Campbeltown's new whisky company - Post by Whisky Magazine

$Campbelltown\'s new whisky company$

The two experienced whisky people, husband and wife team Mark and Kate Watt, are behind Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd.

The former General Manager of Wm. Cadenhead's Mark Watt and his wife Kate Watt have just set up their own business and will now operate as a private bottler, bringing a range of exciting whisky bottlings to the market.

They both have many years of experience in the Scotch whisky industry. Kate has worked at both Springbank and Glenfarclas, while Mark was practically born in a distillery, on the now defunctMacallan farm on the Macallan distillery site in Craigellachie. He has worked for several companies in the industry, most recently as General Manager of Wm. Cadenhead's in Campbeltown, where the couple live with their two children. We caught up with Mark for a chat about the company and the future.

What were your thoughts when naming your start-up?
'Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd was just too good a name not to use', laughs Mark. 'Well, since Katt is from Campbeltown and we now live here with the family, we thought it was pretty obvious', he says.

What can we expect from your upcoming bottlings?
'We're just getting started and have only just got all the necessary permits in place to buy and store whisky in our warehouse. And we've also had to make arrangements with a bottler so that we can bottle the whisky when the time comes,' says Mark. 'Our whisky will be bottled under the name Watt Whisky and we hope to be ready with the first bottlings during the fall of 2020'. 'The whiskies will be bottled as single cask, and as we ourselves prefer single malt, i.e. cask strength, and without any coloring or filtration'.

Have you already sourced whisky?
'Yes, we have already sourced whisky from some of the brokers I have worked with in the past. We have a great network and that will definitely be a huge advantage for us. They know both mine and Kat's tastes'.

How many casks will you be bottling?
'We're not looking to take over the world', laughs Mark. 'We're thinking of bottling 12-15 casks a year initially. It will be whisky that we will be proud to present and whisky that we would like to drink ourselves. Whisky that we will be proud to put our own name on', says Mark, who with his vast experience will surely be able to select the right ones. Mark Watt points out that with such a small amount of whisky annually, it is necessary to select a few markets for the company to focus on. 'We have selected a few countries that we want to supply. They are basically markets that we have always liked to work with, and Denmark is definitely one of those markets'.

Have you thought about bottling other spirit products?
'Yes, we hope so. If everything goes according to plan, we would definitely be very interested in bottling rum - and maybe other quality products as well. Let's see what the future holds', says Mark.

Can we expect to see you in Denmark again soon?
'Yes, definitely. I've been lucky enough, through my previous jobs, to have spent a lot of time in Denmark over the years, and I've really enjoyed it. The whisky drinkers in Denmark are very knowledgeable about whisky and they have a good mood, and many know that whisky is produced to be drunk, and they understand that whisky is a social drink. It fits really well with my understanding of whisky', concludes Mark, who is a passionate whisky lover.

It will be incredibly exciting to follow Kate and Mark Watt and their upcoming bottlings over the next few years. I'm sure many people are looking forward to both enjoying the whisky and to seeing Mark Watt entertain about the golden drops when he is ready to take the stage in Denmark again.