02 Apr Blend of knowledge and love at Douglas Laing
Douglas Laing tells a story that not many people know.
There is a middle ground between Malt Whisky and Blended Whisky.
That undiscovered gem is called Blended Malts, and no one can tell about it better than Lifetime Achievement Award winner Fred Laing.
As obvious as the name Blended Malt is, the possibilities of this Scottish whiskey are surprising.
We ask Fred Laing, son of the man for whom his family business is named: Douglas Laing, what that’s like.
‘Because we are originally blenders and not distillers, we already had a lot of barrels in storage.
We also have a lot of contacts at distilleries all over the country,’ says Laing, who is now 72 but still rattles like an enthusiastic child.
‘We have large stocks and not only that; we have barrels that other whisky makers can’t access.’
Unique whiskey barrels
In the right hands, those unique barrels can also result in unique, versatile whiskies.
As illustrated with the Remarkable Regional Malts.
Douglas Laing used his craftsmanship to create six whiskies that represent Scotland’s six whisky regions.
And so Speyside, Campbeltown, Islay, Highlands, Lowlands and the Western Isles are all available to taste, made with whiskies from distilleries that are actually in those regions.
Laing: “First of all, sorry for the unassuming name. But it does signify how much we believe in this product. How do you make a blend that represents not a brand, but a region? That is independence. No board of directors to pass judgment. Make a decision and make whiskies.’
Big Peat by Douglas Laing.
Douglas Laing Big Peat whiskey
To illustrate how unique the position of his family business is, Laing names a specific whisky from the Remarkable Regional Malts.
Namely Big Peat, the smoky whiskey (46%) that – of course – represents the Isle of Islay.
‘Honestly, this blend didn’t start out very serious. It was a bit of fun. But it was an experiment that grew and grew and has now grown into a very serious whiskey.’
And for those who do not yet believe that, they will certainly be persuaded when they know the liquid gold with which this whiskey is composed.
The spirit of Caol Ila brings some sweetness and is balanced by Bowmore.
And Port Ellen adds elegance.
This is Islay in a bottle.
So this is what Douglas Laing stands for.
See more info on Big Peat whiskey here
See more info on Remarkable Regional Malts here
The Old Fashioned Way
Asked if he thinks blended whiskies are underrated, the affable Scot ignites in a fiery argument.
‘Many people immediately think of blended as having a lot of grain whisky in it. But we make a hundred percent malt marriage. Most important is the quality: what do you do with your whisky? We don’t add dyes and we don’t cold filter. And if you can blend well, you can make great whiskies.’
‘The blender’s job is to create a consistent and recognizable flavor with changing vessels.
And that’s what we do.
We don’t work with computers.
We are not engineers in chemical analysis.
We do“the old fashioned way.
With the nose, with the mouth, with the hands, with the eyes.
We draw a lot of pride from that.’
Lifetime Achievement
Fred Laing is still full of fire for the craft he was raised on.
In late 2020, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Spirits Business Awards.
When asked if this award does anything for him, Laing replied characteristically open and enthusiastic.
“It’s nice to get this recognition.
And the fact that I actually like this journal makes it all the more satisfying.
If I fall over tomorrow, I’ll be proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I’m still hungry.
Sometimes I look back to 1968 and think: It wasn’t that long ago, was it?
I have since handed over a lot of responsibilities to my daughter and son-in-law, but…. I still get a buzz from the pulse of the company.’
Douglas Laing distilleries
One of the projects currently on his mind is opening his own distillery.
‘Eighteen months ago we bought a boutique distillery called Strathearn, about eighty kilometers north of Edinburgh.
There, for the first time in history, we will be making our real own whiskies.
So besides blender, we are now also distillers.’
An even more ambitious project is also getting off the ground: a distillery with warehouses in hometown Glasgow.
‘This project has been somewhat delayed because the earlier site we wanted was suddenly designated as river flood plains.
Well you have experience with that in the Netherlands, but here in Scotland we don’t exactly have expertise in it.
So we’re not going to put a distillery there.’
‘We have now purchased land on another site, which will be announced at the end of March.
There we will build our distillery, warehouses and offices.
My big dream is to still be able to pick the barrels to mature the first whiskies in them.’
Family Love
Speaking so passionately is also almost only possible when it is more than just work.
For Fred Laing, this is life.
And he puts that dedication into the products that come out of the family business.
‘There is a genuine emotional connection.
When I see a picture of my father, I see a reminder of our heritage.
And for me personally, it’s especially wonderful to realize that this business will survive the second generation.
Many family businesses don’t get beyond the second generation.’
‘And with us, there is already a third generation ready to go, even more shrewd than I have been in the past fifty years.
And there is even already a potential fourth generation … two grandchildren!
I know, I shouldn’t expect anything from them, but how nice it would be…’
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