I found an interesting interview with Willie Tait who was both manager of Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay in 1999 and the Isle of Jura Distillery. Willie Tait’s involvement with the Isle of Jura brand began in 1975 when he was first hired as a “Tunroom Man” at the remote Hebridean distillery. He was involved in 1975 with the introduction of the distillery’s first Single Malt an 8-year-old expression. In 1985, Willie Tait was named Distillery Manager for the operation off the western coast of Scotland. He stayed in that role until 1999 when he was appointed Distillery Manager at Highland malt distillery Fettercairn. The Interview is available as podcast (MP3 file) which can be downloaded from Whisky Cast. A quote from Whiskycast:
Willie Tait has been a fixture at Whyte and Mackay for 34 years, and is most known for his work at Isle of Jura Distillery. He’s the third of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners at the Malt Advocate Magazine Awards, and shares some of his stories with us in this episode… including how he and his family wound up on Jura in the first place.
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