Renowned Scotch whisky-maker Billy Walker is celebrating a remarkable 50 years in the industry and believes the sector has “never been in a better place”.
Now owner and master distiller at The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, Mr Walker achieved the fiercely-contested title of world’s best single malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2021.
His landmark year sees the release of a trilogy of Speyside single malts, The GlenAllachie Past, Present and Future Series.
Whisky veteran
A qualified chemist, he has been at the helm of The GlenAllachie for almost five years.
His experience spans iconic names including Ballantine’s, Deanston, Tobermory, BenRiach, GlenDronach, Glenglassaugh and The GlenAllachie.
Mr Walker’s whisky journey started in 1972 at Hiram Walker & Sons, the company behind Ballantine’s at the time, where his role covered almost all aspects of production.
After four years, he moved to Inver House Distillers, taking up the position of master blender in 1976.
In 1982 he joined Burn Stewart Distillers, where he went on to spend two decades and played a key part in resurrecting the Deanston and Tobermory distilleries.
The next 12 years saw him acquire BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries, each of which were either mothballed, closed or under-exposed to the market.
It was with these brands he made a name for himself in the industry, leading their rejuvenation and subsequent success.
His next move, in 2017, was to buy The GlenAllachie from Chivas Brothers for an undisclosed sum.
The business is now home to The GlenAllachie single malt, White Heather blended Scotch and MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits.
Raft of accolades
In 2021 Mr Walker moved into a new spirit category for the first time, releasing an experimental line, Exploration Rum, under the MacNair’s label.
The whisky entrepreneur has secured a raft of accolades in recent years, including:
- World’s best single malt (World Whiskies Awards 2021)
- Best blended malt Scotch (San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021)
- World’s best-blended malt (World Whiskies Awards 2020)
- Master distiller/blender of the year (Icons of Whisky 2020)
He was also inducted into Whisky Magazine’s hall of fame last year.
The distiller insisted the sector remains in good health despite fears surrounding immediate UK economic prospects.
“The industry has never been in a stronger place,” he said, adding: “The big players are in really safe hands and demand has never been higher.
“You can see all these new starts, relatively young, small companies coming through and that will create excitement. I look around my own team – there is a lot of energy, exciting ideas.”
‘All we have to do is look forward’
The business has to date chosen not to sell to supermarkets and avoided travel retailing but this could change, Mr Walker said.
He added: “One thing we would absolutely take ownership of is we are not constrained by having to protect legacy brands.
“We don’t have to be looking over our shoulder to see historically what we have to protect. All we have to do is look forward and bring forward ideas we think are creative.
“We have a very young team here – that’s good and they don’t stand on ceremony. This is a great industry to be involved in and for young people, they find it very fulfilling.
“We would always seek to acquire people who we are familiar with and know through their chemistry and DNA what they can bring to our party.”
Recruitment and international markets
Mr Walker knows a thing or two about chemistry, having studied the subject at Glasgow University and then spent four years in pharmaceutical research before being “seduced” into the whisky industry and its opportunities to shine.
“There is only one person who can win the Nobel Prize for chemistry,” he added.
His chemistry background has “unquestionably been very helpful” for whisky-making, he said.
Like many businesses in the industry just now, The GlenAllachie is finding it “not that easy” to recruit warehouse staff.
The UK is facing an uncertain winter of soaring energy bills and rampant inflation.
On the economic health or otherwise of GlenAllachie’s international markets, Mr Walker said: “Living in the UK you tend to see the world through a UK lens.
Working alongside Billy for 35 years has been a total pleasure.”
Business partner Trisha Savage.
“It is not necessarily the same lens that China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore or Korea are looking through.
“Their world is a bit different from our world and the regrettable burdens people are experiencing. You don’t necessarily see the same kind of intensity in the Orient.
“It all hinges on what happens in Russia and Ukraine. If and when that gets resolved, the direction of travel will become much clearer.”
Drink whisky – don’t leave it on the shelf
Business partner Trisha Savage, who has worked with Mr Walker for most of his career, said: “Working alongside Billy for 35 years has been a total pleasure. I can honestly say I’ve never come across anyone with his level of drive, dedication and passion for Scotch whisky.
“His focus has always been to achieve perfection, only using the highest quality of wood and monitoring the spirit every step of the way.
“Nothing leaves the cask until it’s deemed to be exceptional.”
People around the world drink whisky in a variety of ways, some of them shocking to Scots who shudder at the very thought of fizzy pop or even ice in the national drink.
Mr Walker said it would be “a conceit of mine” to tell people how to consume whisky, adding: “I am happy for people to drink the way they want to drink.
“There are different consumers out there who are looking for different experiences.”
The veteran distiller will advise consumers “how they will get the best experience”.
What he does always insist on, however, is that consumers do actually drink the product and not put bottles on the shelf unopened.
Busy time for industry
One of the dangers for smaller whisky producers is bringing a product to market too soon in order to generate cash in a fast-paced industry, he said.
He added: “There are lots of pressures on small companies and if they can ride the storm, there is definitely space.”
Expanding a little more on the speed of change in the sector, Mr Walker said: “I have not had a holiday for four years because there have been so many things happening.
“There has always been a need to be somewhere near to ensure we are going in the right direction.
“The industry has never been in a better place. I don’t look on the horizon and see any companies I could say could be a weakness – that is a good place to be.
“Everything we produce or plan to produce is pretty much sold, an astonishing situation. It won’t just be us – a lot of boutique and bigger companies will be in that position too.”
The industry has never been in a better place.”
One of the reasons The GlenAllachie has come through the pandemic in good shape is because it was never exposed to travel retail, or the large-scale shut-down of airports as severe restrictions were imposed.
Equally, its relatively light exposure to the hospitality industry saw sales rise as consumers bought locally and purchased more expensive products to drink at home.
A career well-spent
Reflecting on his long but ongoing career, Mr Walker said: “There have been very few disappointments along the way, a lot of serendipity.
“I’m incredibly lucky to have been involved in the fascinating Scotch whisky industry for 50 long years.
“What a privilege it has been to have worked alongside some truly amazing people and to have been involved with some world-leading brands.
“Of course, there are some great memories and I truly take pride in many of the achievements which our teams have achieved over the past half-century.
“The latest adventure is The GlenAllachie Distillery and without question we are so very fortunate to be steering this great distillery into the future, introducing its whisky to an ardent international audience.”
As for the future, it seems Mr Walker has no intention of pursuing other avenues as there is just too much going on with The GlenAllachie.
He said: “The whisky is in demand and we see that as an important achievement.
“There is another milestone to be achieved. In the last five years it has been all about building and the hard sell, getting people to know who we are and the brand into the marketplace.
“The next five years is about reputational enhancement, it is a different kind of challenge. We are still getting the inventory profile right, still on that journey.”
A few facts about The GlenAllachie
- One of Scotland’s independently-owned and managed distilleries, The GlenAllachie has been making whisky since February 1968.
- The company behind it expects to spend £2 million on wood for its casks this year.
- There are 16 on-site warehouses holding more than 50,000 casks.
- All GlenAllachie whiskies carry an age statement and are bottled at a minimum of 46% ABV (alcohol by volume).
- Brands within the portfolio include MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, including Lum Reek blended whisky and Exploration rum – and White Heather blended Scotch.
- The distillery’s visitor centre was crowned attraction of the year at this year’s Icons of Whisky awards.
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