- 3 months ago
On today's episode Rosalind visits Aberargie Distillery in Perthshire. The launch of the new Aberargie Whisky next March will mark the return to production for the Morrison family, arguably one of Scotland's most famous whisky families. Whilst there, Rosalind was given a tour of the distillery by Head of Distilling, Graeme Mackeddie, who shared with her what sets the new whisky apart and his hopes for the future of the distillery.
Rosalind also met with Brian Morrison, owner and founder who told her about the previous generations of his family that worked in whisky and why after 25 years it's time for them to get back in the game. Rosalind also spoke to MD, Niel Hendricks who shares the vision for the business and guides Rosalind through a tasting of what will become the new whisky come next March
Rosalind also met with Brian Morrison, owner and founder who told her about the previous generations of his family that worked in whisky and why after 25 years it's time for them to get back in the game. Rosalind also spoke to MD, Niel Hendricks who shares the vision for the business and guides Rosalind through a tasting of what will become the new whisky come next March
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Scran, the podcast passionate about the Scottish food and drink scene.
00:09I'm your host, Roslyn Derskin, and on today's episode I visit Aberargi Distillery in Perthshire.
00:15The launch of the new Aberargi whisky next March will mark the return to production for the Morrison family,
00:21arguably one of Scotland's most famous whisky families.
00:24Whilst there, I was given a tour of the distillery by Head of Distilling, Graham McKeddy,
00:28who shared with me what sets the new whisky apart and his hopes for next year onwards.
00:33After my tour, I met with Brian Morrison, owner and founder,
00:36who told me about the previous generations of his family that worked in whisky
00:39and why, after 25 years, it's time for them to get back in the game.
00:44I also speak to MD Neil Hendricks, who shares the vision for the business
00:48and guides me in a tasting of what will become the new whisky, which will be out in March 2026.
00:58So, we are at Aberargi Distillery on Neverton Farm by Aberargi Village.
01:07We've been here since 2016, 2017.
01:11Distillery was built in 2017 and been operational since October, November 2017.
01:18We grow our own barley and the ambition is to be a bottle to barley operation,
01:23so being in control of the whole process as much as we possibly can.
01:28As a family, we have three or four different farms growing our own barley primarily for malting.
01:34Much of that is going for our own distillery and growing two key varieties for us,
01:39Golden Promise, which is a heritage variety, very important to our character and our flavour profile.
01:45And we also grow modern barley varietals, which are good yielding on the farm and are good yielding for the distillery
01:51and also play a key part in our character.
01:54Golden Promise generates a heavier character and Lauriette, one of our modern varieties, for example,
02:00generates a light, fruity, estuary part of the character.
02:04So, it strikes a balance.
02:05Two different crops on the farm, two very different crops for the distillery
02:08and two very different spirits that we then blend together to generate a single malt, which is nicely balanced.
02:15I don't think heritage varieties are that common in whisky production.
02:19It's always Lauriette for now.
02:21No, Lauriette and other modern varieties like Concerto and whatnot are, they're favoured.
02:25They're favoured for yield purposes.
02:27So, rightly or wrongly, decision-making in the whisky industry is very much financially driven.
02:32So, modern varieties, they yield very well on the farm.
02:34So, off the back of a combine harvester, you get a decent tonnage to the acre.
02:40So, they're good on the farm side, they're good for the malt stirs and they yield well through a distillery.
02:45So, effectively, for every tonne of malt, you get more alcohol from that.
02:49Older varieties like Golden Promise, they yield poorly on the farm.
02:53They yield poorly in the distillery.
02:55They're challenging to process at times.
02:57But, where they shine is flavour and character.
03:03A far richer spirit comes off a Golden Promise than does off Lauriette, in our experience with our distillery.
03:11Everyone's mileage might vary a little bit in that.
03:14But, we are firm believers that Golden Promise offers something different and something unique.
03:17And, it's something worth the cost in terms of yield on the farm, cost in terms of yield in distillery.
03:24It's part of what we do.
03:27And, was it grown here historically because it is a heritage grain?
03:30It had been grown across Scotland historically.
03:33So, it dates back to the 60s.
03:35And, at that point, it was popular with the maltsters.
03:38And, it was popular across Scotland with the farmers.
03:41Of its time, it was relatively good yielding on the farms, etc.
03:48Relatively resilient to issues you have on the farm.
03:51For example, where we are, we are very exposed to the wind.
03:55That can create issues with crops as they come to maturity, wanting to fall over in the wind, etc.
04:00And, Golden Promise is relatively short in its body, in its straw.
04:04And, it's resilient to falling over and whatnot.
