Fighting spirit resurrects old distillery

FREEDOM an' whisky gang thegither, wrote Robert Burns. Now a whisky distiller on Islay is declaring a modern-day fight for Scottish 'whisky independence' by reopening a distillery that closed almost 80 years ago.

Port Charlotte distillery on the southern shores of Islay shut in 1929 due to Prohibition in the United States, which led to whisky sales plummeting in Scotland.

Now bosses at maverick private distiller Bruichladdich have decided to revive the long-departed seaside distillery in an attempt to buck the trend of increasing domination by international conglomerates in Scotland's whisky industry.

Out of eight distilleries on Islay, world-renowned for its peaty whisky, seven rest in foreign hands. Bowmore is owned by the Japanese, Ardbeg by the French, Laphroaig by the Americans and Bunnahabhain by Trinidadians.

Bruichladdich bosses believe it's time small Scottish distilleries fought back. As they see it, the industry is falling into the hands of a few multinationals, and is at risk of being killed off in the quest to push up profits.

"The only Scottish one here [on Islay] is us. There are very few truly Scottish distilleries left now in the country," said Mark Reynier, managing director of Bruichladdich, itself a distillery reborn as recently as 2001.

"We have independence, variety and quality. But what other distillers do is standardise the product. We have the freedom to do things how we want, rather than be dictated to by a manager in an office in Paris or Tokyo."

Reynier aims to make the Port Charlotte site an example of green and ethical distillation. Using organic barley farmed on Islay and electricity powered from the sea, bosses hope to create jobs for islanders without harming the precious environment. Some employees' grandparents worked in the original Port Charlotte plant.

Even the plant's machinery will be recycled, having been salvaged from Inverleven distillery when it was due for demolition in 2003. The entire single malt plant was dismantled, bolt by bolt, by a team of Islay crofters and shipped to the island on barges where it has been stored every since.

While most whisky takes a decade to produce, this whisky will be on the shelves after only eight years. Bruichladdich started distilling Port Charlotte whisky, a heavily peated single malt, in 2001 at the main distillery down the road.

Last month Diageo, the world's biggest drinks company, revealed it was creating a new malt whisky distillery in Speyside to meet growing demand for the spirit in Brazil, Russia, China and Mexico.

Reynier said: "Diageo's announcement is worrying. This is centralisation of the industry. Soon we could have one mega distillery producing all of Scotland's whisky under one roof."

Last night, whisky experts warmly welcomed the reopening of Port Charlotte, due late next year, but dismissed Bruichladdich's concerns about international conglomerates.

Dominic Roskrow, whisky author and former editor of Whisky Magazine, said: "If anything, companies like Diageo are helping variety blossom. Bruichladdich likes to see itself as the small kid on the block.

"But generally there's no animosity between small distillers and international conglomerates. The big firms saved the Scottish whisky industry with much-needed investment when it was in trouble. Thanks to this, now there is room for everyone."

The Scotch Whisky Association was also dismissive of Reynier's claims. "There is a wide range of Scottish-owned Scotch whisky companies, both large and small, many of whom have operated for over a century," said a spokesman. "International interest and investment in Scotch whisky are well established and are a welcome sign of confidence in the continuing growth of Scotch whisky exports. That is important in an industry which exports 30 bottles a second and must compete in 200 markets.

"What is fundamental to remember is that by law Scotch whisky can only be made in Scotland, regardless of who the distillery owner might be."

A spokesman for Diageo said: "Far from contracting or centralising the industry, we are expanding production. With 27 distilleries in a wide geographical area, we are firmly committed to variety. We welcome the reopening of Port Charlotte. Any responsible investment in whisky is good for the industry and Scotland's economy."

Annabel Meikle, a whisky taster with the Scottish Malt Whisky Society, said: "The reopening of any closed distillery is a cause for celebration. Single malt sales are on such an increase that to add another distillery - especially on Islay - can only be a good thing."