On Monday night I was thrilled to be attending the Keepers of the Quaich spring banquet at Blair Castle. This time last year, powered by copious amounts of coffee and bacon rolls, the current Head Tracy and I were sifting through the 12,000 images that the squad of photographers led by Shannon Tofts had taken during the evening. I had completed my last banquet of 17 after ten years in the role as Director of the Society. 

Now at the helm of the organisation Tracy was skillfully navigating her way through the preparation and evening that means so much to those guests who attend. It was a joy to see her deliver this seemingly so effortlessly; I understand only too well the pressure and step count that entailed. As Ginger Rogers said of Fred Astaire she did everything he did “backwards and in high heels” which summed up the experience of running the banquet. Although Tracy sensibly had her flats on. 

As a trustee of The MacLean Foundation it was with pride I watched the three brothers, Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan with their father Charlie striding up the red carpet to the castle entrance flanked by the Atholl Highlanders. It was the first time that the Society had three speakers, brothers and they are the youngest to have been inducted. One Master, and three Honorary Keepers of the Quaich. I don’t know the collective term for quaichs but this was a healthy handful. And more medals for the MacLean household.

After an inspiring introduction by the current Grand Master, The Earl of Hopetoun, Jamie piped Ewan and Lachlan to the stage on his now scorched and scarred pipes. The boys regaled their experiences of their adventures of their world record breaking unsupported row across the Pacific in 139 days, from South America to Australia. The expedition raised over a million pounds for the charity’s primary delivery partner Feedback Madagascar, to enable an intrinsically better life for tens of thousands of people. 

I know only too well of the many astonishing, anxious and extraordinary moments during the journey which the boys, in turn, relayed to the audience. I’ve always explained to speakers that you can hear a pin drop in the magnificent ballroom at Blair Castle when over 200 guests, warmed by drams and great company, stop to listen. The zeal for the MacLean clan in their glory of hair, kilts and humility was evident as the room rose to its feet, only the fourth standing ovation (Ronald Reagan, Brigadier David Allfrey OBE and Dame Katherine Grainger DBE) in 40 years.

The following morning Lachlan was already up with the sparrows and en route to Madagascar. Ewan reflected: ‘It was truly an honour to take to the stage after being made Honorary keepers, and particularly special to arrive with Dad in our matching kilts. The magnificent ballroom at Blair Castle couldn’t be more perfect to host the industry in such style and I don’t think the three of us could have imagined such an engaged audience and humbling reaction to our tales from the sea. If we didn’t already feel it buckets: we feel so warmly welcomed into the fold, and can’t thank the Keepers enough.’

During their time at sea Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan recorded a ship’s log which was posted daily. Often with trepidation, sometimes elation, it was the first email I’d read every morning during their time at sea and it would shape my day. Charlie would summarise the week in the Captain’s Catch. Unsurprisingly, the brothers follow in their fathers footsteps and have an innate storytelling ability. On the morning of the banquet they submitted the final draft of their first book to the Canongate publishers. 

Jamie said: ‘It all feels like a bit of a dream. Four and a half months at sea with only my two brothers for company. We witnessed unforgettable sunrises and sunsets. We dodged cyclones, weaved amongst the South Pacific islands, and sung under starlit skies. This book gives us the time and space to reflect upon this life changing experience and share some of what we have learnt along the way.’

My father came to the banquet in 2017 when I was inducted and said it was one of the proudest days of his life. I’m sure this will be one of Charlie’s.

The MacLean Foundation

To date, the Foundation has released four single cask bottlings as the result of generous donations from Ardamurchan, Glen Scotia, Raasay and Auchroisk.  All the profits from these bottlings go towards charitable purposes, and every bottle sold will give at least one person clean water for life. 

The book ‘Three Brothers in a Boat’ will be published on 24th September and is available to pre-order.

https://www.themacleanbrothers.com

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Ask a busy person

It is one of my favourite adages and in my twenty-five years in the Scotch whisky industry, one that I’ve witnessed many times. Two busy people spring to mind – Justine Hazlehurst and Karen Somerville, co-directors of the annual Fife Whisky Festival. They are good friends, we have been on many a whisky adventure, and lived to tell the tale.

I first met Karen at the Aberlour Hotel in 2014, where she was attending my whisky tasting as part of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival programme. Karen and her late father, Tom Young MBE, established The Angels’ Share, producing beautifully crafted glassware; now she runs her own consultancy. 

‘Every year, the festival builds on what came before. We are so delighted with our loyal following and also being able to showcase Scotch Whisky in all its glory, especially in the Kingdom of Fife.’

Justine is the founder of the tasting and events company Kask Whisky. I’d enjoyed one of Justine’s walking tours of Leith and signed up my parents – my father wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about walking and history. He’d misheard and visibly brightened when he discovered history was in fact whisky.

Justine reflected ‘This year’s Fife Whisky Festival proved to be another huge success. The support shown by whisky enthusiasts from both near and far – not only for the Fife distilleries and independent bottlers but also for those outwith the Kingdom – seems to strengthen year on year. The wonderful whisky community make this festival so special.’ 

