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Sean Connery tops whisky-drinking wish list
He may be best associated with his “shaken, not stirred” Martini in James Bond, but Sir Sean Connery has topped a poll as the Scotsman most Britons would like to share a dram of whisky with.
Britons would like to share a dram with Sir Sean Connery more than any other Scot
A YouGov poll for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival revealed 22% of people would prefer a tipple with Connery over famous faces from Scottish entertainment, sport and politics.
Other celebrated Scots to place in the list included Mary Queen of Scots in second place with 9% of votes, Sir Alex Ferguson with 8%, and tennis star Andy Murray and poet Robert Burns both at 5%.
First Minister Alex Salmond came in last place with 3% of votes – a tie with Britain’s Got Talent singer Susan Boyle.
“I suppose he could be compared to a fine single malt – sophisticated, full of flavour, very rich and distinctly Scottish,” commented James Campbell, Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival chairman.
“Sir Sean may be more accustomed to picking up awards and being recognised for his acting, but I hope that he will be delighted with his slightly more unusual honour.
“Sir Sean has lived in the Bahamas for many years, but if he wants to come home to Scotland for the festival there will clearly be no shortage of people queuing up to share a dram with him.”
Vodka favoured over whisky
The Spirit of Speyside commissioned the poll ahead of this year’s event, due to take place from 30 April to 4 May, as part of a study into Scotland’s whisky drinking habits.
Surveying more than 2,000 adults in the UK, the data revealed that whisky is the most popular spirit drink for men (27%), especially for those aged over 50 (22%).
Furthermore, whisky is still favoured most greatly in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, with a total of 22% admitting it was their favourite spirit.
Vodka came out as the UK’s overall favourite tipple.
“I think that we can really take heart from the results of this survey, which shows that whisky remains a popular drink across the UK,” added Campbell.
“For many years it had the perception of being a stuffy old man’s drink, so we are particularly pleased to see that males in the25-34 age group represented the second-largest sample of whisky drinkers [18%].”