We had the opportunity to speak to Instagram: Rolexwhisky about his passion for Whisky and Watches, or should we say one particular watch, the coveted Rolex. Not only is this an interesting read about a family man, a watch collector and a whisky hunter, but check out the photos. We were blown away.
Lets kick things off the best way I know how. Tell me about yourself. Give us the rundown of who you are.
G: I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, I am a husband, a father of 2 young kids, a sales guy, and an avid whisky hunter. Before I got into hunting I believed Johnnie Walker was the best whisky you could have, the real top shelf.
Your Instagram Rolexwhisky features some spectacular whisky spirits as well as some out of this world rolex’s. What prompted you to start this venture and how did you know the combination of both would be such a big success?
G: I actually started it as just my rolex watches, and would take cool pics of them since they are so unique. Then I got into the whisky game and my mentors suggested putting the 2 together, and rolexwhisky was born. It started out as a fun little thing and has grown into an international playground. When I first started hunting we had just had our second child and I was opening a different bottle every night with my wife, when we had some down time. Then a friend said WTF are you doing, do you know how much that is worth, and that slowed it down tremendously. As far as the combo being successful, I could never of imagined the fun and friends that would come from this, I am so grateful, and its a blast. The Yamazaki Mizunura is the hot unicorn right now, it took work to find that one. I live in San Diego so we get such limited allocation, its almost impossible to hunt locally. I love the interactions and the bargaining 😉
Let’s say hypothetically from this day forward you could only have rolex’s or whisky, which would you choose and why?
G: Tough question, I got 5 unique and awesome rolex’s, there are only maybe 2 more I want, so whisky would be the winner. Each time I take a time out, I get pulled back in, now I am chasing the elusive Michters 25 year bourbon that is out this week.
You call yourself a rare Asian Whisky hunter, what bottles have you come across or own that you would consider rare. And do you save them as an investment or open them and enjoy with friends or loved ones?
G: Anything that is made in limited production I want, 80% are investment and 20% are drinkers, but now I have a friend who calls me after he opens really expensive Japanese Whiskys and I trade with him, so that is a whole new chapter. Nothing like casually drinking a 3 grand bottle, FML.
Do you lean more personally towards bourbon or scotch, or dare I say Foreign Spirits?
G: I had never had bourbon or rye before, and grew up mostly on Johnnie Walker and J&B. So once I tasted the Japanese whiskies, the bourbons, and the Taiwanese whisky it was a whole new world, and I jumped in hook, line and wallet. My specialty in the area is Japanese, its my primary hunt, the attention to detail and small bottle numbers excites it, its like perfection each time. Then Michters, and Pappy are my main bourbon jams, I do have a few others but only if they won an award or limited like the Bookers, Four Roses, and EHT. For my foreign assets, it suntory, and ichiros primarily with a splash of Nikka, and I was the first person I know to get all 11 Kavalan Solists in the US, that was a great hunting experience. To answer your question, lol, I lean towards high quality.
Is rolexwhisky a hobby, or has it grown into something you can call a career?
G: Maybe its a mix of both? Its growing, I go to events now, I get invited places, and honestly I love that, I love the industry and want to grow into it. There are only a few guys that are doing it, so there are room for a few more for sure. Its a passion now.
As with any whisky influencer, I feel there is some responsibility regarding the kind of content you post. When you decide to make a post for the day, is it spontaneous or do you take the time to prep a few days before you post it on your ig?
G: Oh man, I fly by the seat of my pants, there is no planning, I drink, I hunt, I post, lol. I am trying to get more creative now and my follower count is showing that its working, and they are all whisky peeps.
The Whisky Market has become a global brand these past few years. With countries as far as Taiwan, South Africa, and India producing some quality spirits. What do you think began this surge or inter-country production or contributions?
G: More power to all of them, if you are good at something, show it off, let the world give you feedback. I can’t get all the brands, but I am paying attention at all times. What began the surge was the huge uplift in Japanese whisky I believe, I mean look at the playing card series, they were almost free 7 years ago, now they go for thousands. The Japanese woke up the whisky world. Old school whisky houses like The Macallan are adjusting to the need for fresh and new, I am very impressed with some of the bottles especially the special edition series they did. Keep innovating, it just makes it way more fun, whisky is the new wine for the younger folks. Guys dropped thousands on wines for years, now its whiskys, take a look at the auctions it will blow your mind
If you could summarize your love for whisky with 3 phrases, what would they be?
G: Superior Quality, intense flavors, and high demand
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
G: Follow all of us on Instagram: rolexwhisky chat with us, ask questions, we are all just guys and gals next door, no ego, no attitude, so please interact more.