It was my first time attending the festival as a volunteer, one of the merry band donning brightly coloured aprons (woolly bonnet optional), and helping to make the event run smoothly. In return, we volunteers were well looked after with the infamous toffee doughnuts from Fisher and Donaldson. These are a thing. 

During the breaks of volunteering duties, I took time to speak to some other busy people. Fellow whisky adventurer Nicola Young established The Spur Whisky Club in Cumbernauld. In her spare time, she has her own business creating and developing websites for technophobes like myself, is an ambassador for The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and one half of the Whisky Boys with her father. The Spur runs monthly tastings where ardent whisky lovers congregate and welcome a variety of speakers. 

Behind the shop stand where the festival bottling, and merch was being sold, I spoke to Claire Irvine, who had the same idea and was with the Crieff Whisky Collective. The genesis of the club was that there wasn’t one locally, so she brought like-minded whisky enthusiasts together. I was reunited with Graham, Steven and John of BAWS (Boness Whisky Appreciation Society), who hatched a plan along similar lines in a pub following a tasting in Linlithgow. I’ve met them many times at similar events, but the Fife Festival is their favourite. Graham explained ‘This outweighs the other shows because it’s so friendly. There is plenty of time to speak to the distillers and stand holders.’

Emma Walker, Master Blender for Johnnie Walker was the speaker at the festival opening dinner hosted at Lindores Abbey Distillery on Friday, and attended the show before flying to the US on Sunday. Another busy person. Emma explained that she would be introducing Black Cask, the newest member of the Johnnie Walker family, which reminded her of toasted marshmallows. 

I tracked down Charlie MacLean at the Daftmill stand, where festival goers were appreciating not only the spirit but Hazel’s legendary tablet and fruitcake. I called it the win-win table.

The expression “It taks a lang spoon to sup with a Fifer” couldn’t be further from the truth, Charlie told me. ‘The suggestion that Fifers are hard to get to know is rubbish. The show is like a close-knit family party.’ 

Whisky, doughnuts, fruit cake and friendship. I know what made Fife tick on Saturday. 

Justine Hazlehurst

In addition to writing Opening The Case: The Affairs of Pattisons’ Whisky, Justine is the founder of Kask Whisky – a tasting events and tour company. Her passion and enthusiasm for whisky has led to her being selected as a judge for a number of whisky awards, including the World Whiskies Awards and Icons of Whisky Awards as well as a number of tasting panels.

Her knowledge of Scotch whisky history has led her to work with a number of distilleries, organisations and publications delving into the heritage of brands.

Justine’s written work has been published in Unfiltered, The Keeper, Whisky Magazine and The Malt Whisky Yearbook.

Karen Somerville 

Karen has a passion for business, whisky and Scotland, from running a successful manufacturing whisky glass company to now offering business consultancy and mentoring. She has many years of championing women in business and using her experience to help others grow and succeed.

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It was an early start, cold and dark, and a good coffee was required to kick-start the day. As I was heading to Loch Lomond for the day, I’d imagined taking in the palette of winter hues. The crisp light on the loch, shades of silver blue, dusty heather and bright russet in the winter sunlight. This was vaguely present, but the overall colours were grey. Any hint of colour dissipated when I arrived at the Loch Lomond distillery. I had done my essential map reading, as my navigational skills are very poor, as well as some homework, so I knew what to expect. No pretty whitewashed walls or pagoda roofs. This was a monster. 

What I didn’t appreciate was the sheer scale of the operation, which is industrial in appearance and encompasses, rather bizarrely, a woollen mill which is squashed up beside a boundary wall. Despite the austere appearance, we were welcomed into a warm tasting room by Gary Mills. More coffee was required for my fellow adventurers, Karen Somerville, Nicola Young and Karen Walker.  Collectively, we twitter like chattering birds, finishing each other’s sentences in the tumble to catch up, swooping on the glasses of new make, donning high viz jackets with ‘do you have this in my colour?’ Not a blink or an eye roll from Gary. 

Loch Lomond was created by the late Sandy Bulloch, who was visionary in his plan for the distillery. I think it’s fair to say that he was a self-sufficient type of fellow with a progressive mind. His mantra was to create a variety of aroma and flavour from distillation rather than maturation, which he manifested in his extraordinary array of stills.

The distillery was opened as part of the expansion to Littlemill in 1966. In 1990, the second pair of straight-neck pot stills was installed, with the grain distillery opening four years later. In 1998, a pair of traditional swan neck stills were added. In 2007, a single grain Coffey still was added. The site can produce 25 million litres of spirit annually. 

Once the discussion over high viz jackets was resolved, we started out to the distillery. 

Fermentation lasts for 92 hours, sometimes longer, to create a super fruity wash jumping with esters. This is the building block for the Loch Lomond style, which runs through the various distillations. Four different yeasts, including Champagne and Chardonnay strains are used. 

