PROFILE : Meet Thami Banda, the whisky connoisseur

South African Thami Banda has crafted an expertise in the world of whisky which has seen him become the brand ambassador of Glenfiddich for Sub-Saharan Africa.

He recently visited Tanzania for a second time and Sound Living had a one on one with him

Growing up, did you ever see yourself taking this path as a career choice?

I never imagined that I could be honoured with such experience, where I travel the world and share knowledge centred around ‘water of life’ which is what whisky is.

Two things that I’ve done in my career that were very impressive; one is I used to be a spokesperson to a mayor in Pretoria, South Africa. It was very difficult being a spokesperson to the mayor because it was almost similar to being a spokesperson to the president. Very few people know this; Pretoria has the second highest number of embassies in the world after Washington DC. So when we host what we call ‘guest residence dinner’ we would have all the nations of the world in one hall. Learning their culture, what is important to them and how they perceive us was a challenge.

Other than my former occupation (spokesperson), I think because I’m very playful, if I was not into whisky, I’d be a pharmacist – one who practices a lot of experiments in his garage, I’m just crazy!

Tell us about your journey into the whisky business

It started in a simple assignment of being a brand activator for a small region in Johannesburg, South Africa….Soweto to be precise…but in a short space of time grew to the African region. I have always believed that I did not get a job in whisky – but whisky found me! I wasn’t looking for it, it discovered me.

Tell us about the first time you tasted whisky

Whisky is a hard, hot drink, so it was tough. You know whisky starts with the letter ‘W’ like the word ‘woman’, I spent nine months in a womb of a woman, and even now in my late 30s I’m still trying to figure them (women) out. So I relate the experience to whisky because it is an ever evolving experience. As much as I think I now know how whisky tastes like, there’s still more to pick up.

What are some of the challenges involved in this business?

One of the challenges is to learn more about whisky. I’m not just a fan of Glenfiddich, I’m a fan of whisky as a whole. So the greatest challenge in whisky is to ensure that we are relevant all the time – relevant to the taste and the palate of people in that particular market. For instance if you look at the Tanzanian market people love cooking, partly because of the influence of the Indian community that is here, so the cuisine is quite diverse and very unique. On that point, you can’t just have a dimensional whisky to implement a person because they grew up with a diverse tastebud anyway. So it’s a journey that unfolds every day.

As the continent’s Glenfiddich brand ambassador, you are required to understand the nations and cultures of your patrons, what appeals to you most about Tanzanian culture?

Tanzania is rich with two key things…its people, and cuisine. I have never found a place in the world that has the association of both, married so well together – creating a fine balance that makes a tourist feel at home!

What’s your most wonderful whisky experience to this day?
Whenever I visit the Glenfiddich distillery in Scotland; I am humbled to have an opportunity to drink whisky in a cask in my favorite warehouse -- warehouse8, which keeps some of our old expressions.

What do you find most thrilling about Tanzanian whisky preference?

Tanzania has a continuously evolving taste which is heavily influenced by their stunning cuisine, so you can’t judge the whisky preference fairly on the evolving culture, but rather appreciate the genuine organic growth of the category!

As a growing whisky market, what’s your take on the growth of Tanzanian whisky consumers?

This is in line with the genuine growth of the country’s economy, which has led to the current emerging middle class that has huge influence on spending capacity, appreciating finer things in life, and whisky benefits on that immensely.

Describe a perfect meal that blends well with Glenfiddich

Currently in Tanzania, we have 12, 15, and 18 year old…and each of these whiskies have a distinctive taste, so; Glenfiddich 12 will do well with any seafood meal – especially less spiced fish. Glenfiddich 15 will be perfect with vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate and a touch of cinnamon. Glenfiddich 18 will be fantastic with roasted lamb, once more less spiced.

What’s the most effective way of marketing a brand like Glendfiddich to the Tanzanian market?

As a growing economy with beautiful emerging middle class…it is always best to position our whisky as an extension of one’s personality and lifestyle – this is also driven by a simple fact; Glenfiddich is the most awarded single malt whisky in the world.

If you were serving drinks to someone and thought they’ve had too much, how would you cut them off?

Politely advise the importance of creating fresher memories tomorrow than to exhaust all of them today, a well-kept mate, is a friend you meet tomorrow.

What’s your favourite non-alcoholic beverage?

They are two; Cranberry Juice, and RedBull – fortunately in South Africa they have a cranberry infused version of RedBull – but I will never turn down a good glass of water away.

South Africa is a famous spot for Tanzanian artistes due to its scenery, what famous sites have you visited in Tanzania?

Unfortunately it’s not a site – but a resource: Tanzanians are great people, and their energy is second to none. I don’t have to be in a particular area to have fun or pleasure; give me a Tanzanian, his/her energy will be my fun.

What are the differences and similarities between Tanzanian and South African drinking cultures?

Tanzanians are very shy to party during the day; that’s the first thing. They party hard at night and pretend to be descent people during the day – maybe except on weekends. But in South Africa, or probably even the rest of the African countries I’ve been to, people are not shy to organise a party from nowhere. Tanzania has beautiful facilities and weather, so there’s no reason why people shouldn’t enjoy themselves. So I say Tanzanians are a bit shy, that’s the only difference. It’s not the drinking culture, it’s management of perception, if I’m to put it that way.

What drink have you made today?

One of our sister products is the Hendrick’s gin, so on a beautiful hot day it’s not a harmful drink to have because it’s a refreshing drink.

You drink it with tonic and you add slices of cucumber in there just to bring out a little bit of botanical flavor out of the gin – gins are not known for having flavours because it’s a very distilled product with no maturation like whisky so you just need to infuse it with a couple of cucumbers.

What’s the best and worst time to drink whisky?

The best time to taste whisky is between 9 and 11 am – when I’ve just woken up and there’s no outside interference. With regards to the worst time; considering your mood, all I can say is don’t drink whisky when you’re angry.

Email: mthomson@tz. nationmedia.com