments like that, you start thinking a bit more about certain aspects and you get a different view on some things in life.

For several years, I have been extremely passionate about whisky and spirits in general. For a long time I played with the idea to do something with it, only there was that proverbial 'push' needed to take such a step.  We only live once and why not go for your hobby and passion? No sooner said than done... and ‘The Roots’ as an independent bottler in Belgium was born.

But it must remain a passion so this is not my full time job.

-          Your first bottling was an Invergordon 1972, a single grain whisky. That is quite a statement. Why did you choose it to be your first release?

It sounds like a cliché, but you can only make a first impression once. So the first official release as a new independent bottler had to be one that must amaze everyone. With this I also wanted to set the tone for the following releases and make it clear that The Roots was not just another independent bottler in the list. Maybe that also typifies me as a person: 'Fear of being average!' 😊

-          You are bottling some pretty old spirits. A Tomatin 1978, a Glenrothes 1985 and some cognacs from the 40’s and 50’s.. How did you manage to get hold of such old casks?

Currently, it is not easy to get older spirits (or any spirits) at acceptable prices. Therefore, it takes a lot of effort, patience and an extensive network to be able to acquire such casks.

However, it is not all plain sailing as everyone is looking for these casks and sometimes it feels like you’re in a boxing match where you get more KO’s than you got back up.

-           Your bottlings are all of natural cask strength, nonchillfiltered and of natural colour. Why did you decide this? Do you think spirits that way are the best it can be?

In a world where quantity reigns supreme, we go back to the roots. Never ever a compromise will be made in the search for quality. The satisfaction of bottling a beautiful spirit is what it’s all about.

Everything is carefully chosen with a lot of passion and dedication. We also go for our spirits in their purest form such as natural color, unchillfiltered and preferably bottled at cask strength.

I always compare it to going out to a restaurant. I expect the chef to serve me his dishes taking care of the “perfect” seasoning.

It is up to me to find the perfect alcohol strength to match the cask I select. Very often cask strength is ideal, however, it does not take away, for example, a little watering down to make it stand out even more.

For me personally, an abv between 50-54% is the sweet spot for many spirits.

Hence I find it very important to be very transparent on the labels and give the end customer all possible info he needs.

-          Your Jamaican Rum HD 2012 received 91 points from Serge Valentin on WhiskyFun, your Cognac La Cabanne Lot 50 a 9 out of 10 from Thijs of wordsofwhisky.com and your Whisky Glenrothes 1985 a 90 out of 100 from Ruben on whiskynotes.be. Those are quite the experts talking. Are you the sole judge on deciding what to bottle or are you working with a team of extremely good palates?

I myself am the only “judge” when samples are tasted. The bottom line is that I would only bottle something that I myself would actually want to buy a bottle of.

Of course, every now and then I let an acquaintance taste a cask sample, but by then my choices are already a foregone conclusion as you have to be quick to select the best casks so that no one else snatches them right from under your nose.

-          And then, what is your approach on tasting spirits? What is it, for you, that makes a spirt taste great, whether it being a whisky, a rum or a cognac? Do you have a guideline?

Everything starts with nosing as this is the very first encounter with the spirit. If this is not love at first sight, chances are very high that it will not be selected. Furthermore, I am always looking for a certain (tropical) fruitiness in any spirit. If this all falls into place with all the criteria checked off, then we have a possible contender for a new release.

-          We are seeing some Independent Bottlers (Swell de Spirits, Grape of the Art …) bottling Armagnac and Calvados, Luca Gargano has been bottling Clairin for some time now… Are there any distilleries or a particular style of spirits that you haven’t bottled yet that you would, could, should?

Very good question, but I think there are too many to list. I will focus specifically on 1 particular spirit, i.e. whisky/whiskey in this case.

I myself am a big fan of Ben Nevis (before the hype of the sublime 1996 vintage) and of Bowmore. I hope to one day release a stunner from these distilleries, but I am also a fan of e.g. mid 90's Glentauchers.

I'm also not just limiting myself to Scotch single malt, as Irish whiskey from 1991 or early 2000s is also high on my wishlist.

-          The labels on your bottles are beautifully designed. They are bright but in a dreamy sense.. Who is behind the labels? Can you explain the meaning behind them?

Super nice to read as a lot of work is put into the design of the labels.

A good whisky friend is a graphic designer and he is helping to create the labels.

I am sure that he has already cursed a few times because I am not easily satisfied. It has to be finished to perfection so he has already had a lot of work :-)

For me, each label represents something of meaning with the spirit itself. This can vary from a particular feeling I experience when smelling/tasting the spirit. Furthermore, it can also be a nice hint or a connection to the distillery or its character. For example, if I am not allowed to use the name of the distillery and only I know what it is, I will always incorporate it in such a way that it speaks for itself.  I refer to the Secret Highland 1978 where there are tomatoes on the label. Speaks for itself normally which distillery (Tomat..) it is about, no?

-          Due to small quantities produced, The Roots are only distributed in a few retailers. How do you decide who get the chance to have your products?

I always look for an exclusive shop in a region/country that exudes the same values for which The Roots wants to stand, i.e. passion and always striving for quality in the products delivered. We are also always looking for people who are fun to deal with and who like to put a smile on customers' faces.

-          You are about to celebrate your second anniversary. Congratulations!! What can we expect in the future?

Currently, there are a lot of new features in the pipeline. As we speak there are 3 new releases coming to market, including 2 Islay whiskies and 1 cognac Grande Champagne from 1953. These are in honour of the second anniversary.

We also have a hugely fruity Armagnac on the program that will probably be released at the end of this year.

For Q1 2025 we have 2 rums planned, namely a tropical fruit bomb (peach & mango…) and an ester bomb.

And quite possibly something else that I mentioned on earlier in this article.... 😉