The strange case of the Bothy Still
Gavin D Smith looks at how Diageo’s forerunners flirted with the idea of launching a ‘boutique’ distillery based on an illegal operation – and how it ended up on the shelf
Today we take distillery visitor centres for granted. They have become part of Scotland’s tourist infrastructure, with ‘whisky tourism’ estimated to generate around £17m per year, and more than 40 distilleries opening their doors – and their cash tills – to visitors.
Recently it has even been announced that a ‘whisky chieftain’, or whisky tourism development manager, is soon to be appointed in order to exploit worldwide interest in Scotch whisky.
This is all a far cry from the situation that prevailed during the mid-1960s, when distilleries were strictly production facilities, and the only way to gain entry was via an amenable manager who was feeling benevolent after his lunchtime dram or three.
Just as its successor Diageo dominates the Scottish distilling scene today, so the old Distillers Company Ltd was the largest whisky-maker by far 38 years ago.
DCL was not noted for its innovative and forward thinking, yet during 1965 the company’s management committee devoted a considerable amount of time to a radical proposal to create a ‘boutique’ distillery and associated retail facilities for the general public at a location in the Highlands.
It was a concept of public interaction that was only to find its eventual expression around the time of the launch of the Classic Malts series in 1991.
By 1965, Scottish tourism was growing significantly, and a number of distillers were beginning to respond to requests from curious sightseers keen to catch a glimp.....
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By Gavin D. Smith
Section : Whisky History
Page number : 48
