Stills going strong

Some of our finest whisky distilleries have been run by the same families for generations, their spirits as unique as their history

- JACK CROXFORD-SCOTT

A mere 300 years ago, making whisky was a farmer’s pursuit. Scottish and Irish crofters would distil surplus crops into fiery spirits adept at staving off brutal winters. As time moved on, rules were tightened and taxes heightened. Crude production methods and ramshackle stills were replaced by evolving know-how and new apparatus to match. The farmers became distillers and spirit merchants, building shop-ready brands that drove smugglers and underground distilleries into obsolescence. A rough-and-ready ploughman’s drink gave way to a refined, palatable dram worthy of a place in the bars of London’s finest clubs.

Spirits retailers and local blenders became household names, including Walkers, Dewars and Buchanans. Their blending empires grew, however, they remained humble, family affairs. They were generational craftspeople, passing down the quirks and trade secrets behind their brands from son to son. Then, a perfect storm of oversupply, variable quality and economic crashes shook the foundations of the whisky trade. Many family firms folded and a brutal consolidation left two multinationals controlling most of the industry.

Through the resulting turmoil and mass centralisation of, well, almost everything, a few families survived. They refused to sell out and pack up; they laid down new casks and invested in their brands despite the downturns. And, thankfully, they’re still here to tell the tale.

GORDON & MACPHAIL