04:06Which is good from a farm perspective.
04:09It just yields poorly in terms of the tonnage of barley coming off the crop.
04:15So, this is a relatively new venture.
04:17This farm has been in the family for well over a decade.
04:21Historically, this has just been a farm.
04:24There's been nothing here in terms of distilling.
04:27We've been blessed with a Victorian well as a water source.
04:30And, Jamie's seen the opportunity to do something quite special here when he bought the farm.
04:34And, the ambition was to get back into distilling.
04:37And, over time, he built the site.
04:40And, we moved in in 2016 to Mission Civilary 2017.
04:44And, we just quietly existed and got on with what we do.
04:47Growing barley, distilling and our other ventures we have here.
04:50And, what are the other ventures that you've got going on?
04:53So, Morrison Scotch Whiskey Distillers.
04:56We have other brands.
04:58So, we have Old Perth, for example.
05:00Which is a blended malt matured purely in sherry casks.
05:03We have Mactala, which is an Islay single malt.
05:06Brewed are a single malt liqueur.
05:09And, we have Carn Moor, which is a range of independent bottlings.
05:13How are you distilling Mactala?
05:16And, how are you getting the whiskey for Old Perth?
05:18Mactala and Old Perth are both sourced liquids.
05:21And, so we do a lot of buying and trading within the industry.
05:25So, for example, Mactala is an Islay single malt.
05:28Or, a range of Islay single malts.
05:29We don't operate an Islay distillery.
05:32Through our relationships, we are working with other distillers based on Islay.
05:37And, it might be that we trade New Make Spirits with them.
05:40It might be that we buy New Make Spirits with them.
05:42But, we are bringing New Make from Islay.
05:45Bringing it onto site here.
05:46Maturing here in our own woods.
05:48Doing all of the blending work, etc. ourselves.
05:50And, then bottling on site and distribution from here as well.
05:52And, it's the same story for Old Perth.
05:54We're sourcing various different New Makes and aged spirits from Speyside.
05:59Blending them together here.
06:01Maturation here as well.
06:03And, bottling, etc. here.
06:15Okay, so, thank you very much for having us.
06:17It's lovely to be here and see the distillery.
06:20And, we're excited for your whisky launch.
06:23Brian, would you be able to give us a potted history of your family's history in distilling?
06:27In distilling, it all started in 1963.
06:31My father, Stanley P. Morrison Limited, was a whisky broker.
06:35Had been for many years.
06:36And, he got the opportunity to buy Beaumont distillery on Islay in the summer of 1963.
06:44And, so, we distilled at Beaumont for many years until we sold out to Suntry in 1995.
06:55And, you had other distilleries as well?
06:56We had indeed.
06:57We bought Glengiri distillery at Old Meldrum from Scottish Malt Distillers.
07:04Later, in 1984, we bought Ochentoschen distillery from E.D. Cairns.
07:09And, interestingly enough, when we bought the Bass Charrington stock of whisky from them, it included Ogentoschen distillery.
07:23But, they weren't sure if the Morrison price included the distillery or not.
07:29And, we had to assure them, yes, it did include it.
07:33But, they said, eventually, after comparing prices, would you mind if you didn't get the distillery?
07:38My father said, no.
07:39He didn't mind.
07:40And, yet, we bought it 14 years later.
07:44Oh, wow.
07:45And, so, obviously, that is a long period of time to be in distilling and sold to Suntory.
07:52What made you leave and what made you come back?
07:55Because, this is a bit of a return, isn't it?
07:56Well, I'm just on the, sort of, on the outside, as it were.
08:03But, it's wonderful to see.
08:05Well, the family wanted out.
08:06My father's partner, James Howitt, he had retired.
08:10I'd taken over as M.D.
08:12And, so, he wanted to sell out.
08:15And, my brother was in the business, but had retired.
08:18And, so, it came about that the other shareholders also wanted to sell.
08:24So, I did the deal with Suntory.
08:26I kept 35% and sold them the rest, 65%.
08:31And, we kept that going for about five or six years.
08:33Community was quite a big deal.
08:35I mean, we were up in Islay with McTala a few years ago.
08:38And, there was a lot of chat about the work that you guys had done in the community.
08:41And, there's a lot of, like, lovely stories and, like, a lot of good feeling about it.
08:44How important was it for you to sell to someone to continue that on?
08:48Well, we had known the family reasonably well, the Tory family, really.
08:53And, my father went to Tokyo in 1964 for the Olympics.
08:58And, he had a letter of introduction from Justerini and Brooks, who were then supplying Suntory with vatted malt.
