Fred H Laing
Company Director

Probably it is not a lot of interest to you but for those who like the facts – Fred was born at a young age in 1950 into what was already a Whisky blending family. His Father had founded Douglas Laing & Co Ltd in 1948, and in fact Fred was almost the subject of an early deal, when his “Uncle Sandy”, who was childless, but owned BLADNOCH and BRUICHLADDICH Distillery, wanted to exchange him for Bruichladdich. It still hurts his brother Stewart that the exchange did not take place.

He was a teenage hooker(?!) in the school rugby team, specialised in European languages at school and carried out his early Distillery and Whisky training with WHYTE & MACKAY and WHITE HORSE DISTILLERS through the 1960s and early 1970s. Fred has endeavoured to study Japanese unsuccessfully, and still plays Tennis (badly) and regular team Squash in an effort to maintain some semblance of fitness.

Responsible for the concept of OLD MALT CASK and PROVENANCE from the design stage onwards to the ongoing selection of Malts, the Queen some years back presented him with THE QUEEN’S AWARD FOR EXPORT ACHIEVEMENT which was nice for each of them - but he probably got his biggest buzz from meeting Mick Jagger and the other Stones backstage at the old Glasgow Apollo Theatre.

Until recently all Tasting Notes on labels and certificates were written by Fred. He is now ably assisted by Susan Webster and their initials (F)/(S) are attributed to their respective Tasting Notes on the labels.

Stewart H Laing
Company Director

Coincidentally Stewart was also born at a young age, but 4 years earlier than Fred and he still longingly visits Islay regularly where he carried out many happy months training at “Uncle Sandy’s” BRUICHLADDICH Distillery. Many of the Boys’ forebears on their McGibbon’s maternal side of the family are buried in the round Kirk, Bowmore and it’s nice to look them up from time to time – they certainly seem to appreciate it.

Stewart was good enough to be talent scouted for the second division Queen’s Park Soccer Club, he never quite made the grade as a mid-field general, but is to this day, a great armchair pundit and follows – sometimes despairingly, GLASGOW RANGERS.

Still enthusiastic to make that all important sale, he has even been known to sell our Scotch at 3 o’clock in the morning to the firemen putting out flames from our office some years ago, and will travel to all the hot spots in the world (no names – no pack drill) to make that vital sale, often armed with cigarettes, which he does not smoke but trades, to get through checkpoints manned by teenage AK47 carriers.

“Have Malt will travel” is his catchphrase, and he regularly carries out tasting sessions in different parts of the world – particularly now that like Fred, he has been endorsed as a KEEPER OF THE QUAICH.