Audio Interview: GlenWyvis Distillery Manager Matthew Farmer on Community Ownership and Making Quality Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Using Concerto barley grown by a local co-op, this people-powered distillery produced and offered up rather “grain forward” whisky with “balanced oak influence” and “a little dessert richness.” Subsequently, the same community-owned operation released another single malt, this one replete with “complex sweetness” courtesy of Tennessee whiskey barrels, rich with unassuming botanical flavor acquired via Spanish Oloroso hogsheads, full of “fragrant, spicy character” provided by refilled Scotch casks and augmented by a dark chocolate finish blended with hints of berry you can savor after it goes down.
GlenWyvis Distillery revived the tradition of whisky making in Dingwall in 2015 when the small enterprise started in the Scottish Highlands.
Recently, I spoke to the distillery manager, Matthew Farmer, about the single malts he’s crafted, what went into the two aforementioned releases, what distillery setup he works with in Dingwall, what it means to embrace community ownership, how the friendly wizards of whisky who work diligently beneath Ben Wyvis mountain assist neighbors through initiatives like their GoodWill Fund, what advice he has for those keen to begin enjoying Scotch on a budget, what he’s working on now and how folks can both support the distillery and get their hands on a bottle of GlenWyvis.
You can listen to the approximately hour-long interview by way of the embedded audio beneath the following photo of Farmer, posing in his element, in front of barrels, while representing the distillery in dashing fashion.