So, we proceed to the still house. If you don’t like heights, please don’t come to this distillery. 

It reads like the 12 days of Christmas. 

Three pairs of of straight neck pot stills
One pair of traditional swan neck pot stills
One continuous Coffey ‘malt’ still
Two pairs of continuous Coffey grain stills 
And a partridge in a pear tree

If this myriad of information isn’t already baffling the adventurers, then Gary baffles us more. 

The straight neck pot stills have plates inside the neck that allow a variety of styles of spirit to be distilled from a light, floral Lowland-esque to a heavier spirit. The stillman will also use different cut points to allow the creation of five distinctly different spirit styles.

The copper column Coffey style still, 100% malted Scottish barley is used to produce their single grain spirit, which runs from the still between 80 and 85% ABV. The peated barley from the North East allows them to produce the world’s only peated single grain spirit.  

As we head to a neighbouring building we pass an outdoor shower which would be perfect on Portobello promenade for the swimmers. Naturally the adventures like this. The two pairs of continuous stills are tightly squeezed into an improbable space. I don’t think many visitors get to see this as it is distinctly functional. The stills have a capacity for 20 million litres of spirit (90% wheat and 10% malted barley) 

I get the feeling Gary has kept a wee something up his high viz sleeve, and as we move to the cooperage, this becomes evident very quickly. Loch Lomond is one of four distilleries in Scotland to have a cooperage which manages 20,000 barrels a year with eight coopers and one apprentice who are heading off for their lunch, leaving one behind. The cooperage was one of the first to install a rejuvenation programme (every canny Sandy again), and we are lucky to have Gerry on hand to demonstrate. Cue much excitement, jostling for the best position, juggling of phones in cold hands and finally a hefty spray of water. The show is over and we gratefully return to the warmth of the tasting room where the glasses glisten with new make. 

As we nose and taste it becomes evident that Loch Lomond isn’t just a massive factory producing a lot of spirit. The glasses yield delicate differences of styles all with the trademark luscious fruitbowl and a glove box of boiled sweeties.  

Gary’s patience throughout the visit stretched like a giant elastic band, rather like the ones the posties drop (incidentally, approximately 250 million rubber bands each year). He had herded four cats safely through the site, navigating all our questions without one internal roll of the eyes. This quietly unassuming brand is one to watch if you haven’t already noticed it. 

Thanks to Gary Mills, Global Brand Ambassador, and the team at Loch Lomond distillery and Luss. 

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It’s exactly twenty-five years ago that my odyssey into Scotch whisky began. I cautiously stepped through the doors of The Vaults in Leith, home to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Another world unfolded: the muted pop of a cork being pulled, the tickling glug of the spirit pouring into the glass, the amber glow of spirit glinting in the firelight. My sensory journey had begun. My years at the Society, then The Glenmorangie Company, allowed me to share this passion. 

As some of you will know, I left my post as Director of Keepers of the Quaich in June last year, completing ten years at the helm. In 2013, at the same time as I was establishing my own consultancy, The Whisky Belle, I was approached about the role with Keepers. I’d never been to a banquet, and therefore knew little about the society, which didn’t bode well during my first interview a year later. In the interim, my consultancy thrived despite having no business plan and fortunately, creative offers came my way, allowing me to talk, taste and write about Scotch whisky. And food – always food. 

Thankfully, the stars aligned, and in May 2015, the role of Director was mine. I hung up my Whisky Belle cloak, and the hard work began. Tracy Wasson (nee Ewart) and I had worked together at The Glenmorangie Company, and as Executive Assistant, we established a humble office on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The men’s locker room in an old golf club house made the ideal location, and shortly after we received the keys, the boxes from the previous office began to arrive. A lot of boxes. 

The following ten years were a rollercoaster and a joy ride. 

Two banquets a year took much of our time, but during the ‘quiet times’, we set about a rebrand of the society. We created a website which was recently updated, along with developing a social media presence. During lockdown, when three banquets were lost, we produced online events, including a contribution from Honorary Keeper HRH The Duke of Rothesay, as well as a society dinner hosted by His Royal Highness at Dumfries House. I edited The Keeper magazine, introduced the annual exclusive single cask bottlings, five additional International Chapters and new merchandise with trusted partners, Hamilton and Inches, Kinloch Anderson and The Harris Tweed Authority. The pleasure of seeing the delighted faces (and a few tears) of newly inducted Keepers will always stay with me. 

Last year I hosted a handful of events, including a special birthday celebration outside Pitlochry, ‘My life in whisky’ at The Spur Whisky Club and a private party from the US staying at Manderston. Plans were afoot. The first few days of 2026 were spent in Islay with the first snowfall I’ve encountered on my many visits to the island and a very icy swim. 

I’m delighted to bring my consultancy back to life, refreshed, revived and raring to go. My mission is to ignite and engage the sensory toolkit you carry around every minute of the day. Our sense of sight, smell, taste and touch are what guide us through each experience. 

Your imagination is the final piece of the jigsaw. Let the adventure begin. 

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