A gardener’s world (Hilary Lamont - Linkwood)
In a new series looking at different distillery careers, Richard Jones talks to Hilary Lamont – distillery gardener at Linkwood
Thereâs really no such thing as a typical day,â begins Hilary Lamont, gardener at Linkwood distillery. âAs any gardener will tell you, your work is dictated by the season and the weather. You might have a plan for a particular day, but then the heavens open and you have to change what you were going to do.
Once it starts, you canât just turn the taps off. Considering its location, Elgin actually has an extremely mild climate. As one of the nurserymen at my previous job said, âIf you canât grow anything in Morayshire, donât bother trying anywhere else.ââ
Born in Aberdeen but brought up in London for much of her childhood, Hilary Lamont has tended the greenery at Linkwood distillery for more than 25 years.
She is one of the last of a dying breed. âAs far as Iâm aware, Iâm the only person in the industry still employed as a full-time gardener. Historically the gardens at Linkwood needed special attention because it was close to the company offices in Elgin.
There wasnât much free space at the headquarters, so they wanted the distillery to look pristine for hospitality events, meetings and the like.
âThe Linkwood grounds cover 10 acres, and close to the distillery the gardens are quite high maintenance and cosmetic.
âEvery year I plant seeds for between 8,000 and 9,000 bedding plants, and the same for wall flowers. In this section the grass is manicured and cut short.
âBut as you move away from the distillery, the more naturalised everything.....
To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue
or subscribe to Whisky Magazine to have every issue delivered direct to your door.
You can unlock and read this entire article with 1 of your community tokens by clicking here.
By Richard Jones
Section : A day in the life
Page number : 67
