Scott McKenzie, as his colleagues at Cask Liquid Marketing said when they revealed the news of his death today, was ‘one of the good guys.’ He certainly was, and I am so sorry to hear that he has died at the age of only 53.
I first met Scott when he worked for Marblehead back in the late 90s – and over the years we have shared many a story, more than a few drinks, and a few sore heads.
He learned his craft from an industry legend Ricky Agnew at Marblehead and that stood him in good stead over the years. He joined Proximo and helped launch Kraken Rum into the Scottish market – the success the brand enjoys today in Scotland is no small measure to the effort he put in.
For the last seven years he worked with Cask as Northern Sales Manager and we joined up to judge the Benromach Whisky Bar of the Year category last year. He had the best chuckle and a great knowledge of the industry and he could talk the hind legs off a donkey. A trait we shared. We had such a good few days. I last saw him at this year’s awards – he was looking very dapper in his burgundy velvet evening jacket.
Cask said on the announcement on his death, “The word ‘legend’ is well overused in the exaggerated lexicon of the current day, but Scott McKenzie was exactly that. No fanfare, no circus, no blatant self-promotion on social media, just someone who quietly went about his job, helping to shape drinking habits and expanding people’s knowledge, making our lives more interesting.
With a career spanning four decades, Scott worked on some of the industry’s most iconic brands – Maker’s Mark, Wyborowa, Kraken, Ocho, Benromach, to name but a few. But it wasn’t just the job that he did or the brands that he worked on that made Scott who he was. He delivered his work with passion, knowledge, kindness, and consideration. He was genuinely loved by all his customers and the fortunate people that encountered him.
“As anyone who ever knew Scott will testify, we have all been left with a huge hole. It is going to take a long time to heal.
“This is especially true for all the team at Cask. As a colleague Scott was compassionate, positive, funny, educated. He had the natural flair of a raconteur, and a wide-ranging intellect on any number of topics. All delivered with his signature style and dapper outfits.
“And anyone who has had the pleasure of Scott’s company at a Cask team meeting will know, there would always be a plethora of Scottish treats – Tunnock’s Tea Cakes and Caramel, in particular – washed down with his preferred tipple, diet Irn Bru. He thought about others before he thought about himself and always had the time to listen and empathise. The mark of an exceptional human being.
“Some of us at Cask have known Scott since the 90’s, some of us much more recently. The result is the same. We are all devastated by his passing and we are all going to miss him terribly.”
All our thoughts are with his family at this time.