Blue Planet cameraman teams up with Old Pulteney
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AN award-winning underwater explorer and cameraman on the popular Blue Planet programme has teamed up with Old Pulteney whisky to tell tales of those whose lives have been shaped by the sea.
Doug Allan is the first partner in the new campaign, Rise With the Tide, in which "the Maritime Malt" highlights its coastal roots by following the inspirational stories.
As one of the world’s best-known and respected cameramen, Dunfermline-born Doug specialises in wildlife filming, particularly underwater. His 35-year career has seen him work on over 65 films and documentaries to date, and his award-winning work includes eight Emmys and four Baftas, most recently the Bafta Scotland Outstanding Contribution to Craft Award in 2017.
An outspoken ambassador for protecting the oceans against the effects of climate change, his life has been shaped by the sea, starting from the moment he tried on his first diving mask and learned to dive in Scottish waters.
To launch the campaign, Doug was invited to Wick to swap stories with Pulteney Distillery manager Malcolm Waring.
The first short film in the Rise With the Tide series can be seen here.
The film explores Doug’s best moments and once-in-a-lifetime experiences diving into the beauty of the UK’s coastline, and opens up about the significance of patience, an important virtue when working with nature.
I was struck by how much the team at Pulteney Distillery view the sea as a silent partner in their whisky-making.
Doug said: "Working with Old Pulteney has been a real pleasure – a wonderful insight into how the sea not only shapes our environment and our wildlife, but also our whisky.
"I was struck by how much the team at Pulteney Distillery view the sea as a silent partner in their whisky-making. The passion from Malcolm and the team at the distillery was evident, and I quickly understood how much respect they have for the sea – it’s made them who they are.
"It’s no wonder they want to highlight its life-giving, awe-inspiring power.
"For me, venturing into wildlife photography has brought me everything I could have hoped for in life – from diving into the unknown underwater to experiencing the excitement of befriending wild animals and witnessing them in their natural habitat, and exploring vast landscapes in some of the planet’s most extreme conditions. What a journey it’s been.”
Malcolm said: “Meeting Doug was like meeting a kindred spirit. He understands perfectly how the sea can be embraced for the betterment of people, place and product, and that’s a value we hold dear here at Pulteney.
"The sea is absolutely a part of everything we do… we’re known as the Maritime Malt for a reason. Our collection has a beautifully fresh, briny quality to it thanks to our casks ageing in the sea air, and it’s been that way since the beginning, when Wick really came into being thanks to the herring fishing industry and, really, thanks to the sea.”
Doug's Rise With the Tide story, the first in the series, launched on Monday (September 16) via www.oldpulteney.com/RiseWithTheTide.
Meanwhile, Doug is embarking on a 21-date UK theatre tour, Doug Allan Wild Images, Wild Life. The tour, sponsored by Old Pulteney, runs from September 16 to December 1, and in it he will share behind-the-scenes stories for all the family, with highlights from the most challenging assignments of his 35 years filming wildlife in the remotest places on earth.