09:06And, they were quite keen, actually, to exit the supply deal because J&B was starting to fly in those days, especially in the States.
09:18So, it was an easy introduction.
09:22And, he met Michio Tori.
09:24He met the other members of the family.
09:26And, then, it took about three years before we actually did the first transaction, before we sold them vatted malt business.
09:34And, I go to Islay now.
09:36They've been wonderful guardians.
09:38They really have.
09:38They've given a lot to the village.
09:40And, of course, we had an old warehouse at the Bulmore Distillery that we gave to the community, which is now the swimming pool and gymnasium.
09:50So, it's wonderful for Islay.
09:53Yeah.
09:53And, now, this is your son, Jamie, who's kind of in charge of this.
09:58How does that feel in terms of, like, a legacy?
10:01Oh, it's wonderful.
10:01You know, one has to be a hell of a proud, actually.
10:04I probably shouldn't say that.
10:06But, no, we're absolutely delighted.
10:11And, you know, it's, yeah, it's a great family thing.
10:16It's pleasing.
10:17And, Neil, do you want to just give us a little introduction to the different brands that are here, that the company's got?
10:23Yeah.
10:24So, I mean, under Morrison's Scotch Whiskey Distillers, we've essentially got four brands, soon to be five.
10:30We've got Old Perth, which is a blended malt Scotch whiskey, 100% sherry-matured.
10:37We have Carmore, which is our independent bottling brand.
10:42Through Carmore, we bottle whiskey from other distilleries as a classic independent bottler.
10:48We've got a Scotch, a single malt Scotch whiskey liqueur brand called Broodar.
10:54And then we have Mactala, which is an Isla single malt Scotch whiskey brand, which we introduced in 2019, just as we went to Morrison's Scotch Whiskey Distillers.
11:08And we realized that in our portfolio, you know, we had such a, we have, with the family's connection, such a great history and connection to Isla.
11:18And other than owning a distillery on Isla, you know, we felt we had the opportunity to be custodians of an Isla single malt whiskey brand.
11:28And with Brian and Jamie's connections to the distilleries on Isla, we've been able to secure supply of really good stocks of very young Isla malt, which we then mature here on site and bottle under the Mactala brand.
11:46And the fifth brand to come into our portfolio will be the distillery brand, Aberargi, which we plan to launch in March of 2026.
11:56Yeah, so it's quite a very distinctive brand with distinctive flavors.
12:01Was that always the plan? Was it, you know, these very specific things you wanted?
12:05I think we really looked at, we looked at our portfolio around 2019.
12:09And some of the brands that were in our portfolio didn't really have a sense of place or didn't make sense for us.
12:18So we rebranded a few brands.
12:21Old Perth completely rebranded into what is now 100% sherry mature blended malt.
12:30Isla Mactala was quite an easy one for us because as an independent Isla bottle,
12:36it gives us the opportunity to represent the island rather than a single distillery.
12:42So the idea and the DNA of Mactala is very much to represent Isla in its entirety and show that the whiskey from Isla is not one dimensional.
12:51It's not all about peat and smoke.
12:53There's much more to it.
12:55Under Carmoor, we have absolute freedom and flexibility to bottle from any distillery within Scotland.
13:01So that gives our production director, Graham, a lot of creativity and flexibility.
13:07And then Brewerdart is just a nice addition to the portfolio.
13:12Still whiskey-led, only using single-malt Scotch whiskey, using honey from our beehives here on the farm.
13:22And it is something slightly different, but still within the Scotch whiskey portfolio category, I would say.
13:30And then, yeah, the distillery brand is our own single-malt distillery brand from our own distillery,
13:38which is very, very exciting.
13:40And we've been waiting for quite a while.
13:43Patiently.
13:44Absolutely.
13:45Well, it has, we talked about that, it has been, when you launch, it will be nine years,
13:50which is quite relatively unusual for like a new distillery.
13:53So it's, I know the liquid, you know, you wait till the liquid is ready,
13:56but you've been able to wait that time, which is quite unusual, which is good.
13:59Yes, I think it's having the other brands in the portfolio that provided the impetus to the business
14:05and having the stocks too, which is absolutely essential.
14:10I think having the stocks, also the family's sort of long-term vision that, you know,
14:17they're obviously well versed in the whiskey industry and having some experience.
14:22We know that the whiskey industry is a long-term game and you need patience because the stock
14:28needs to be, needs to be ready and be mature.
14:32But yeah, having the other brands and the commitment from the family, from an investment
14:36point of view, allows us the opportunity to wait until we are 100% comfortable with the
14:41liquid quality.
