🥃 When One Distillery Isn't Enough - Alexander Edward
Lately, time is the currency it seems. And so, for this year’s fleeting visit to the Spirit of Speyside, choices needed to be made very carefully to ensure my limited time was optimised.
Since first attending back in 2007, the festival has grown exponentially. Back then, it was fairly easy to decide which events to attend. These days, however, as with most things Scotch whisky related, with so many options available, decision paralysis can come to us all. Such is the paradox of choice.
Surprisingly, though, making decisions this year actually turned out to be much easier than anticipated.
Firstly, my dates were limited. That narrowed down the options significantly.
Secondly, price. It was saddening to see that some big name producers were setting the prices of their distillery tours at a shameful three figures. Charging just shy of two hundred quid for a tour and tasting is just plain greedy, in my opinion. There’s no other way to put it. Therefore, all of those were removed immediately from the list of possibilities - out of principle.
The final decision then fell to the third reason. There were a couple of distilleries not ordinarily open to the public that I had wanted to visit ever since researching one of their founders, for an albeit brief appearance in Opening The Case: The Affairs of Pattisons’ Whisky. Although the distilleries today look very different to those original buildings, having been renovated and rebuilt back in the 1960s and 1970s, they were still on my must-visit list.
Thankfully, the team at John Dewar & Sons priced these distillery tours and tastings at a decent and respectful £25. In addition, given that another of their events was a mere £7.50 and yet included a thirty-seven year old whisky in the three dram line-up... well, now I have an even greater respect for the team.
From the label, you can see the names Edward & Mackie as the founders of Craigellachie Distillery. Mackie is, of course, Peter Mackie who has featured in a previous email article. And Edward? This is Alexander Edward – one of the greatest Scotch whisky entrepreneurs of all time.
In 1890, Alexander Edward joined forces with a number of other Scotch whisky blenders (including the aforementioned Mackie) to construct Craigellachie Distillery, where production started the following year.
Something that I remind people of often is that a) this was a boom period for the Scotch whisky industry and b) the big industry players needed to secure supplies of spirit for their flagship blends – acquiring or building distilleries was key to this.
Craigellachie wasn’t the only distillery in Edward’s portfolio. In 1893, he inherited Benrinnes Distillery after the death of his father. David Edward had been the proprietor since 1864 and paying subscribers can find out more about him in tomorrow’s follow-up email.
Three years later, in 1896, construction started on Edward’s third distillery, built on land he had acquired from the Duke of Fife. Along with business partners, Frederick William Brickmann (remember him?), Robert and Walter Pattison (how can I ever let you forget this pair?), the Aultmore Distillery Company was formed with the first spirit trickling off the stills the following year.
Later in 1896, towards the end of the year, Alexander Edward formed The Benrinnes-Glenlivet Distillery Company Limited with a banker named William McGowan; Robert Innes Cameron of blenders Munro & Cameron, Elgin; the distiller Duncan MacCallum of Campbeltown and, once again, Frederick William Brickmann.
But three distilleries weren’t enough…
And then, by the end of the following year, Edward had acquired distillery number four: Oban, from then proprietor, James Walter Higgin.
Edward then linked Oban to Aultmore - not literally, of course; there’s a fair distance between the two – to form the Oban and Aultmore-Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd. The other directors were Robert Bertram Gillespie Greig who was the chairman of the blenders Wright & Greig and, of course, those pesky Pattisons.
But four distilleries were still not enough...
Construction started on Benromach Distillery in 1898. This time, Edward wasn’t planning on keeping this one to himself. Two of his business partners – Frederick William Brickmann and Duncan MacCallum – had already formed the Benromach Distillery Company with the aim of taking over the running of the distillery once completed.
Edward had similar ideas for his sixth distillery, the construction of which started the same year. Dallasmore - later to be renamed Dallas Dhu – was under the beady eyes of Wright & Greig, owners of the Roderick Dhu blend.
With hindsight, though, 1898 wasn’t really the best year for building new distilleries, was it?
Known for his sporting prowess and love of motoring, Alexander Edward lived a long life; he died in 1946, aged eighty years old.
What always amazes me, though, when I read about these Scotch whisky entrepreneurs of the past, is just how great their philanthropic endeavours were.
During his lifetime, he donated money to ensure affordable housing was built for Forres residents as well as supporting hospitals and infirmaries in the region. Indeed, having left an estate of just under £230,000 (about £8½ million in today’s terms), Edward ensured that £80,000 was donated to four hospitals - each one receiving £20,000 (the equivalent of about £¾ million today).
And given that the money from both the Craigellachie and Aultmore events will be donated to charity, perhaps a wee bit of Alexander Edward’s spirit still lives on.
Slà inte! Justine