Ralph Steadman on Whisky, Learning to Draw and Breaking the Rules

Sitting down for a wee dram with iconic illustrator Ralph Steadman to mark his new, educational collaboration with the whisky experts at Cask 88.

Interview with Ralph Steadman

With the nights drawing in and autumn making itself known, there’s no better time to rediscover your love of a warming wee dram.

But whether you’re a whisky beginner or aficionado, there’s always lots more to learn about this historic tipple. Step in Cask 88, which has just launched its Whisky Correspondence Course in collaboration with illustrator – and whisky lover – Ralph Steadman.

The artist gained a cult following thanks to his work with Hunter S Thompson, illustrating several of his most famous articles and books. Over the years he has also collaborated with everyone from The Who and Ted Hughes to Anthony Bourdain. However, it was his early art education in 1954 during his National Service, when he completed the Percy V Bradshaw Press Art School correspondence course, that forms the inspiration for Cask 88’s new project.

The Whisky Correspondence Course comprises four semesters, each focusing on different elements of the whisky-making process, and exemplified through three rare single cask, single malt Scotch whiskies. These come in a set of 5cl miniature inkwell presentation bottles for tasting, alongside ‘coursework’ on the art of Scotch whisky and Ralph Steadman himself.

Alternatively, the full 70cl bottles featured in each semester are available, adorned with an illustration from Ralph’s irreverent 1994 memoir Still Life with Bottle: Whisky According to Ralph Steadman, alongside a print of the drawing and a course certificate.

The artist himself, Ralph tells me over a call from his home in Kent, is partial to a peaty Scottish whisky, particularly from the Ardbeg Distillery on Islay, which he visited on his tour of the country for the book. The illustrations from this journey, some of which now adorn Cask 88’s bottles, feature the eccentric characters he met along the way.

‘There were always legends about people who had been around for years, and who were still drinking, and were still bright as a button,’ he remembers. ‘They were usually quite jolly people who didn’t think about anything but having their wee dram.’

Ralph developed his characteristic style when he was studying engineering drawing as a teenager at a technical college in Wrexham. ‘It became what I was good at doing,’ he says. ‘It fascinated me to be able to draw circles and straight lines, and landscapes done with the lines. I found that it suited me to do it that way.’

The classical lines of his landscapes contrast with his signature unstructured, freehand characters. ‘When you see perfect circles, it’s then easier to do blots and wobbly things,’ he adds.

Despite his immense popularity, why his work resonates with so many people is still a mystery to Ralph: ‘I never knew. I don’t know why people like it all.’ He pauses, before continuing: ‘They noticed it. They noticed the carefully done and the uncarefully [done]. And they probably liked it for that reason, because it was a bit playful.

‘I wasn’t breaking rules on purpose. I was just trying to do something else. I was just making a mark and making another mark, and then another. And then something evolves out of that. Making a mark is what it’s about – leaving a sign you’ve been there.’

With his unique style and instantly recognisable signature – not to mention the stamp he left on 20th century art and culture more widely – we can say for sure he’s achieved that.

Once, Ralph met his erstwhile art teacher, Percy V Bradshaw, and commented that his course was a little old-fashioned. Bradshaw responded: ‘The principles of drawing will always remain the same, dear boy.’ The same could be said about making – and enjoying – fine Scotch whisky, which is why this is such a resounding creative collaboration.

Semester 1: The Engineering of Whisky is available now, from £150 for three miniatures. cask88.com. New exhibition Ralph STEADman: INKling is at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, 21 September to 17 November 2024. ralphsteadman.com