Chelsey Belec & Pamela Dobbin from Dram Fine BY JOHANNE MCINNIS Q&A with Canadas # 1 Whisky Podcasters
I found the Dram Fine podcast during the height of the pandemic lockdown. On April 14th 2020 I was death scrolling the interweb looking for something better than bread making or Netflix at 10:45pm and lo and behold, there was episode 2 - Nose your whisky. As I lay on my couch in the darkness and listened to the easy banter about smelling whisky during morning sickness, the way aromas can shoot straight up your nostrils and Chelsey’s statement of “sometimes it’s ok to say it smells like burning”, I found myself smiling along while reaching for my own Aberlour A’bunadh batch #65. It was the most unpretentious, relaxing 15 minutes of conversation that I experienced those first couple of weeks of isolation. Needless to say, I’ve been tuning in ever since. Simply stated, IYKYK.
driving through Glencoe and stepped out to see the Scotch mist hugging the thicket of the mountain range with a dead silence that really felt like she was travelling somewhere back in time (I can hear the bagpipes in the distance I swear). Pamela on the other hand has very fond memories of Port Charlotte beach on Islay. Her great aunt had a house across the street from there and Pam spent many summers in this extremely special place. In February 2024, she took her eldest daughter there and it was heartwarming to see yet another generation enjoying that same identical spot. Q: Who do you feel is an inspiration or that leads by example in this industry? Without hesitation both answered Reece Sims from Vancouver British Columbia. She’s not only a spirits writer and judge but the creator of Flavour Camp. “Reece is a very strong stoic type, who is hard working and so consistent in what she does. “I have such admiration for her and I don’t think she realizes it”, Chelsey stated. Pam agreed that Reece and what she is building truly inspires her to the point that when she sees something she there are times she automatically knows when it is Reece’s work because her branding is so recognizable and high-quality. Both feel honoured to call her a friend. Q: Do you think less availability or affordability lead to hoard-ability? It’s on everyone’s lips these days – less and less of some of our favourite whiskies are available or have price tags that exceed our budgets. Exploring affordable drams was one of the reasons Pamela felt creating Dram Fine was important in the first place, because after all, whisky is just a drink and how much a bottle cost shouldn’t scare people away from enjoying it. The escalating price tags create limited options that potentially lead to elitism or a dim future for the category. Whereas Chelsey expressed the fact that as bottles (good examples are Springbank and Ardbeg) become harder to get, the more we see people preying on these opportunities by buying as many of the limited releases solely as investment or secondary market resales. There seems to be a link between how less availability might drive up the affordability and hoard-ability, thus putting whisky enthusiasts in a sad situation no matter what.
Q: How did this all start?
Chelsey was working at a great bar when the Ardbeg Supernova made her take notice (I knew I liked her for a reason), whereas Pamela grew up on Islay where her grandfather worked at Bruichladdich. At age 18 her granny introduced her to blended whiskies which sent her down her own path of whisky discoveries. These splendid characters met on a work luncheon and literally bonded over a great prank about Buckfast. Within weeks of that fateful meeting Chelsey realized she wanted to do something unique with Pam like start a band but since neither played instruments, the podcast quickly came to light and fruition. Together they decided this wasn’t going to be another superfluous podcast of two people shooting the shit and rambling about whisky. The pilot was conceived on September 19th 2019. However, that wasn’t the only thing that was conceived. Two weeks later Pamela found out she was pregnant and unbeknownst to Chelsey at that time, she was too about a month later. So 2020 became the year of three P’s = Podcasts, Pregnancy and Pandemic! Q: What are the favourite places you love in Scotland and why? Scotland is definitely one of the most magical places in the world, talk to anyone who is from there or has visited and they will agree. For Chelsey, during her inaugural visit she was
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the whisky explorer magazine
the whisky explorer magazine
SUMMER 2024
SUMMER 2024
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