14:42So it's coming out in March, but some people have tried it at the London Whiskey Show.
14:46What was the overall feeling?
14:49The whiskey show was absolutely incredible.
14:52We took the opportunity to attend the whiskey show without having a single bottle to sell.
14:59One of the requirements for attending the whiskey show is that you have to have product available
15:04to sell through the shop.
15:06So we had a really good conversation with Dawn Davies, who runs the whiskey show,
15:11and ask her permission to give us a stand, even though we had nothing to sell.
15:17But it gave us the opportunity to show the brand for the first time in public.
15:22We've been rather quiet for the last seven years.
15:27And it gave us the opportunity to then talk to consumers and trade and tell them the story
15:34about Abaragi and what it is that we do.
15:36So one, that we exist, and two, what it is that we do here.
15:42So it's 100% barley-to-bottle operation.
15:46So we gave people the opportunity to taste our new-make spirit from two different barley
15:52types.
15:52So we use Golden Promise barley, which we grow on this farm, and also Laureate barley.
15:58And the new-make spirit is really different.
16:01Golden Promise is very structured, very big.
16:04And therefore, for flavor, Laureate is very light, very fresh, very crisp.
16:09And it's interesting to see that not a lot of consumers have experienced new-make spirit
16:14before.
16:15And then we also gave them an opportunity to try whiskey that's been matured in bourbon
16:19barrels versus whiskey that's been matured in sherry casks.
16:23And that is to illustrate what bourbon maturation and sherry maturation means for us.
16:29And essentially, the inaugural release of Abaragi in March of 2026 will be a combination of
16:37these four elements.
16:38So whiskey distilled from Laureate and Golden Promise barley, and a vatting of whiskey matured
16:44in first-full bourbon and first-full sherry casks.
16:47So the overall response was very, very positive.
16:52And I think for us, everyone that was there, it was just reassuring and comforting to know
16:59that all the time and effort we've put in over the last seven years has been absolutely
17:05worth it, and that we are on the right track, so to speak.
17:08What is interesting, actually, you were talking about Golden Promise.
17:13Golden Promise was a favoured varietal of barley, you know, back in the 60s and 70s, 80s.
17:20And it went out of fashion, because it wasn't very profitable for the farmers.
17:25The yields were low.
17:27The maltsters also got a low yield out of it.
17:31And really, for the distillers, they didn't.
17:34But what was paramount was the flavours that came from Golden Promise.
17:39So I don't, I'm being wrong here, but I seem to remember Highland distillers, you know,
17:45with Glenrothes and Glenglasso and Macallan and back in those days.
17:49They were heavily Golden Promise distilled barleys.
17:55And then it just simply, it's, the yields are not good enough.
17:58But however, it's come back in to a number of single distilleries that are favouring it,
18:06including ourselves.
18:08We're quite heavily, we're quite heavily disposed towards Golden Promise in terms of our liquid stops.
18:13That's interesting that it's come back.
18:15So it's, it would have, would have been in most whiskeys, that, that barley would have been,
18:20and it would, it's almost like an old fashioned.
18:22So people hark back to the original whiskeys from certain things like Macallan and be like,
18:26oh, that's when it was amazing. And it would, this would be something to do with that.
18:30That type of variety would be like, you know, what was the people hark back to like,
18:33you know, the golden age of whiskey making.
18:35You know, old fashioned is such a nice term for us, because for me, it links back to traditions.
18:42We are not trying to reinvent the wheel.
18:45We are not trying to do anything that no one in the whiskey industry has ever done before.
18:50We're trying to do the basics in our way, and we're trying to do it the best way we know how.
18:57That makes sense for us.
18:59And the use of Golden Promise is, is one of those things.
19:03And I, I remember when I worked at Edgington with Macallan,
19:08they were predominantly Golden Promise.
19:09And as, as Brian said, it's, it's come back to a few small distilleries.
19:15So distilleries, generally speaking, smaller, independent, family-owned distilleries
19:20that understand the value of the flavor that comes off Golden Promise.
19:28With the right investment behind it, we can account for the losses in output or the low yields,
19:35because you get significantly more alcohol off a ton of Laurier than you get off a ton of Golden Promise.
19:42But the flavor profile and the structure of the spirit is so significantly different.
19:48Takes us back to the old days.
19:50These are your, showing my age.
19:55But, uh, no, I, I'd agree entirely with you at, uh, you know, some of the other distillers
20:00are now bringing it back in.
20:01So just back on Whiskey, Whiskey Festival, when we got people to taste it,
20:05the best response or compliment I received was a gentleman drank the whiskey.
20:12And he, he said to me, it tastes like it's old and considered.
