Long serving Balblair distillery manager John MacDonald has announced his retirement, marking the end of a near 18 year long stint at the helm of the Highland distillery.
MacDonald joined Balblair in August 2006. He was allegedly so keen to work for the Edderton based distillery that he took the job without reading the contract.
His time at Balblair came after working for 17 years at Glenmorangie, working his way up from warehouseman to assistant distillery manager at the site. MacDonald’s retirement brings an end to a 35 year career in the industry - a career impressive enough for him to be awarded Keeper of the Quaich.
In addition to producing the whisky at Balblair, MacDonald was also head of the distillery’s sustainability programme.
Speaking of MacDonald’s departure, Malcolm Leask, managing director of parent company International Beverage, said : “In John, we couldn’t have asked for a better custodian of our wonderful Balblair single malt Scotch whisky. He has given us his best for nearly two decades and leaves our whisky and distillery in a stronger place for the future. We thank you John for your exceptional service. It’s good to know that your skill and craftsmanship will be present in every bottle of Balblair for many years to come.”
It has also been announced that David Rogerson will succeed MacDonald as distillery manager. Rogerson is currently assistant manager at Speyburn (another International Beverage owned distillery) and has worked for the company since 2020.
In announcing his retirement, MacDonald said he was “quite emotional”. He added “I think the most important thing is to make first-class whisky which I think I have done over the years. I have the utmost confidence in David (Rogerson) continuing that process,” before paying homage to the “first class” team that have worked and continue to work at the distillery.
We raise a glass to John and wish him all the best in his retirement!