Holyrood Distillery appoints master distiller

Edinburgh-based Holyrood Distillery has made a series of appointments and named Glasgow Distillery’s Jack Mayo as its head distiller.

Mayo joins Holyrood after three years at Glasgow Distillery. Bill Farrar also joins the company as sales and marketing director, while Laura Anderson has been appointed director of finance.

Farrar boasts 30 years’ experience in the drinks industry, most recently working as managing director of super premium for the Edrington Group. Beforehand, Farrar worked as group sales and marketing director for the firm, looking after global sales, marketing and distribution for Macallan, Highland Park, Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark.

Anderson, a chartered accountant, has previously worked in the whisky industry at Edrington in positions including commercial analyst, director of global pricing and brand protection, and head of super premium strategy development.

Botanicals expert Hamish Martin, owner of Edinburgh’s Secret Herb Garden and former co-founder of wine merchants Inverarity Vaults, will also be advising the Holyrood team.

Rob Carpenter, managing director, Holyrood Distillery, said: “Our immediate priority is to complete our fundraising, so we can crack on with the next stage of getting Holyrood Distillery up and running.”

Last month, Holyrood Distillery launched a £5.5 milion (US$7m) fundraising campaign to build a distillery and visitor centre in the Scottish capital.

The project is a joint development between David Robertson, former Macallan master distiller, and Rob and Kelly Carpenter, founders of the Canadian branch of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Set to produce single malt whiskies, gins, liqueurs and other spirits, Holyrood will be Edinburgh’s first single malt whisky distillery since Glen Sciennes closed in the 1920s.