20:18And it tastes like you've taken your time.
20:20He said, it reminds me of like a big armchair in front of a fireplace,
20:26rather than one of these newer whiskeys that are young and fresh and vibrant.
20:32This to me feels very traditional.
20:35And I think that was absolutely spot on.
20:38And you almost apologized for saying it's traditional.
20:41And that is exactly what we're trying to achieve.
20:45Because you need to stand out now, don't you?
20:48I mean, there's a lot of things going on in the market
20:49and changes that have happened since you guys started.
20:52So you need something to be your USP.
20:55So was that your intention from the start to sort of buck the trend of not being traditional,
21:00being innovative, not that you're not innovative,
21:01but you've gone back to tradition rather than seeking out different?
21:05I think, I think absolutely.
21:07And it goes back to the long-term vision of the family.
21:10But we've never set out to be a distillery to be necessarily recruiters.
21:16So we're not running after highballs or cocktails.
21:22We are for the whiskey drinker.
21:25And we say, you know, it's patiently curated for special moments.
21:29Now, special moments for me is such a lovely term because it can mean so many different things.
21:35I know you're off to a wedding and that is a very special moment.
21:39But a special moment for me could be myself and Brian sitting alone, just sharing a dram.
21:46It could be myself sharing a dram with my brother or, you know, a friend.
21:51It could also be just me sitting on my own from time to time.
21:55And I consider that a very special moment.
21:57So it is less about new, young, fast-paced.
22:03It is more about patience, concerted, time, just, yeah, tradition, I think.
22:11We're not scared of that at all.
22:13I think we have to, we live with it.
22:17I drink quite a bit of my own.
22:19Well, not a drink of a lot of my own.
22:21But at night, I will open up a white wine glass.
22:25I love drinking out of a white wine glass.
22:26Put a couple of Cuba's eyes and get a McTala or an Old Perth.
22:33And I do like the latest bodega.
22:36And just have that.
22:37And it's just wonderful just to sip it and drink it and watch the news.
22:43No matter how bad it is.
22:52So we're in what looks like where the barley would come in.
22:56Yeah, so we're stood next to our two malt bins.
22:59So we obviously grow all of our own barley.
23:02Simpsons do our malting.
23:05So after harvest, our barley travels down to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
23:08And then every week, we would take at least one load of that back.
23:12So a 28-ton load comes back into us on a weekly basis.
23:15So we're stood next to our two malt bins.
23:19And it's quite a small operation.
23:21The notion of small is relative.
23:22If you were to compare us to the Diageos of the world or the Edgintons of the world
23:27and some of their distilleries that are capable of 15 million litres of alcohol a year and whatnot,
23:32yes, we're a relatively small operation.
23:34If you were to compare us to some of the more modern boutique distilleries and whatnot,
23:38like Straffern, we're colossal in comparison to that.
23:40Theoretically, if we were to run 24-7 and run 45 weeks a year,
23:45which is about normal for a distillery,
23:48we have the capacity to produce a million litres of alcohol a year.
23:52Where we are at the moment, we tick over at about 350,000 litres of alcohol a year.
23:57So it's not a small operation, but it's not a massive operation either.
24:00The focus isn't on volume, the focus is on quality.
24:07So on this side we have the wash still.
24:09Fairly classic in its style.
24:10Nothing particularly weird or unusual about it.
24:13Spirit still again.
24:15Maybe not classic Lolan style.
24:17Probably more in line with something you would get from up in Speyside.
24:20A boil ball to encourage reflux, which increases copper contact.
24:25Which generates a slightly lighter style of spirit.
24:28But at the same time, though, that's counteracted by things like
24:31downward-facing line arms and whatnot to encourage a little bit of a stronger character.
24:36So it's all about striking a balance.
24:38While we are looking for something richer and heavier than your classic Lolan style,
24:43you're still trying to encourage a little bit of weight
24:45with things like your descending line arms and whatnot.
24:47If everything is sort of skewing slightly Speyside,
24:49did you ever think about going up there, or is it just too saturated?
24:53Definitely well populated.
24:55I don't know if it's quite at saturation.
24:57I think from a practical point of view, family are based down here.
25:02Jamie lives locally.
25:03The Lolan's right now is really interesting,
25:05because there's a few pockets that are pushing to be more categorised themselves,
25:10like Fife, and then we spoke to Sam Heughan recently,
25:12and he was saying to him briefs and Galloway.
25:14The Lolan's are definitely, there's definitely a bit of a renaissance.
