The Scottish-born star spoke exclusively to Parade about his new book Waypoints: My Scottish Journey, which is part memoir, part tour guide of his homeland. “It’s not only a memoir talking about my career and the way I came in this situation, but it’s [about] a 100-mile hike I took in Scotland last year,” Heughan, 42, says. The actor’s life revolves around a few things: Acting (of course), whisky and exploring his Scottish roots and turf. He was able to combine his love of whisky and hiking, something he recommends wholeheartedly—especially in the mountains or munros as they’re called in Scotland when they’re higher than 3,000 feet. “There’s nothing better than climbing up one of these mountains and at the very top toasting a little dram of whisky,” he said. “There’s something about drinking whisky on a mountaintop—it really does taste very different.” His ongoing passion project is his Sassenach Spirits brand, which has already won more than 12 gold awards worldwide for its The Sassenach Blended Scotch Whisky. “Sassenach Spirits, we’ve only been going for a couple of years. It’s a real passion project of mine—[I]created, self-financed and designed this whisky,” Heughan said. He traveled throughout Scotland sampling almost innumerable whisky varieties before landing on Sassenach’s signature flavor, which combines malt and 19-year-old grain; it has a sweet finish with notes of nutmeg and cinnamon. “It’s smooth, it’s sweet,” he said. “It should be very approachable.” Sound familiar? Heughan’s whisky will be available for home purchase in the U.S. and U.K. beginning on Nov. 18. “I think it’s a really special, very magical drink because you have a lot of emotional attachment to whisky,” he said. “It can really conjure up great emotions, great company, great memories.” Tune into the video to find out how Outlander influenced Sassenach Spirits and what Heughan’s ideal dream bar would be like—and exactly who would drink there. We bet you’ll feel quite welcome! Next, check out the best Sam Heughan scenes from Outlander (so far!).
