Exciting new bottlings in the Coopers Choice Series:
Andrew Crook with the popularity whisky Ileach
Why did your father start?
100 years ago, there were over 120 private distilleries in Scotland. Today there are very few and most are owned by multinational companies. My father wanted to offer whiskies in small quantities, just as it used to be when the industry was dominated by smaller family-run distilleries.
How do you ensure you have enough whisky?
The problem of securing the whisky is getting bigger, and it's only because of the strong personal contacts that my father originally had that we still have that position in the market. The whisky industry, despite the entry of the big multinationals, is still like a big family. As such, we have handshakes and contracts that run far into the future with a number of our suppliers. But it's getting harder, and distilleries like Macallan, Highland Park and the distilleries that Diageo control are hard to get whisky from in the future for someone like us. But as long as we're small, it's easier, and we're not a true competitor after all.
Isn't it tempting to start up your own distillery?
We've considered it many times and still haven't buried the idea. And if we were to do it, it would certainly be at Islay. But it's very expensive. One thing is boilers etc., but also storage and lack of earnings for many years means that you need a large wallet or a very benevolent bank. You should expect to spend around DKK 10 million in construction and then DKK 10-20 million in operation over 5 years before you start earning income. Of course, you can start by making white spirits like vodka and gin. But the prices and competition here are high. Furthermore, you need to invest in building sales and new markets.
Currently, you see many people starting out with money earned through lucrative jobs in the IT industry, but even if you have a lot of money, it is difficult to get oak barrels, for example. Demand is huge and prices have skyrocketed. But many independent bottlers may be forced to start their own distillery because it's harder to secure future supplies. So maybe you should take a different route and start a rum distillery at Islay?
Own casks.
Coopers Choice Theseries where they get whisky casks from different distilleries. Often rare casks from closed distilleries. Always single cask with 3-400 bottles in each cask. Harder to find over time. Again, friendship is vital.
What does the future look like for you?
China is an interesting and growing market for us. But also South America and India. But this is also where the big guys are investing. Single malt is not known, as it is a brand driven by blended whisky. So the danger is, of course, if there really is a big demand, will there be enough whisky?
Blended whisky will continue to drive the market, which will not change, and blended is growing in recognition. The biggest threat is all the new distilleries popping up in different markets. Every country now has its own distilleries and whiskies.
We are therefore aiming for small growth and not getting too big, as this can be critical in a downturn. But a lot also depends on whether the Chinese suddenly find interest in Scottish distilleries. So far, it's only the Japanese. Or will there be more consolidation? Our future will be very dependent on what happens.
What are your own favorites?
If I have to choose a whisky that is not one of my own, I would choose Caol Ila. It has a great balance. The best whisky I've ever tasted is a Lockland 1964 single grain; "where the angels sang".