25:18You've got loads of new distilleries,
25:20and you've got loads of distilleries that have come of age relatively recently,
25:23and it's Fife in particular that they have this identity crisis
25:27where they want to be recognised as their own little region,
25:29which I can entirely get.
25:31Lolan, as a region, there's a historic belief that perhaps
25:38maybe not as high quality as a Speyside or a Highland or an Islay, for example,
25:43which, that notion is archaic.
25:45The idea that you can categorise spirit style by location is all that.
25:52There's no real, there's no facts in there.
25:56A distillery in the Lolan's can produce a weighty spirit which reflects a Highland.
26:00We can produce a peated spirit that reflects a similar style from Islay, etc.
26:04And similarly, all of these distilleries over in Islay, up in the Highlands,
26:08could generate a super lightweight, really floral, really approachable whisky,
26:12just like a lowlander can.
26:14Equally, we sit right on the border between Highland and the Lowland,
26:17but we don't necessarily identify ourselves as Ewer.
26:20We make single malt scotch whisky.
26:22Yeah, so what we've got in front of us is essentially two expressions of Aberargi.
26:35On the left-hand side, the lighter-coloured one is matured in first-filled bourbon casks,
26:41so that's American oak, that we've filled for the first time in Scotland.
26:46When we buy the American barrels, we specify that they are unrinsed,
26:52and they come across in the whole barrel.
26:54It's not broken up and put together again like most other barrels.
26:59And we've matured this for seven years in first-filled barrels,
27:04a combination of Laureate and Golden Promise.
27:06So just on the nose, there's a lovely sweetness that is so typical of the American oak bourbon barrels.
27:13But there's also a structure to it, which is a combination of age.
27:20So seven years' worth of maturation in first-filled wood is quite long for a new distillery.
27:26It's quite young in the bigger whisky world.
27:30But also, a large percentage of this would be from Golden Promise barley,
27:35which, as we've discussed before, is all about structure and flavour.
27:40Now, if you just nose that compared to the glass we've got on the right,
27:45so it's darker in colour, and this has been matured in first-filled sherry casks,
27:50so casks that had sherry in before or were seasoned with sherry,
27:57100% first-filled, matured for the same length of time, so seven years.
28:02And on the nose, the sweetness is more fruity than candy-like.
28:08So for me, the bourbon barrel is candy and vanilla,
28:12and the sherry cask is more dried and stewed fruits, a little bit of spice.
28:18And I almost think about it as spring and autumn.
28:22And the sherry cask, we use a combination of Oloroso sherry and PX sherry.
28:27So these are two single components, and essentially when we put the first bottling together,
28:35we will use a combination of these two components in a way that we feel is the most complex and balanced.
28:45Want to taste them?
28:45Yeah, why not?
28:46Cheers.
28:46But they will have been married in a cask for a few months before bottling.
28:52Absolutely.
28:53So they're actually married already, and we've then put them back to wood,
28:59which is the marrying period, for a few months before we actually put it in the bottle.
29:06So what do you think?
29:07That's really nice.
29:07Yeah, sorry.
29:08I thought you were going to say something.
29:09It's really well-rounded.
29:11There is a spiciness there, but it's not in your face.
29:15It's very easy to drink.
29:16It's quite fresh.
29:17Yeah, so that's the bourbon cask.
29:19Then when we go to the sherry, slightly bigger mouthfeel, more warm, lots more spice.
29:29And I really think of this as autumn.
29:32In the next month or two, if you were to drive through Perthshire,
29:37and you look at all the colours of the leaves, the orange and the yellows,
29:41that's really the image I have in my head.
29:45It's a really nice, long finish.
29:47Quite sweet.
29:48It's lovely.
29:48Yeah.
29:49So it's going to be good.
29:54We're taking orders, by the way.
29:55So obviously, this is going to launch in March.
29:59How many bottles?
30:00What kind of price point are you thinking?
30:01Is it the start of your core range, or is it going to be limited?
30:04So this is our inaugural release, which means it is a limited number of bottles released in March
30:11in quite a few markets around the world.
30:15Asia might launch slightly later.
30:17Our ambition then is, after the inaugural release, to release two sets of expressions,
30:24which is essentially the four pillars that we've spoken about individually,
30:30and then launch with a core range product in May of 2027.
30:36So it'll be a 10-year-old.
30:37No, it probably won't be a 10-year-old.
30:41And the reason for that is we started distilling only in November 2017.
30:46So the stocks of 2017 is really small.
30:51So the stock that we use at the moment is all 2018 stock.
30:55And I think that's really important to note that we are using our oldest stock.
31:02Because what we could have done was wait seven or eight years,
31:06but then still use three- or four-year-old whiskey.
