getting to know the fourth Ingredient
At Benromach we make our single malts by hand for genuine character, but it’s also genuine characters who make the whisky. The people behind the scenes who keep the wheels turning are as much a part of Benromach as the barley or yeast we use, or the water we source from the Chapelton spring in the hills behind our distillery.
When you work in a small team you get to know each other as far more than just colleagues. We are friends and family. As Friends of Benromach, we want to open our distillery doors to you, so that you too can better know the fourth ingredient at Benromach – the people who make the whisky.
Our Distillery Manager
If there’s one man who can be said to be at the heart of the distillery, it’s our manager of over two decades, Keith Cruickshank.
Keith’s first steps into the world of spirits were taken back in the early ‘90s while working for Chivas Brothers, paving the way for his time in whisky production at Glen Grant and Caperdonich. At the age of 28, Keith was invited to join the new generation of Benromach distillery, reopened by the Urquhart family after an eight-year closure. When Keith joined Benromach, the owners, Gordon and Macphail, were just fitting the new equipment and needed both a manager and a distiller. That’s where Keith came in and he’s been with us, “man and boy” as he puts it, ever since.
“We like to say there are four ingredients – the finest barley grown and malted to our specifications, water from the Chapelton Spring in the Romach Hills, yeast and us, the distillers who make it happen!”
Keith Cruickshank
Benromach Distillery Manager
Traditional by design
Working alongside the distillery manager at the time, industry veteran Bob Murray, Keith was tasked with restarting production at Benromach, almost from scratch. Later, in 2000, he officially took over the reins as manager.
Even from the start Keith had a very specific result in mind. In purchasing the mothballed distillery in 1993, Gordon and MacPhail sought to recreate something that had almost been lost to the world forever – a smokier Speyside single malt, with a classic pre-1960s Speyside character, from a time when peat was more commonly used in the region.
Through experience, experimentation, and a relentless dedication to quality, Keith has seen Benromach grow to realise the vision of the Urqhuart family: a beautifully balanced whisky with a light touch of smoke, made by hand for genuine character.
Benromach in 2022
Speaking on how Benromach has evolved over the years, Keith says:
“Some things have changed, some things never will. Our production has grown and each year we are proud to share more of our whisky with more people around the world.
“In terms of production, we’ve barely changed anything. We’re still doing pretty much the exact same thing as what we did 20 years ago, and that’s exactly what I pass on to my team.”
Always embracing tradition, Benromach relies on the senses of our distillers. We have complete faith in their expert knowledge and skill, which is why our whisky will always be passionately and carefully made by hand.
