26/05/2023
Chapter 18
A chat with... Dougal Barr (Douglas Laing & Co) - #14
Douglas Laing & Co established in 1948, as a family owned Scotch Whisky Distiller, Blender and Bottler, it still is now, and is in its third generation.
Their bottling range and offer is almost limitless and consistently exceptional, from their Remarkable Regional Malts (Scallywag for Speyside, The Epicurean for Lowlands, Timorous Beastie for Highlands, Rock Island for Islands, Big Peat for Islay and The Gauldrons for Campbeltown), to the single cask bottlings (Provenance range), and of course the single malt bottlings (Old Particular and XOP ranges).
Regardless of the range, all at DL is bottled without colouring or chill-filtration, and at high alcohol strength. The goal is presenting the whiskies as the distiller intended, nothing is added and nothing is taken away from their spirit, enabling the drinker to come as close as possible to sampling a dram straight from the Cask.
Dougal Barr, their Global Brand Ambassador spent some time to tell us a bit more about Douglas Laing & Co.
Let’s see what he told us…
Hi Dougal, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Please introduce yourself, and tell us a little bit about your whisky journey so far.
My name is Dougal Barr and I am the Global Brand Ambassador for Douglas Laing & Co. I previously worked with Beam Suntory with a big Auchentoshan focus before transitioning into a more ‘Distillery Ambassador’ role – first with UK based events and then a little further afield with events like Whisky Live Taipei.
The idea that my job could be travelling and talking whisky seemed very farfetched on paper but here we are.
When and how did you join this growing industry?
Now tell us a bit more about Douglas Laing, what is it that makes it stand out in the whisky industry?
Douglas Laing & Co was first established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing as a blender with our first brand ‘The King of Scots’ and over the last 75 years it has developed to cover all aspects of Scotch Whisky as a Blender, Bottler and Distiller.
In a whisky world of large corporations, I think it is DL’s independent, family run heritage that really shines through with every cask and every bottle being selected and tasted by a family member before release.
With both the 2nd and 3rd generation in Fred Jr. and Cara (pictured below) involved each day, the family ethos runs right through the business.
Can you tell us what your target audience is?
With so many different elements of the business we truly have something for everyone – whether that is expertly married blends and blended malt to ultra rare Single Cask Single Malts we truly have every palate catered for.
Can you tell us how you select your casks, and anticipate anything about what we can expect to see next?
As I mentioned above, each cask is selected by a family member and each one is judged individually – we look to match the perfect spirit to the perfect cask and again it is the long-established relationships built up over 75 years that allow us to source the best quality.
In terms of new things coming, we have already released some Amarone influenced whisky this year and you can expect a spectacular selection of casks and cask finishes coming throughout 2023.
Last year we released a wonderful Limited Edition Rock Island which was finished in Mezcal casks, so we aren’t afraid of trying big and bold new styles.
What advice would you give to a beginner that is approaching this world and perhaps starting his/her own collection?
Variety is the spice of life, so I always look to have a good range of whiskies – don’t just stick to one type, one region, one country. Try and sample as many variations as you can and see what works for you.
Lastly, what is, generally speaking, your favourite whisky style (cask type, ageing, peated/unpeated etc.)? What’s your dram of choice at the moment and/or your go to drams on a Friday evening?
Generally, I like bourbon barrel focused drams alongside wine finishes, both peated and unpeated, as sherry has never been my flavour.
Working with DL I am spoiled for choice sometimes but the two bottles I have going at the moment are a Port Dundas Grain Single Cask from our Old Particular Range and a bottle of our just recently launched Epicurean Amarone Cask Finish.
Official website: https://www.douglaslaing.com/
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- The Epicurean Amarone Edition (Lowland) – 48%
- Rock Island 14yo Sherry Edition (Islay, Arran, Jura and Orkney) – 46.8%
- The Gauldrons Sherry Edition #2 (Campbeltown) – 50%
- Provenance Linkwood 10yo – 46%
- Provenance “The Coastal Collection” Caol Ila 8yo – 46%
- Old Particular Glenrothes 15yo – 48.4%
- Old Particular Cameronbridge 30yo – 50%