Family-run Scottish distillery ‘shakes and stirs’ up airwaves on family business podcast

Scottish field-to-bottle distillery Arbikie is the latest family business making an appearance on chart-topping It Runs In The Family podcast.

Iain Stirling, one of three visionary brothers behind the drinks business venture, joins mother and daughter podcast hosts, Liz and Leila Willingham, in the latest episode (number 14) of It Runs In The Family to discuss the story behind their 400-year-old family farming history, how a drink in New York sowed the seeds for their own foray into spirits which has led the firm to become one of the world’s few field-to-bottle distilleries, and the incredible father whose name is shared by AK’s Gin - contributing to 2018’s winner of the World’s Best Martini award.

Listeners can hear Iain talk about how the Arbikie Estate in Arbroath is home to craftsmen of soil and curators of a fine collection of drinks from their distillery, which is now in its 7th year of producing sustainable, field-to-bottle spirits.

This episode covers:

• Combining varied family experiences to create an innovative extension to the Stirling’s existing farm
• Working with family as a choice through intrinsic trust
• Producing award-winning gin, Scotland’s first potato vodka, and the world’s only scotch rye whiskey
• Carrying on the legacy written by parents as custodians of their land
• Treating the team as family, and letting them thrive in their area of expertise

The value to the Stirling family of maintaining the sustainability of field-to-bottle production Episode highlights:

“It’s surprising we didn’t think of it earlier, the lightbulb did eventually come on. We had the buildings and ingredients. I worked in the drinks industry for Whyte & Mackay, Jim Beam brands, Diageo, and we also had a marketing business that worked with William Grant’s which is a family distilling business. We know a lot of the people there, we know the family, and those relationships continue.” - 5:55 - Iain Stirling

“It’s a really, really nice feeling to be able to build on what mum and dad did over their career. We are custodians of the land we’ve got now, and we feel that because it’s who we are. Also, distillery is another legacy business to pass on to next generations.” - 16:40 - Iain Stirling

“I choose to be in business with my brothers. I don’t have to be as I’ve worked with corporate businesses. It’s just such a rewarding thing to work with family, and you’ve got instinctive trust. I think trust is the element that’s most important.” - 29:40 - Iain Stirling

“The farm is essential because for doing field-to-bottle, growing, distilling and maturing, all in one space is key for that. There’s a range of next generation who are all fairly young just now, the oldest being 21, but they will come. The opportunities are there.” - 54:15 - Iain Stirling

Launched only six months ago, It Runs In The Family podcast was set up by Liz Willingham, founder and managing director of PR and communications agency Liz Lean PR, and her daughter Leila, who is business and PR account manager at the agency, and is making its mark in the podcasting arena and hitting the charts - reaching number 17 in top family business podcasts and making number 77 in the top entrepreneurship podcasts for Great Britain. To date, the mother and daughter duo have reached listeners in 21 countries, across five continents, with their new podcast.