31:09Because from a pricing point of view, that's far cheaper.
31:12But we're not, because we've waited all this time for a very good reason.
31:18So we are using our oldest stocks.
31:2110th of March, 2026, we aim to be on shelf in the UK and most markets in Europe
31:30on the same day with our inaugural release.
31:34And do you have an idea of price point or not really yet?
31:38We do have an idea.
31:40It's not...
31:40It's not confirmed.
31:41Confirmed just yet.
31:44Brian, just to come back to you.
31:45So we've kind of, we talked about this last time I saw you,
31:48but we talk about tradition and coming into the market with this is like a bit of a USP.
31:53Because the whiskey market is kind of going through peaks and troughs
31:55and we're currently in a bit of a trough.
31:56What are your sort of thoughts about everything that's going on
31:59and how do you see the future?
32:01I think the future is good, yes.
32:03There's a lot of stock in the market and that's having its effect.
32:06And there are new spirits coming on all the time.
32:09But no, as you've said, the industry is cyclical.
32:16And I think I've been through a few of them,
32:18but I have nothing but optimism for the industry.
32:22And I think single malts, especially family-owned single malt businesses,
32:27will continue to flourish.
32:30It'll be tough because there's some big boys out there, heavy hitters,
32:35but there is a market for the independent single malt bottler.
32:42And family, you think family businesses will flourish because they're a bit more,
32:46they're smaller and a bit more agile?
32:48I think they're agile, yes.
32:51And they can move more quickly
32:53and they can introduce one-off single bottlings very quickly,
33:00whereas at some of the larger companies,
33:02it takes a while for that process to go through.
33:05Here we could do it, I think, reasonably quickly with the blessing of Graham.
33:10The advantage we've got is we've got the bottling facility on site.
33:15So we are not relying on anyone else to bottle or blend
33:21or, you know, the only external things we rely on is dry goods supply.
33:28Everything else is in our hands.
33:30Yes, and I think we're very fortunate in that we do have the other brands
33:33to sustain the business while we waited for Aberragie to come through.
33:39So if we were here in two years' time, what would you be hoping to see?
33:42I would like to think there will be more editions of this coming out.
33:46It has to be.
33:47It's hard to say because we're looking at various options,
33:53but I see the forward going forward as strong.
33:59And we have a very good relationship both, you know, within the industry
34:03but also within the retail side of the industry,
34:07especially the independent retailers.
34:09I think that's a strong point in our favour.
34:14And we got on well with them and we try and help them as well.
34:20Yeah.
34:20And have you found, with this company kind of coming back into it,
34:24that the family name obviously does mean a lot?
34:27I think it helps, yes.
34:29Because people can always hark back to the old days.
34:32But the old days, well, the old days were...
34:35But, yes, I think it does.
34:38I also think the family, you know, we employ 20 people at the distillery
34:43and Morrison's Scotch Whiskey Distillers.
34:45And I think having the family and the security that that brings for the staff
34:50is really, really important.
34:53You know, they know the family.
34:56The vision of the family is long-term.
34:59We've had a few tough years behind us.
35:02But I think having the family support and guardianship around this place
35:09is really important from a staffing point of view as well.
35:12Yeah, I mean, Graeme, when we talked to Graeme, he's been here...
35:15Man and boy.
35:16Yeah.
35:17No, he joined us back in, I think, 2005
35:20when we had the Scottish liqueur centre at Bank Food.
35:25And he came in.
35:27He knew little or nothing about bottling spirit or anything.
35:32But he learnt very quickly, never afraid to ask questions.
35:38And he's just absorbed it all.
35:41And now he's a...
35:42You know, we didn't think we'd be a distillery back in 2005 or 10.
35:47But here he is running our production site.
35:53That's quite heartwarming for us.
35:55And there are other people within the company too
35:57who have been here for some years.
35:59That must be nice to have, you know,
36:01the importance of a team that you can trust.
36:03But what is your involvement?
36:05Sorry, I'm going to have to ask that again.
36:06I'll tell you.
36:07Well, very little.
36:08I'm just the old fellow in the background.
36:12No, Jamie and I talk a lot about it.
36:14And I was...
36:15I was, back in the days of yore, I was keen on inventory
36:20because we were whisky brokers as well, they're being distillers.
36:24But, you know, inventory is key to an independent Scotch whisky company.
36:28You've got to have stocks,
36:29especially if you've got the other brands like Old Perth and McTally.
36:32You've got to have that back up.
36:33So we talked about this with Graeme a little bit.
36:35So the whisky is, the character would lean more probably space-side
36:40or it's a bit more robust than a lowland.
