Iain McAlister of Glen Scotia Whisky: 'You Have To Be a Bit Obsessive'

Friday, 31 May 2024 at 08:00

glen-scotia-master distiller- iain-mcalister

There is a beautiful saying: A glance speaks louder than a thousand words. Anyone who meets Iain McAlister, Distillery Manager and Master Distiller of Glen Scotia Distillery, cannot miss his sparkling eyes. They are contagious and stand in stark contrast to his humble demeanor. All the more reason to share this successful story from Glen Scotia.

Those who think of Campbeltown might quickly think of Springbank. Just a stone's throw from this distillery lies Glen Scotia. There we speak with Iain about his whisky, life, dogs, pairings, and how he finds himself rather obsessive.

A Challenge

Not everyone likes it when things come back from the dead, but in Campbeltown, they relish it. Anyone who works at the Glen Scotia distillery wears a grin from ear to ear, because they all know that Glen Scotia, as a whisky brand, is now as popular as The Walking Dead in the TV industry. But that was once very different.

'It was becoming almost a lost distillery.'

He vividly remembers how he came to the distillery in 2008. It was quite a risk to swap a good job to put Glen Scotia back on the map. When we ask what his first thought was when he walked into the distillery, a sigh leaves his body: 'What did I think, honestly? (small pause) Oh, shit.'

Just before that, the same job was offered to a woman who clearly said it wasn’t for her. Glen Scotia had a somewhat mixed reputation during that period, about 16 years ago. Some older bottles were well-received, but there was also plenty that wasn't good enough. The distillery was maintained just enough to keep it alive. Sometimes there was light and nothing more.

'You have to be a bit obsessive'

However, Iain saw his chance to do something groundbreaking. When we ask him to describe himself, he laughs and then says: ‘That is one of the hardest questions I have ever been asked.’ However, he quickly names six qualities: hard-working, dedicated, passionate, loyal, reliable and obsessive.

For him, it was clear that something had to be done with the Glen Scotia whisky recipe. The day before, during the festival dinner, one of his employees told us two things: he is the best boss ever and he has worked for five years to optimize his new make spirit.

So he finds himself 100 percent obsessive and admits having been heavily invested in finding the right way to push Glen Scotia forward.

‘You are looking for answers, for progress. You have to be a bit obsessive, I think. It helps if you are always pushing the boundaries and looking for that one answer.’

While Glen Scotia is now an incredibly popular whisky brand and he largely brought a sinking ship back to life, he realises that it could have gone another way.

‘It was a challenge. There was a lot to do. It was probably not for the faint-hearted. It could have gone either way. (...) It doesn't matter how hard you work or how obsessed you are. Sometimes you also need a bit of luck’.

He has had luck on his side. People naturally like him.

Glen Scotia Expansion?

Production has ramped up from 80,000 litres to 700,000 in sixteen years and the end is not yet in sight. An expansion is being hinted at. The Scotsman carefully weighs his answers and doesn't want to undermine the marketing team.

‘Well, you know, there is actually nothing concrete at the moment, but it is clear. Possible changes may occur in the future. (...) If you are expanding, you probably need extra stills, sorry, extra washbacks.’

Although he doesn't quite admit there is an expansion 100 percent, he definitely hints at it. However, the master distiller also emphasizes that maintaining the 'spirit profile' is always most important to him.

He lives for it, as does his team. You might not expect it, but the distillery is run by only 14 people, eight of whom are in production. Although everyone gets vacations, it is a challenge to keep all the balls in the air. When we ask if he might see himself as a workalcoholic (work hard, drink hard), he has to laugh: ‘Yes, that's probably a good one.’

A Simple Life

You might almost wonder if Iain still has hobbies. ‘To be honest, I'm just here (at the distillery, ed.), home, here, home ...’ The repetition is a joke with a clear truth to it.

‘We don't need to have an extravagant lifestyle,’ he explains. At home, he enjoys his wife and their two dogs. Once again those sparkling eyes scan the room: ‘We have two Weimaraner dogs, one of them is young. She is only 10 months old. We are busy with her,’ he smiles.

Music with Glen Scotia Double Cask

And of course he himself sometimes also drinks a glass of whisky. He is sometimes at a whisky bar and he loves to walk in nature, with or without the dogs. He can also enjoy music, as it turns out when we ask about pairing.

Then how would he pair a Glen Scotia Double Cask with music?

‘I'm very eclectic with my music. I grew up in the 80s, so I have many bands I like. AC/DC, Rainbow, White Snake... but probably Animal by Def Leppard.’

When we look at the lyrics, we see a beautiful similarity with Glen Scotia and the circle is complete: I got to feel it in my blood. One thing is certain: besides blood, there is something flowing through Iain McAlister's veins called Passion with a capital P.

Favourite whisky: 'Ardbeg Scorch. The only bottle I have two of.’
Number of whisky glasses per week: ‘3-5, but I drink small amounts.’
Most interesting bottle of whisky in possession: ‘Springbank from 1967. I got it for my 21st birthday (from his mother, ed.).’
Most expensive whisky ever drunk: 'No idea, but I get a lot of samples, just last night a Shirakawa from 1958.’
Whisky country to watch: 'India.'
Whisky you wish you had created: ‘Something where something has changed in the distillation part. I like it when there's a technical spin given to it, so something with the fermentation, something from the reflux, those kinds of things really attract my attention.’
Least favourite whisky: ‘A fake whisky.’