John Laurie is the managing director of Scotland’s oldest working distillery, Glenturret. His journey with whiskey began in his childhood when his grandfather would often smoke his pipe and enjoy some black bottles of whiskey. When John was in his mid-20s, his father-in-law invited him to attend a whiskey show in Edinburgh. There, he fell in love with whiskey, the stories behind the brands, and the liquid itself. John was particularly impressed with the brand’s Glen Rothus and Compass Box and found the way they told their stories particularly captivating.
John’s early years of disrupting the whiskey industry were marked by experimentation and having fun. Dalwini was John’s entry point into single malt drinking and could be purchased for around 40-50 pounds. Johnny Walker Blue was more expensive at 180 pounds. John’s father-in-law got him into the whiskey industry and it took some time for him to get to where he is now. The Scottish whiskey industry is not very large, so John has been privileged to have been part of it and knows a lot of people in the industry.
