The Whisky Works is a passion project for whisky maker Gregg Glass, one that was on his mind for a number of years. He’d started to map what sort of company he wanted years before he joined Whyte & Mackay, but in the first week he was there the grassroots of the Whisky Works began with cask laydowns and selections. That was back in 2017, and since Glass has had creative freedom in an innovation hub within the structure of Whyte & Mackay which means he can utilise the real skill base that is there both in human resources and also the depth and breadth of its whisky stocks.
Through The Whisky Works, he can look at doing things on a small scale with responsible risk-taking within this structure, almost like a test hub. When Richard Paterson (W&M master blender) and Glass work alongside each other on a variety of projects, we experiment with concepts that might be interesting to use or try out. Through The Whisky Works, these ideas can be tested on a smaller scale. Some of these concepts will then go out to maybe some of the other brands, or they may be bottled for the brand itself. A good example of this is King of Trees, a 10-year-old blended malt made with Highland whiskies, and a portion of the whisky was finished in a cask made from native Scottish oak.