Jordan Hillman: 'Tomintoul is for everyone and a whisky women enjoy, too'

Sunday, 07 December 2025 at 08:03

There are plenty of distilleries in the world, but where do you find one run by an entire family, with three generations standing together on a trade show floor? Jordan Hillman, sales manager at Angus Dundee Distillers and a member of the family, is proud of their family business. 'For me, it’s not really work: it’s a passion.'

We catch up with the ever-cheerful Hillman at The Art of Drinks in Amsterdam. His family runs two whisky houses: Tomintoul and Glencadam. His grandparents bought the former in 2000 and the latter in 2003. Welcome to Angus Dundee Distillers.

Tomintoul whisky: made for everyone

'We think of them as brother and sister,' Jordan beams. And just like real family, these two whiskies couldn’t be more different in character. Both are born in Scotland, but each has its own personality. Glencadam (Highlands) is crafted for connoisseurs, while the Tomintoul whiskies (Speyside) appeal to a broader audience. 'And it’s also a ladies’ whisky,' Hillman says proudly.

He highlights this because he hopes more women will get into whisky.

'There aren’t many women in the whisky world, and I think that’s a shame. My mum runs our company. So it’s absolutely possible. And I think Tomintoul is very approachable for women. It’s very light and sweet to drink.'

He even jokes that it could pass for a breakfast whisky, referring to his grandfather, the founder of the company. 'On his doctor’s advice, he’s had a whisky every day for fifty years: Tomintoul 16. Whisky as medicine.' Most importantly, thanks in part to that advice, Jordan’s grandad is well into his 90s, just like his grandma. And both are still hard at work at the distilleries.

Hardworking grandparents

They’re a hardworking family. Although Jordan’s mother is now at the helm, it’s his grandfather’s philosophy that guides them. A man who always has a new idea brewing. 'One day we went to him with good news: we’d reached four percent of global market share. But he said, "No, no, that means there’s 96 percent we don’t have yet!"'

So there’s always room to grow. Jordan travels the world to place both whisky brands in as many VIP bars as possible. He flies to Asia, for example, but our little country is also important for Glencadam and Tomintoul: 'I’m in the Netherlands two to three times a year, because this is one of our key markets.'

There are plenty of growth plans: not only is the ambition to double Tomintoul’s production, we also recently had a scoop regarding Glencadam.

Throughout the interview, what stands out is how often Hillman laughs. He’s loving it, and he never hesitates to talk about his family. One of his fondest memories is of a trade fair where three generations were present: him, his mother, and his grandfather. 'You don’t see that often in Scotland at family-run distilleries.'

He’s also clearly proud of his mother. 'She’s the one who personally selects all 20,000 casks a year and travels the world to do it.'

Weathering setbacks

Being a family business also means decisions can be made quickly. Handy in challenging times like these. There were financial headwinds during Brexit, and costs keep rising. 'Look at labels, bottles, everything’s up by ten to twenty percent.' Jordan stresses that his family isn’t in a position to hike whisky prices sharply.

'Fortunately, we don’t have shareholders—we only have to keep grandpa and grandma happy.'

For Angus Dundee, it’s crucial not just to keep prices steady where possible, but above all to safeguard quality.

How important is a famous face?

While Jordan would love to collaborate with Tiger Woods, he’s also skeptical about using celebrities to sell the water of life. He cites David Beckham’s Haig Club as an example.

'We saw a lot of ads, but I don’t think whisky drinkers are naive. They can tell it’s a publicity stunt.'

For Jordan and his family, a quality whisky matters more than a famous face. That said, as a golf fan, he’s always open to a call from Tiger Woods. In the meantime, Jordan has invented his own golf-themed cocktail: the 'Green Padam.' He laughs, 'The best cocktails are the ones you can’t find on the internet yet. It’s just like you, you’re innovative, creating your own platform, and you don’t want others to look the same.'

Still, we had to ask one more thing: when did he have his very first whisky?

I was six, and my little brother was three. We were heading to a whisky show in Dufftown. We were in the car: me, my brother, my grandma and grandpa, when my brother turned to my grandma and asked, ‘Are we going to the fair?’'

Turns out a little salesman had already been born…

Favorite whisky: Old Ballantruan
Number of whisky glasses per week: '18–20 sips for tasting, not full glasses. Whisky isn’t for getting drunk.'
Most fun bottle owned: Tomintoul Five Decades, 50th anniversary
Most expensive whisky ever tasted: Tomintoul Ultimate Cask
Whisky countries to watch: China and India
A whisky you wish you’d created: Rosebank
Least favorite whisky ever tasted: 'I’m not a fan of smoky whiskies.'

This article was previously published on the Dutch version of Whisky Monkeys