The independent whisky scene has grown tremendously in recent years. Here at TheWhiskyBarrel we have been delighted to see this part of the industry grown and thrive. They help to offer our customers a huge range of variety, exploration and opportunity for something a bit different. And this is exactly the ethos of the latest Indy bottler to land at TWB. We are delighted to bring to you the
Alistair Walker- Brief Bio
Alistair Walker is a name you most likley either know or are certainly aware of his previous workings. Prior to establishing this new company in 2018, Alistair was an integral part of the BenRiach Distillery Company. Yes, he is one of ‘those’ Walkers! He worked as part of the Walker family and team that helped to lead The GlenDronach Distillery to the dizzying heights it is at now. But while his father Billy Walker took on the reigns at GlenAllachie Distillery, Alistair set his sites on something totally different. We put some questions to Alistair
So, here we are with a lovely new independent bottler taking off. And it is safe to say the Alistair has a wealth of knowledge of whisky. He has a great understanding of cask management and their role in maturing great single cask whiskies. But he also has a great understanding of his customers. We’ve known Alistair for many years through his previous workings so we know quality is a given. We look forward to what The Alistair Walker Whisky Company brings us.
We put some questions to Alistair about his new business, the independent bottling scene and tried to tease out any teasers about his inventory of casks.
TWB: Your background in the whisky industry lends you very well to this new venture as an independent bottler of Scotch whisky. But what inspired you to take the jump into this market?
AW: I had been at BenRiach for 12 years, business was booming, and then in the summer of 2016 the company was sold to Brown-Forman. A few months after that I left the business, and to be honest I really didn’t know what the next step was for me. I took some time off, but there are only so many box-sets you can watch, and I don’t play golf… I wanted to stay in the whisky industry, but I also wanted to be my own boss. Independent bottling seemed like the ideal opportunity. The single malt category is very healthy at the moment - has been for a number of years - and it’s been my bread and butter for the last 12 years or so. It’s also very interesting working with so many different malts, whereas before I was always focused on the three distillery brands that were under our ownership. I’m getting involved in aspects of the industry that are new to me, so it’s good to be learning very day.
TWB: How do you see the Alistair Walker Whisky Company fitting in among this growing section of the whisky industry and what do the 'Infrequent Flyers' offer to customers?
AW: People often ask ‘so what’s your unique USP, what makes you different from the rest?’. To be honest, it’s quite difficult to find a new angle when it comes to Scotch Whisky. There are certain criteria that must be met in terms of how the whisky is produced and matured in order for it to qualify as Scotch Whisky, and that can limit, to an extent, the amount of innovation that is possible. My main priority is ensuring that I am happy with quality of every cask that I bottle. I’m a big fan of wood finishes, and obviously wood management is a major factor in terms of flavour development. I’m working on re-racking a lot of my inventory into various different types of wood at the moment, and that is an on-going process - you will see the results of that in the years to come. This is all designed to create variety within the inventory, and to take some of the stock in a different direction. It’s quite a significant investment – some of these casks are very expensive, and you are also driving additional costs into the product such as transport, labour and warehouse rents. You also then need to allow the whisky reasonable time in its new cask to evolve – it’s a big commitment. However, to me, it’s time and money well spent – and I would rather invest in the quality of the whisky, as opposed to a snazzy marketing campaign…
TWB: You must have some fantastic connections within the industry and access to a great selection of casks. What can we expect from future releases and do you have any secret gems already tucked away?
AW: One thing that I realised very quickly, and it is a common theme amongst independent bottlers – when it comes to details about stock inventories, everyone plays their cards very close to their chest! I do have some casks set aside for future releases that I’m quite excited about – but that is as much as I will say on that front! What I would add is that I am always looking to add stock to my inventory, this is a long-term project, and you need to be planning years in advance. I mentioned the re-racking programme earlier – from 2020 onwards you will start to see some of that activity bear fruit aswell..
Coming back to industry connections - it would have been very difficult to start this business cold, without any previous experience in the industry – just getting someone to return your calls in that scenario would be a challenge. There are a number of people in the industry that have been very helpful in the last 18 months – I’ll spare their blushes and not mention any names (!) – and of course you need a bit of help when you’re starting up on your own.
TWB: Which 'Infrequent Flyer' distillery do you think should be more of a staple among whisky drinkers and why?
AW: I’m very deliberately going to swerve that question, for a very good reason! I think we have seen, over the last few years, that when independent bottlings from one particular distillery gain popularity, or cult status, amongst consumers, the distillery owner may eventually decide that they should be doing more with that specific make themselves, and suddenly availability of that particular malt to independents dries up! I’m also reluctant to singling out any particular distillery over another – single malts are so subjective, and everyone has their own preferences. That’s actually one of the great aspects of being an independent bottler – you get to work with a wide spectrum of whiskies.
Infrequent Flyers Scotch Whisky
So, here we go. The inaugural launch from Alistair Walker – Infrequent Flyers Single Cask Scotch Whisky. The ethos behind this new brand is centred around one of the key traits of independent whisky bottlers. Giving the customer access to lesser known distilleries. Distilleries that either don’t or rarely release official bottlings. This will reflect the majority of whiskies bottled under this label.
The inaugural release offers a great selection and variety of whiskies, age, style and vintage:
We are thrilled to bring the Alistair Walker Whisky Company into our portfolio of independent scotch whiskies. We wish Alistair all the best with this new venture and what the future holds!
Alistair Walker Whisky Company – Infrequent Flyers Singe Cask Scotch Whisky
