The Cumming family, Cardhu
The saga of the family who went from illegal distillers to pillars of the whisky establishment.
People
Whisky heroes
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Whisky heroes
03 October 2019
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Whisky heroes
12 September 2019
Paddy O’Flaherty, Paddy Irish whiskey
How a flamboyant entrepreneur popularised the eponymous Irish whiskey by selling bar-to-bar.
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Whisky heroes
15 August 2019
Scotch Watch: the Ballantine’s geese
The feathered security guards protected maturing whisky stocks for more than 50 years.
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Whisky heroes
10 June 2019
John Crabbie
The whisky merchant that left an indelible mark on Edinburgh is enjoying a modern revival.
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Whisky heroes
09 May 2019
Wallace and Jack Milroy, Milroy’s of Soho
The single malt pioneers supplied politicians and celebrities from their famed London store.
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Whisky heroes
21 March 2019
Sam Bronfman, Seagram
The story of the flawed business genius who transformed the way the world sells liquor.
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Whisky heroes
09 January 2019
Pip Hills, Scotch Malt Whisky Society
A defining whisky experience led Hills to create the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
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Whisky heroes
11 December 2018
Dr James Crow
The Scottish chemist is believed to be the pioneer of Bourbon’s sour mash process.
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Whisky heroes
12 November 2018
John Jameson
The founder of the Irish whiskey dynasty was a Presbyterian born in Alloa, Scotland.
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Whisky heroes
17 October 2018
Harold Currie, Isle of Arran
'Hal' Currie brought distilling back to the Isle of Arran after more than 150 years.
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Whisky heroes
11 September 2018
Aeneas Coffey
The Irishman’s work on continuous distillation transformed the world of Scotch whisky.
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Whisky heroes
13 August 2018
Neil M Gunn
The leading Scottish literary figure was an exciseman before his writing career took off.
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Whisky heroes
11 July 2018
The Forbes family of Ferintosh
The family behind Ferintosh, Scotland’s oldest distillery and a vast operation at its peak.
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Whisky heroes
19 June 2018
John Ramsay, Port Ellen
The man who owned five Islay distilleries, who was also a great agricultural moderniser.
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Whisky heroes
07 May 2018
Robert Armour, Campbeltown
The story of one of the 19th century’s great black-market whisky still manufacturers.
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Whisky heroes
27 March 2018
Jimmy Barclay, Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal
From Prohibition to the 1950s, the life of one of Scotch whisky’s greatest entrepreneurs.
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Whisky heroes
07 March 2018
‘Miss Babs’ Robertson, Edrington
The story of the woman whose astuteness helped create one of Scotch whisky’s strongest businesses.
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Whisky heroes
23 January 2018
Hamish Scott, Ardbeg
He was the man behind the distillery’s cult 1960s and 1970s bottlings – but how did he do it?
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Whisky heroes
02 November 2017
Biawa Makalaga, Glen Grant
The story of the African orphan who became a famous figure in the Speyside town of Rothes.
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Whisky heroes
03 October 2017
William Delmé-Evans
The story of the post-war distillery architect who built Tullibardine, Jura and Glenallachie.
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Whisky heroes
30 August 2017
Alfred Barnard
The little-known story of the man who wrote one of Scotch whisky’s most important books.
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Whisky heroes
10 August 2017
‘Long John’ McDonald, Ben Nevis
As a man, he was a ‘happy Hercules’ – and, as a distiller, a larger-than-life self-promoter.
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Whisky heroes
04 July 2017
Colin Hay, Ardbeg
The compelling story of the man who rescued the Islay distillery and brought it into prosperity.
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Whisky heroes
07 June 2017
Andrew and John Usher
The brothers created one of the world’s most successful blended whiskies, Old Vatted Glenlivet.
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Whisky heroes
20 April 2017
Alexander Edward, Craigellachie
Delve into the life of the forgotten hero behind the Craigellachie distillery, hotel and village.
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Whisky heroes
11 April 2017
Bill Smith Grant, The Glenlivet
Great-grandson of The Glenlivet founder and survivor of both World Wars.
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Whisky heroes
14 March 2017
Malcolm Gillespie: ‘Gillespie the Gauger’
The shamed excise officer may be more villain than hero, but it depends on whose side you’re on…
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Whisky heroes
09 February 2017
Ronnie Cox, Berry Bros & Rudd
A career as colourful as his socks, including staring down the barrel of a gun more than once.
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Whisky heroes
19 December 2016
Aeneas MacDonald
No, not the exiled Scotsman, but the pseudonymous author of ‘the finest whisky book ever’.
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Whisky heroes
16 November 2016
Tommy Dewar
The globe-trotting extrovert and born salesman was one of Scotch’s most colourful characters.
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Whisky heroes
20 September 2016
John Ross
The William Grant distiller on his successes, failures and balancing innovation with brand identity.
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Whisky heroes
23 August 2016
James Buchanan
The ‘Whisky Baron’ overcame ill-health to create some of Scotch’s most successful blends.
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Whisky heroes
24 May 2016
Bessie Williamson, Laphroaig
First lady of Laphroaig and much-loved on Islay, Bessie proved Scotch was not just a man’s world.
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Whisky heroes
29 March 2016
Captain William Fraser
Was the founder of Royal Brackla distillery really as arrogant and spiteful as we’re led to believe?
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Whisky heroes
18 February 2016
William Grant
The life of the determined creator of Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Scotch’s biggest family business.
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Whisky heroes
27 January 2016
The Incredible Captain Barclay
The man who founded Glenury Royal distillery – and who famously walked 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours.
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Whisky heroes
21 December 2015
Hugh Munro: The Blind Captain
War, women and whisky: the story of Hugh Munro, early 19th-century Laird of Teaninich, has it all.
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Whisky heroes
30 November 2015
The Pattison Brothers
Flamboyance, fraud and 500 talking parrots: when boom turned to bust with the ‘Pattison Crash’.