Brian Macaulay, Scapa

BRIAN MACAULAY

HEAD DISTILLER, SCAPA DISTILLERY

It takes a special kind of person to work on a remote, rugged, island not all that far from the Arctic Circle. Even more so, when they love it so much.

Brian Macauley is that sort of man, but it should come as no surprise. It runs in the family, with both his father and his grandfather holding distillery roles before him. In addition, as they say in the classics, Brian grew up an Island man.

Brian Macauley is the master distiller at the Scapa Distillery, near the town of Mainland on the Island of Orkney. Now part of the Chivas group, and hence subsequently Pernod Ricard this is one of the two distilleries on this bleak island.

Macaulay has worked with the Scapa Distillery for more than two decades. He is also the senior bulk operations manager for the Chivas Brothers, but he is quick to confirm that it is with Scapa that his heart lies. That said, he does believe that the two roles complement each other. The revival of the distillery and the launching of its single malt are yet more reasons for Macauley’s fondness for Scapa. His role obviously encompasses all matters Scapa, but also strategic decisions involving the group’s future, bulk stocks, blending and more. Brian spends two to three days each week at Scapa, a three hour commute. When he is in residence, he has said that the requirements of the job often mean he works all night, but there is no suggestion that he finds this onerous in any way. Quite the contrary. One gets the impression that Brian Macauley is one of those fortunate people whose work is their passion. He has described the position at Scapa as “a real privilege because it’s lovely to be really passionate about something you really truly believe in.”

This recent whisky, mentioned above, is a 40% no-age statement, peated single malt, called ‘Glansa’, which was initially aged in first-fill American oak casks and subsequently transferred to casks that had previously seen peated whisky. ‘Glansa’ is Old Norse for ‘shining storm-laden skies’, which seems very appropriate for whiskies from this windswept, barren Island. Macauley has described it as a whisky with “fruity textures yet smoky finish” which “makes it the perfect representation of this island of contrasts.” Glansa has followed their Skiren as a regular release from the revamped distillery. There have also been oneoffs and limited editions.

Something else that is obviously close to Macauley’s heart is that the distillery now offers a visitors’ centre, the first time it has done so in more than 130 years. Macaulay has been quoted as saying, “It is a great honour to be able to open the doors to the history and craft production processes here at Scapa distillery, which have been the secret of precious few artisans over the last hundred years. I have personally taken the pleasure in removing our ‘No Visitors’ sign and I know I speak on behalf of the team here in saying that we can’t wait to see the Scapa Distillery form an interesting, educative and welcoming part of the Orkney community.” Macauley has also noted that his job is made so much easier by the support he, and the Distillery, have received from the local community.

Working at a distillery on a remote Island has brought its own challenges and obstacles, but it is clear that Brian is one of those people who see problems as opportunities, or at the very least, something that life serves up and you deal with it and move on to the next challenge. Chief among these issues can be the ferry, which has been known not to sail. It can mean that the distillery is close to reaching tipping point as far as storage and available vessels goes, with the tanker tied up on the mainland. They were also within a day of stopping production on one occasion when their barley had not arrived and, on another, they had an eight hour delay with spirits. Increasing the work force from three to five has helped alleviate some of their problems but one suspects that this remote and fascinating Island will always find some new challenge to throw at the team.

One also suspects that Brian Macauley would not have it any other way.