A Measure of Me: My Whisky Story

Now, if this is your first time hearing my name, reading my ramble, you are probably thinking, “Tilly, what on earth makes you at all qualified to be talking about whisky?”

I’ll be honest with you, my friend, absolutely bloody nothing. I don’t have a single qualification, a bit of paper or basically anything to tell you I would be someone to listen to when it comes to whisky.

The only thing I do have going for me, however, is the fact that I have been working in or around the industry since I was 16.

A lesser-known thing about me is that I previously went to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for filmmaking, and videography is actually where my intro into the industry began!

At 16, Ben Shakespeare and the Fèis Ìle team trusted me with a camera and to go around during Fèis, shooting videos and taking pictures for the festival’s social media and website.

From there, my obsession with taking pictures began, and a curiosity about whisky began to catch me by surprise. Now don’t worry, I can, actually, hand on heart say I did not try whisky at 16, I didn’t try whisky properly until I started working at Bruichladdich Distillery.

Bruichladdich

Where My Story Truely Began

I did my high school work experience in the visitor centre of Bruichladdich Distillery, which, still to this day, I find mind-blowing to have even been given the opportunity.

It was during that week that I honestly felt like something had clicked in my brain.

This was a subject I absolutely LOVED talking about.

Which of course meant, I haven’t shut up about it since, and some may think this more a curse than a blessing, but finding something you are passionate about at a young age is not something everyone gets the privilege of.

I also got to meet the most incredible people within the company. I found mentors in the people who looked after me that week, and about 6 months later, I was offered a position within the visitor centre team.

I turned 18 in the loving arms of the visitor centre team, and I will always remember Ruby’s face as I poured my first dram. Granted, I think that was probably relief as the team had been pouring everything for me up to that point!

I stayed with Bruichladdich up until September of 2023, when, as I previously mentioned, I left for the Royal Conservatoire.

The Royal Conservitoire Of Scotland

Now you are probably thinking, “Tilly, what relevance is this?”

Studying at RCS was, and I won’t sugarcoat it for you, one of the most rubbish times of my life. I hated it. I hated the structure, my course, and my timetabling. The only thing I didn’t hate was the people. In the year I spent at the Uni, I met some of the most talented, hard-working, passionate and kind people I honestly think I am ever going to meet. It made me realise that if all of these people are willing to sit through some of the worst timetabling structures (I mean one week, one singular lecture to the next week in 5 days a week, 8 am-10 pm), then clearly my heart does not live within this industry.

I adore photography, I obsess over it to be honest, but the way that the filmmaking industry is today is honestly not an industry I would want to be a brand new face in.

Which is why I sent an email to Bunnahabhain.

Bunnahabhain

I sent that email merely enquiring about a potential position with Bunna, purely because it’s my favourite Islay whisky and it is one of the prettiest places, let alone settings for a distillery, I think I have had the privilege to lay my eyes on.

Bunnahabhain was unknown territory for me; I hadn’t spoken to anyone who had worked there before about the distillery at the time of sending that email.

I could tell just from my interview with Leah, I had found my new home for a while.

Bunnahbahain made me who I am today; the team had confidence in me that I had never experienced before, and I have never been more grateful to have such an incredible group of mentors. coworkers and, honestly, family around me.

Do I miss it? Daily

Will I be back? Potentially

So What Now?

Well, as most of you know, I am now studying Sociology at the University of Edinburgh, which has nothing to do with whisky, but it has however, opened up the doors for me to explore a wider range of whiskies, visit distilleries and go to a supermarket thst isn’t just the Co-Op (no hate to the co op, you will always be my favrioute).

Besides that, I have this blog, which hopefully you will follow along with as I try to talk my way through being a 20-year-old girl in the whisky world!

All my love,

T x