November whiskies of the month - Family Spirit
Our November “whiskies of the month” have been selected by our brilliant team of visitor experience assistants. This month the team have chosen whiskies that have connection to family.
We hope you enjoy diving deeper into the history behind these distilleries and perhaps discover something new.
Lochlea – Fallow 2nd Edition
Situated amongst the rolling fields of Ayrshire, you will find the small, family-owned Lochlea Distillery. Historically, the land had been used as a dairy farm and for growing barley that fed the cattle, however, in 2006, when Neil and Jen McGeoch moved in, they decided to expand into pedigree beef.
In 2015, Neil decided to embark on a new journey that would honour the barley-growing history of his land. The goal was to grow 50 acres of malting barley. After receiving support and encouragement from the malting industry, Neil and Jen decided to begin development on a single malt distillery. Construction began in 2017, converting the former piggery, byre and midden in the heart of the farm into the distillery, and their first single malt whisky launched in January 2022.
The couple have worked together, achieving their “daft idea” of operating a distillery, along with a dedicated team including Indiana Bones, their loyal border collie and chief guest greeter!
Bad na h-achlaise – Madeira Cask
Gordon and Vanessa Quinn’s love story begins in the remote Badachro Inn, tucked away on the stunning north-west coast of the Scottish Highlands. In less than 12 weeks they were married and began their life of adventure together!
They travelled the world and fell in love with the vibrancy and excitement of city life. But as their family grew, they realised their hearts longed to return to the dramatic and quieter corner of the world that is Badachro. They purchased their forever home, and began a B&B, before shifting focus to building a Highland-inspired sustainable distilling business.
Today their distillery produces gin and single malt Scotch whisky.
The Balvenie – 14 year old Caribbean Rum Cask
William Grant & Sons has a strong foundation of family values which began with the founder William Grant, who built the company’s first distillery, Glenfiddich, with his nine children. The first spirit flowed through the stills on Christmas Day 1887.
A mere five years later, Grant would open his second distillery, The Balvenie. By 1909, William Grant & Sons began its next big adventure as, Charles Gordon, William’s son-in-law, visited the Far East and carved the path to becoming a global export business.
William Grant stayed active in the distillery until his passing in 1923, following which the company was handed down to his son, John Grant, who continued to expand the business and the distilleries. The current chairman of William Grant & Sons is Glenn Gordon, the great-great grandson of William Grant.
Kilchoman – Machir Bay
Anthony Wills had always been a huge fan of whisky and had been working in the industry for many years, but by the early 2000’s he was growing frustrated that he wasn’t able to find more rare and uniquely matured whiskies on the shelves. This is when he had a moment of realisation, that if he couldn’t find the whiskies he wanted, he would have to make them himself.
Anthony and his wife Kathy established the Kilchoman Distillery in 2005, built from a collection of derelict farm buildings, this was to be the first new distillery built on Islay in over 124 years.
As the distillery began to grow, Anthony and Kathy’s sons James, George and Peter joined the team. When the distillery was first up and running, the family took turns doing everything, from taking tours to malting and distilling. However, now that the staff has grown, Anthony has the time to work on blending the next Kilchoman release, while Kathy works in the accounts department and their sons work in the marketing and sales teams.
Wemyss Family Spirits – The Hive
Brother and sister duo William and Isabella Wemyss founded Wemyss Malts in 2005. Influenced by his time on the family-owned French vineyard, William wanted to return to his family’s Scottish roots, and founded a distillery, which at the core would focus on quality blended malts. The new-make spirit, oak casks, and different whiskies for blending are expertly sourced by Isabella, while William takes on the role of Master Blender, ensuring each whisky works well together to create their blends.
The Wemyss family has a centuries old heritage with roots on Scotland’s east coast. Situated atop the ancient caves formed into the rugged cliffs of the Fife coastline, sits the Wemyss castle, the dramatic ancestral home of the Wemyss family. This is depicted in the Wemyss malt brand emblem.
Glencadam 18 year old
Glencadam is owned by Angus Dundee Distillers, which was established in 1950 by Terry Hillman, and is now owned by his children Tania and Aaron Hillman.
Glencadam is thought to be one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, having been established in 1825. It went through a very tumultuous time, closing during both World Wars, and eventually being left dormant in 2000. The distillery was rescued by the family-owned Angus Dundee in 2003. Having once been a relatively quiet player in the whisky world, Glencadam has grown in popularity under this new ownership, leaving its mark on the whisky industry.