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Bowman raises £10k for charity in distillery dash
World Whisky Day founder Blair Bowman has raised £10,755 for charity after embarking on a “record-breaking” distillery tour last month.
Blair Bowman visited a record-breaking 60 distilleries in one day
On 15 May – World Whisky Day – Bowman and Bella Mytton-Mills, from the Just a Drop charity, completed The Great Whisky Distillery Challenge, visiting 60 Scottish distilleries in one day – a record number.
The 17-hour challenge started at sunrise at the Balblair distillery in Ross-shire and ended at sunset at the Aberfeldy distillery in Perthshire.
Bowman collected whiskies from all 55 of the distilleries that bottle their own products, and the entire collection put up for grabs through £1 raffle tickets. Mike Jackson from Salisbury won the full collection of whiskies.
Other ticket-holders won a number of other prizes, such as a four-day whisky tour in Speyside; photographs; engraved whisky staves; and tasting glasses.
All funds from the ticket sales will be donated to Just a Drop, which will provide communities in Zambia with access to clean and safe water and sanitation.
“It’s was an incredible event,” said Bowman. “As far as we are aware, no-one has even attempted to set a record like this before and, despite meticulous planning, there was always a risk that we might not get to all 60 of the distilleries on the day.
“We couldn’t afford for a single thing to go wrong. It just needed a few tractors or caravans to hold us up and we would have been under pressure.”
Fiona Jeffery OBE, founder and chairman of Just a Drop, added: “As a fellow Scot and founder of a water charity, I couldn’t be more proud for Just a Drop to be associated with this awesome challenge, as the relationship between water and whisky is so unique.
“The money raised, an incredible £10,755, can support a whole community in Zambia by providing access to one of life’s absolute necessities: a supply of clean water, which empowers people to lead healthier, safer and more productive lives, so many thanks to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket – and congratulations to the winners.”