J. & G. Grant are proud to announce that members of staff, Ian McWilliam and Brian Murphy, both reached their 25th year of employment at Glenfarclas distillery at the end of 2015. Both employees are from the local area, having being brought up in the village of Aberlour and embarking on distillery careers shortly after school. Over these past years they have worked in different roles which give an altogether enriching perspective of life at Glenfarclas.

Ian joined Glenfarclas in 1991 as Assistant Head Warehouseman and after 14 years in production, including as an Assistant Manager, he moved to the sales & marketing team in 2004 where his comprehensive knowledge of the traditional skills used to produce Glenfarclas is invaluable. Brian Murphy also joined in 1991 as Keyholder and later took up a post as Warehouseman for the best part of his career. His son, Andrew, also works in the warehouse alongside him; their skills being key to storing and maintaining the distillery’s treasured casks.

Ian comments fondly on his time at Glenfarclas saying “It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here 25 years, but I guess once you’ve found a job you love, the time just flies by.” Similarly, Brian has been a whisky enthusiast for most of his working life, and makes a point of saying how much he enjoys the team spirit at the distillery.

During the annual Christmas lunch they were awarded a bonus and a Tissot gold watch, presented by Chairman & 5th generation of the family, John L. S. Grant. He reflects on how Glenfarclas has in fact been home to numerous staff members who have dedicated their working careers to the distillery, including his father, George Grant, who served as head of the company for an incredible 52 years. John comments that “together the Grant family and loyal members of hard working staff have helped maintain a long standing independent business.”

Glenfarclas will be attending the upcoming whisky fairs at the beginning of 2016!

Whisky Live Spa, Belgium

5th – 7th of February 2016

Ultimate Whisky Experience, Las Vegas, USA

2nd – 5th of March 2016

Whisky Ship Luzern, Zurich, Switzerland

3rd – 6th of March 2016

Pro Wein, Düsseldorf, Germany

13th – 15th of March 2016

Whisky in Leiden, Holland

16th of April 2016

Gothenburg Whisky Festival, Sweden

22nd – 23rd of April 2016

Whisky, Rum & Wine, Sofia, Bulgaria

23rd – 24th of April 2016

J. & G. Grant are delighted to have won numerous awards for their whisky over the duration of 2015. Glenfarclas started off the year with a Highly Commended Nomination as an Icon of Whisky in the hugely popular Whisky Magazine. The Glenfarclas range as a whole has shown considerable success across several of its core range products in both spirits competitions and whisky fairs abroad. Most notably the Glenfarclas 30 Years Old achieved a Double Gold Award at Stockholm Beer & Whisky Fair, followed by the 21 Years Old being voted Best Whisky at Oslo Whisky Fair in October. Younger Glenfarclas products have also shared the spotlight with both Glenfarclas 10 Years Old & 12 Years Old winning Silver in the 2015 International Wine & Spirit Competition.  

This year, reviews in Jim Murray’s recently released 2016 Whisky Bible include awards for the unique collection of Family Casks. The Family Casks 1957 (cask no. 2110, Release SP15) was nominated Single Cask Whisky of the Year scoring 96.5/100 in which Jim Murray comments “I struck lucky with this, as it ticks every single box that a great malt might, and there is not a single cross to be found”. The Family Casks 1985 (cask no. 2593, Release SP15) also won Best Single Cask Whisky aged between 28-34 Years (again scoring 96.5/100) and was described as “one of the most supremely balanced Glenfarclases of all time”. Similar results were awarded to core range products such as the 12 Years Old & 40 Years Old which both scored 94/100, in addition to the iconic 105 Cask Strength winning 95.5/100 respectively.

Slàinte to a successful year!