Ian Macleod Distillers have announced that current Rosebank distillery manager Malcolm Rennie is to leave his position at the Lowland distillery. Rennie has worked at the distillery since February 2022 and has been an instrumental part of Rosebank’s recent revival, overseeing the whole production process from spirit distillation to cask selection and maturation.
However, Rennie will not be leaving the company. He is set to become the distillery manager of Ian Macleod’s Laggan Bay distillery on Islay. The distillery is still under construction and Rennie will play a pivotal role in preparing the site for opening, much as he had for Rosebank.
In fact, bringing a distillery to life seems something of a speciality for Rennie. In addition to previous experience at Ardbeg and Bruichladdich, Rennie had helped get Lochlea off the ground and played a part in Annandale’s reopening before taking on the position at Rosebank.
A statement from Ian Macleod thanked Rennie for “his tireless efforts and commitment” to the Rosebank project.
They added: “Malcolm has meticulously overseen the recommissioning of Rosebank Distillery. His expertise in setting up new and revived distilleries has been invaluable, and now he takes his skills to Laggan Bay Distillery on Islay, which is still under construction.”
Alongside the news of Rennie’s departure, Rosebank have also revealed their incoming distillery manager. Neil Bulloch will take the reigns at Rosebank. Bulloch has been head of distilling at Bladnoch since 2019.
Speaking on his appointment, Bulloch said: “I can’t wait to see how the new spirit matures and to be involved in the future releases of Rosebank whisky when the time is right. I couldn’t be prouder to be joining such a respected name in the whisky world. I’m very proud to come back to the area where I grew up and be part of such a great story for Falkirk.”
The statement from Ian Macleod concluded by saying “Neil is very excited about taking on his new role at Rosebank Distillery, where production only restarted in June 2023 following 30 years of closure. It’s an exciting and important time in the distillery’s history, and he looks forward to making his mark.”
