At the time, Bruichladdich was a small miracle. The bottling hall had just been built, giving the island’s young and disabled people work. “It felt like us against the world,” says Hannett. “The more I learnt about whisky, the more I realised how different we were, focusing on barley, on farmers, on ingredients. Jim and Duncan McGillivray, the long-serving distillery manager who helped rebuild Bruichladdich from its bones, were nearing the end of their careers, and they passed on everything they knew.”
