EDITORIAL COVERAGE

For this man, making whisky isn't just a job – it's in his blood Whisky and the distilleries where the ‘water of life' is made have been the bind for communities across the Highlands and islands for centuries.
By Ginny Clark

Publication Date: 14.11.06

FOR Graham Logie, appointed manager of the Lagavulin distillery on Islay in spring this year, life has come full circle. Aftermore than 30 years working in the whisky business on Scotland's mainland, this appointment has allowed him to return to the island of his childhood, to the place where his elemental association with the uisge beatha was first formed.

With his father having worked in the industry, first on Islay and latterly on the mainland, Graham's career path was almost inevitable. "I spent my childhood in distilleries such as Bruichladdich," he says. "I even played in them, as we not only lived near by, but sometimes had ourhouse within the confines of the distillery itself. Whisky isn't just a job, it's inmy blood."

For Logie, as for many people in the whisky industry, the distillery sat at the heart of the community, providing jobs and livelihoods not just to individuals, but to entire families. "It was 1973 when my father was appointed as the first manager at J&B's newAuchroisk Distillery, on Speyside. Shortly afterwards I left school and joined him there, becoming a warehouseman.

"Back then it was almost a given. If you had family connections with the industry or lived in a distilling community, you were usually guaranteed at least a start in the business. That's changed, of course. There is less of a family link, few people can say to their son or daughter – ‘you are starting there tomorrow'."

Nevertheless, at Dalwhinnie near Newtonmore in the Highlands, Scotland's highest distillery, this tradition is still strong. Maureen Stronach, a lead guide in the visitor centre, has been working at Dalwhinnie since 1976.

"It fitted in well with family life," she says. "After all, my late husband Gordon, who worked there for 33 and a half years, was a still man, which meant we were living on site."

The family connections did not stop there. "My grandfather came here to work in 1921, andmy mum, who worked in the office, and my dad,were employed at Dalwhinnie."

Now Maureen's brother, Hamish Christie, and her son, Stephen Stronach, are on the payroll too. "The feeling of tradition, of the links going back through generations of your family, is very important," she says. "It certainly means a lot to me."

Stephen agrees. When he first left school he went to work on a farm – but 18 months later he was at Dalwhinnie, and has been there 16 years. "It's a good job," he says. "And it's part of the local heritage. It's good to have that family connection, and I'd love to see it continue with my own children. Although, as they are both under five, there's a few years before they start thinking about it."

Murdo Stewart and his sister Liz are operators at Dalwhinnie – their mumalso worked there for25years. "Having different members of the family all working for the same employermight seem unusual," says Murdo, "but it is quite common in the smaller distillery communities. We like the tradition, and are proud to be carrying it on."

Advances in technology have had an impact in some areas of the whisky industry. However, distilling remains a traditional business. It's also a significant business.

Diageo, for instance, is the biggest single player,with 27malt distilleries, two grain distilleries and a half share in a third. The company employs around 4000 people in its 50 Scottish sites, with around a further 12,000 in support jobs across the country. In addition to annually producing more than 30 million cases of Scotch whiskies such as Johnnie Walker, J&B and Bell's, Diageo Scotland is responsible for around 15 million cases of white spirits, including Smirnoff vodka, Tanqueray and Gordon's Gins.

While whisky is still a massive Scottish industry, the business now attracts many people outwith that traditional family link. Master blenderMaureen Robinson works forDiageo Global,with hermain job description being Scotch liquid development manager.As the rather fancy title suggests, Maureen works on the development of whisky products, creating new blends, and helping to launch them in every corner of the world.

There are increasing numbers of women in this side of the business, but when Maureen first started blending around 20 years ago, she was most definitely working in a man's world. She didn't follow in anyone's footsteps, but came to work in the Clackmannan-based arm of the business after failing an exam at university.

"I was studying to be a pharmacist at Strathclyde," says Maureen. "I flunked one exam and decided to take some time out. Having moved here from Glasgow, I wrote to the local distillery and was soon working in the lab. I decided not to go back to the degree course." With a chemistry qualification under her belt, Maureen spent nine years in the laboratory "breaking whisky down, to see what made it tick", and a further 20 years on the blending side.

"The more I worked with whisky, the more I enjoyed it," she says. "It's exciting to be part of the development of a whisky that's new to the world, or in creating line extensions to existing brands.

"It's not just about mixing the malt and the grain, there's the age and the cask; so many different aspects. Many customers are looking for something in particular from the flavours, the aromas and the palate.

"Younger people tend to prefer lighter, fruitierwhiskies, and in many parts ofAsia, for instance, customers don't like peaty varieties, which can sometimes feel a bit harsh."

Maureen is off to China next week, and to Mexico a fortnight after that. "If I'd stuck with the degree, I'd probably have got as far as the chemist's," she says.

Although nowthe globally-recognised national drink of Scotland, it's clear whisky has also been hugely significant in the development of the small communities where it has originally been produced.

For while the industry has made a significant impact on both the Scottish and wider UKeconomies, the effect it has had on the areas where distilleries are based is more complex.

In fact, it cannot be measured in monetary terms alone. Here too, whether on Islay, Speyside, the Highlands or lowlands, the distilleries have helped to shape whole communities, sometimes over several centuries.

The making of whisky is an important part of their local identities too. This is something Graham, in coming home to his family and friends on Islay, believes is still very important.

"As a manager on a site, you do build an affinity," he says. "Distilling is never just the job you do – you are also part of a community, where your employees are from.

"On Islay this is heightened even further by the fact we are a cut-off community anyway. There are eight distilleries on the island, for instance, and I don't think a similar number on Speyside would be able to have the same bond as we do.

"Although the eight are owned by seven different companies, and are therefore in competition, we still help each other out. If one breaks down, anotherwill help supply parts – after all, we are all dependent on the ferry. The same goes if someone has a shortage of rawmaterials. We all support each other, knowing full well it could be you that needs the help tomorrow. No-one wants to see a distillery lie idle.

"In any case, the real rivalry is at the marketing end of the business. The product we are all turning out today won't be sold for perhaps another 20 years.

"What we are doing is so essentially part of the island's identity, of what we are all about. There are three things on Islay, the distilleries, agriculture and tourism – and they all go hand in hand."

In the past year, the Scottish Executive has teamed up with the ScottishWhisky Association to launch partnership document, Scotland's Enterprising Spirit. It focuses on the areas where government and industry co-operation can support the whisky industry's continued success, such as boosting exports, ensuring fairtax, encouraging tourism and sustainable development.

As Scotland supports the industry's drive, increasing its presence on the international market place, it's important to remember how, in small villages and towns throughout the country, whisky has helped to shape Scotland too,

"You can't escape the whisky business on Islay," adds Graham. "Wherever you are, you are close to it and everyone feels part of it."

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