The obituary notice of Robert Hunter (Bob) BROWN

With a constant smile, kind heart and the sharpest of minds, we are proud to have been able to call Bob our friend. He saw Daisy and Izzy grow up and was always smiling and joking with them. A beautiful man in so many ways. We will miss you.

Bob was a colleague and friend but first and foremost a gentleman.

If he was in the office, it was a good day. If he was in your meeting it was a great day, but if he was with you at dinner or in the bar it was most often an unforgettable night.

The whisky training session in Hildesheim was such a night. Through the guise of teaching our European President the fundamentals of single malts, we must have covered most of the distilleries in Scotland.

He was a great storyteller and many a good intention of an early night was ruined by my inability to resist one more tale – none of which I can remember, all of which I enjoyed.

And who can forget the double act of Brown and Small bamboozling all and sundry with mind reading card tricks. It was a rite of passage for new colleagues, none of whom could work it out.

Fiercely proud of his Scottish roots, he did indeed meet the Queen but was quick to point out that she was only Elizabeth I of Scotland.

St Peter will have a sore head this morning, but he will have a good grasp of the influence of soil on whisky colour and flavour and a fundamental understanding of the Marangoni effect.

My heartfelt condolences to Pam and the girls.

RIP Bob