Paterson recently celebrated 50 years at the firm and he was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Spirits Challenge 2020.
He is nicknamed “The Nose” thanks to his peerless ability to assess the quality of whiskies, and he has served as the International Spirits Challenge whisky chairman for several years.
Queen Elizabeth II has now made him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) to celebrate his fantastic contribution to the industry over the past five decades.
In September 2020, Paterson announced that he would step back from his role as Whyte & Mackay master distiller, and instead concentrate solely on its flagship distillery, The Dalmore.
“I have been fortunate to have enjoyed each and every one of my 50 wonderful years,” he said. “I have had the opportunity to work with many incredible people down through the years, and incredible whiskies too of course.
“I am truly proud of what we have achieved together as Whyte and Mackay. For myself, I have the great honour to care for the truly extraordinary whisky we create at The Dalmore. I look forward to sharing some very special releases of The Dalmore in 2021.”
