There’s something incredibly refreshing about Jackton Distillery, home of the RAER Malt brands. It’s not just the countryside air — fresher than what you’ll find up the road in nearby cities like Glasgow — but the way the team approaches everything at the distillery.
The distillery is a fairly new kid on the block, having been established in 2020 by the Kean family, who ran the farm where Jackton is situated and have links to the construction industry through James Kean (the father’s) business.
The story of how whisky came onto the scene goes like this: James, a keen whisky lover, wanted to create something he could enjoy alongside his children — Jaynie, Claragh and Jacob. Known as someone with a thousand ideas by his children, they were used to him coming to them with his next new thing.
Jaynie — who was a self-confessed whisky hater — was working in a bar and didn’t believe she could be converted. So, James went ahead and got help creating a bespoke blend. Lo and behold, a tasting all together with the family would prove that palates can shift, and destinies change.
After much discussion, the family decided they’d build their own distillery on the farmland where the kids were raised. Jaynie — now the managing director — calls it a beautiful way to grow up, with sheep, pigs and cattle all grazing nearby, and the community hall where everyone local would come to play sport there as well. Soon, the wheels were in motion to convert the buildings into the distillery. The sports hall was turned into the main stillhouse, and the family built a new community hall down the road through their charity. Today, the site has grown to include a large, modern visitor’s centre, and a slew of on-site accommodation for tourists.
The family laid its first cask down in February 2020 after painstakingly building the distillery with great detail.
During a tour with Jethro Rolland, who heads up distillery events, it is evident a lot of energy was put into creating a space that would be more than just your average or classic still house set up. Inside, there is a regular wash and pot still, but also a high tech Hungarian Hagyo Still — known as a universal still because it can make anything from whisky distillate to rum and gin — and a Kothe 4 plate continuous still they can use to vapour infuse spirits with botanicals. The mash set up includes a set of three completely different varieties — a traditional mash tun, a semi-lauter tun, and a whirlpool one taken from the world of brewing so they can also make beer on site. The idea behind such variety was to allow the team to be able to weather any ups and downs in the whisky industry by being able to keep production going on a variety of products, even if whisky needed to be slowed down.
Originally the barley came from local farms, but after realising quite how much they would need for production, they moved that aspect (along with the livestock) to their farms in Ayrshire. They now grow around three hundred tonnes a year, with about one tonne a day going into production.
A full malting facility has been built on site allowing the team to go from field to distillery in one fell swoop, something quite rare these days. The team is keen to not only be self reliant but to be able to experiment with grain types and malting levels — chocolate malt is in the pipeline, alongside heavier roasted malts.
Whiskies are stored on site in a variety of casks with a preference for interesting Sherry Casks - Fino, PX, Amontillado — and French Chambord wine casks, which they have an exclusive partnership with.
Its first single malt whisky is due to launch under its RAER brand name in Autumn 2026, a preview of which showcased three potential whiskies that might make the cut, all of which have been matured in ex-Sherry casks.
But the brand has already gotten a foothold in the market with its RAER blended whiskies which launched back in 2020 and have garnered great acclaim.
It is the company’s whisky brand name that perhaps best explains the attitude with which the family seems to approach everything. According to Jaynie, a number of years before the distillery had even been considered, her father came rushing in one day with another ‘great idea’ — this time he wanted to do a photo series.
The installation would feature a man and a woman in kilts looking out at a beautiful view with the breeze slightly lifting said kilts to show a little cheek. You’d have a ‘rear view of a rare view’ and so the RAER (rear spelled in reverse) became the motto.
“Whenever we think of life we try to remind ourselves to enjoy small moments. It doesn't mean we always get our arses out, but we have a laugh, have a good time with friends and family. Have a rare moment,” she said when at the distillery.
“So that's where the name came from. We try to make it rare. Make it honest. We do that with everything.”
Today, the distillery is run by Jaynie, her sister Claragh and brother Jacob as directors. Being proud of the family connection is part and parcel of their day to day.
"What makes us stand out is that we haven’t got large stakeholders dictating what we should do and how we should do it. We follow our gut instinct and keep our focus on making the product yummy, not just a collector's item to sit on a shelf for someone's whole life,” explains Jaynie.
“We don’t scam the public with dramatic claims of what our product is and then overvalue it so that only the richest in society can enjoy it. We create value by making it a good product, with real meaning behind it. We also have fun along the way."
Speaking with everyone at the distillery, there was a clear joie de vivre about life, about whisky making, and about what they have found themselves doing. Jaynie says that’s how they approach everything and what they want others to see and feel when they come to visit or taste the whisky.
"The most important part of this journey is being reflective on how life is short, and we should do our best to live it to the full. That for us is ensuring that we benefit our community, and instilling the mentality that you should make each moment RAER."