36:42And we talked about, you know, the map, the different regions
36:44and how these days it doesn't really reflect the taste profile anymore.
36:49And there's certain pockets like Fife
36:51who want to be classed as Fife rather than lowland.
36:54So what would your thoughts be on that,
36:56having witnessed the industry over a number of years?
36:58I think you go back to the days when you had the definitions
37:03and I think it was from, was it, from Greenock to Dundee?
37:09Anything below that, basically, was a lowland whisky.
37:12You can call it Fife, you could, but anything above that was Highland.
37:16And you live within that, didn't you?
37:17We're a lowland distillery.
37:20Just be happy with that, I think.
37:24But you can produce whiskies within that definition.
37:29And then cast maturation, too.
37:32You know, when I joined the whisky industry 25 years ago,
37:36it was very much, lowland was very light and in style.
37:41The highlands were more mature.
37:43The space sites were very easy.
37:46Everything on Islay was petered.
37:49I think we've, I think we understand the process so much better
37:56and we can influence the process at various stages now where you have some petered malt
38:02being produced on the mainland.
38:04You have unpeetered whisky being produced on Islay.
38:07I think we are beyond that specific flavour classification.
38:14Because I certainly don't think we fit the traditional lowland style of whisky.
38:20Even though, geographically, we are, strictly speaking, a lowland whisky.
38:25We can influence through the use of different barley types, like Golden Promise,
38:29through the use of different cast types, through the length of the fermentation,
38:33how we run our stills.
38:35You know, you can produce almost any style of whisky in any region.
38:40But I think for an entry-level consumer,
38:44the regions were a really easy, sensible place to start.
38:49But thank you very much.
38:50It's been lovely to speak to you and try the whisky.
38:52And I'm excited to see what it's like in March.
38:55Thank you very much.
38:56Yes, well, thank you.
39:00So this is the first warehouse we built when we built.
39:03We built this alongside the distillery.
39:05We started filling this in 2017.
39:08Currently, this warehouse is full.
39:10This holds circa 5,000 casks.
39:12The other warehouse on site holds just shy of 30,000 casks,
39:16which, again, is not far off being full.
39:19In here, we have a mixture of first full sherry casks and first full bourbon barrels.
39:23So on your left, you see the cherry butts.
39:27That's where your generous dried fruits and spices come from.
39:31And then on the right, we have bourbon barrels
39:33where your notes of vanilla, coconut, et cetera, come from.
39:37We deal direct with suppliers for our wood.
39:40So we're not going to Spaceside Cooperage or the likes, for example,
39:43and having them as a middleman.
39:46We are dealing direct with our suppliers in Spain for our sherry wood.
39:51And we're dealing direct with cooperages in America and whatnot
39:54for bourbon barrels and bringing them in ourselves.
39:57This is one of my favorite areas of the business.
39:59This is where New Make Spirit comes in from the distillery.
40:03It comes in from other places as well.
40:05If we go back to talk about McTowell Fair,
40:08this is where we bring New Make Spirit into the warehouses,
40:12fill it into our vats, fill it to cask, et cetera.
40:14So it's where Spirit starts its journey into becoming whiskey.
40:19But it's also where our aged casks come to be disgorged,
40:23to become finished products.
40:24So it's the start and the end of the process.
40:28This is where the creative part of the whiskey-making process happens.
40:32So almost any bottling is a recipe of different cask types
40:39or as a blend, for example, of different single malts
40:41and grain whiskeys, et cetera, coming together.
40:43And this is the area where that happens.
40:46Yeah, my favorite area.
40:47One of our busier areas as well.
40:49What are your hopes for the next 12 months?
40:51Because you're going to have a busy, busy period coming up.
40:53Yeah, we are going to be busy.
40:54For me, the biggest hope is that Aberradi does well.
40:58We obviously have been working away on this since 2017.
41:00We're quietly confident.
41:02We've created something unique and something special.
41:05My only hope is people enjoy it.
41:07Yeah, it's enjoyed and shared around the world
41:09and people at some point maybe buy a second bottle,
41:12maybe come to see us if there is something in the future
41:14in terms of visitor centre, et cetera.
41:16Just love it the same way we do.
41:18That's all I can ask.
41:20Well, thank you very much.
41:21You must have come.
41:26Thanks to Graeme, Brian and Neil for being my guests on this episode
41:29and thanks to you two for listening.
41:31Please remember to rate, review and subscribe
41:32so you never miss an episode of Scran.
41:35Scran is co-produced and hosted by me, Roslyn Derskin
41:37and co-produced, edited and mixed by Kelly Crichton.
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