There was a brief moment — a year into his whisky career, to be precise — when Adam Hannett nearly changed direction entirely. That, as they say, would be a different story. Instead, he was lured back into the world of whisky, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Hannett has recently been named master blender for Bruichladdich Distillery after more than two decades with the brand. As someone born and raised on the bucolic whisky island of Islay, it would seem like a natural fit. However, as Hannett explains, it wasn’t always on the cards. “Growing up, you’re surrounded by distilleries, but I didn’t think I’d become a master distiller or anything,” he says.
After finishing school he headed briefly to the mainland to study at the University of Aberdeen, but he soon missed the place of his birth. “As a kid, wherever you grow up, your experiences are just normal. But looking back now that I have two kids of my own, you realise how special this place is,” he says.
He managed to get a job at Bruichladdich in its early revival days, just a few years after a consortium led by Mark Reynier had landed on the island with big plans to bring it back from its previous closure in the mid-1990s. It was 2004, and Jim McEwan and the small team were just a few years into this big renovation, when Hannett had the opportunity to join in.
“There were guys I went to school with who worked at other distilleries and you’d see them and they’d slag you off and say you’ve got nothing at Bruichladdich. But it didn’t matter, because we had this purpose. Really quickly, I fell in love with what Bruichladdich was doing; it was more than whisky,” he recalls fondly.
But after a year, he decided to hand in his resignation for another opportunity. That opportunity didn’t work out, so he found himself taking an array of jobs on the island in the intervening months.
“I went for an interview at another distillery and that night the manager called me up and offered me a job. I asked if I could think about it and the next day turned it down — it just wasn’t Bruichladdich,” he says.
Instead, he went cap in hand back to the team and asked if there was any seasonal work to be done at the distillery. It was coming into the tourist season and there was plenty of opportunity to get involved.
“When I got back it was about working really hard and not giving up on this second chance,” he says, adding that he learned to put his hand up for any jobs or extra hours going to really learn the ropes.
He progressed through various roles, including working in the warehouse, then becoming a mashman and stillman, before eventually beginning to study blending under McEwan.
“For a guy in his 70s, the energy and passion he had was inspiring. He was always there first thing in the morning, and it never occurred to me that he would retire. I couldn’t imagine what Bruichladdich would be like without him. But then we came in one morning and he said ‘right, I’m retiring in six months.’”
It was decided there and then that Hannett would take over blending, a role he couldn’t have imagined a decade prior. It was a huge opportunity, but one he didn’t take lightly. Stepping into the shoes of a whisky legend like McEwan made him initially very nervous. “Jim was an incredible personality, an incredible showman, and I’m not at all the same way he is. But I remember him telling me one day: ‘Don’t try and be me, tell a story in your own way.’”
For Hannett, over the last decade that story has meant a growing focus on sustainability, a continued interest in doing things differently, and a desire to improve things for the future.
“Jim used to talk about being the only one in there on a Sunday night before shift starts, and you look around and think: this is mine, this is my responsibility but it’s never really yours. You’re leaving it for the next generation and you’ve got to improve it.”
A certified B Corporation, Bruichladdich has a long history of focusing on sustainability in all of its forms. But, as Hannett explains, that sometimes also means evolving the narrative. When the distillery opened, the team decided that they would only use Scottish barley. But as things developed, they began to find other growers doing incredibly interesting things, not just in Scotland but in England as well. “We started talking to a biodynamic grower, but he was down in Wiltshire which is on the wrong side of the border,” he says.
Hannett realised it was important to continue learning and growing through collaborations that didn’t just stick to a decision made more than 20 years prior. Focusing on sustainability did not mean working within one small box.
The team continues to work with and help local farmers, something that they were initially told would be crazy. Barley grown on Islay was always seen as best for cattle feed, as it had a low yield, so the grain used at other distilleries was coming from the mainland or further afield. Bruichladdich changed the narrative on this as well, partnering with island farmers for its local barley series and growing that as time has gone on.
“It’s really important to keep telling the story of the ingredients, of the barley — as distillers we have a huge voice in terms of who we work with,” Hannett says.
Today, Bruichladdich work with approximately 20 growers on the island, sourcing nearly 50 per cent of its barley locally, which means around £1 million is reinvested back into the local farming community. It has even extended its partnerships to include growing rye, to help rotate crops and balance out the soil. The farmer the distillery works with says that every time he grows rye, the next year’s barley crop is the best barley on the island. “It’s about stepping out of the monoculture quest for yield and embracing flavour,” Hannett says, clearly excited by the work in this space.
It’s not, however, the most cost-efficient way of making whisky, which is why most other big distilleries shy away from it. Hannett says that parent company Rémy Cointreau has continued to be supportive of this way of operating, since Reynier sold the distillery to them back in 2012.
That support has meant the team has been able to continue experimentation and paving the way for interesting releases they might not otherwise have had the chance to do if they were solely focused on returns. “In the history of whisky, no one has ever smelled a whisky and said: ‘Wow, that is really efficiently produced’,” Hannett chuckles.
“We do things for the right reasons. It’s not just about having the cheapest whisky or about how you make the most from the bottle. It’s about what’s the right thing for Islay, what’s the right thing for the distillery.”
After a decade as the company’s head distiller, Hannett was officially appointed master blender in September 2025. While his role does not change significantly, it reflects his dedication to the company, his technical expertise, and his contribution to its sustainability and innovation.
His length of service with the company makes him think about the value of having a long-term focus, and what having so much knowledge of a spirit and how it ages can bring to the table.
This includes making the decision that Islay Barley will become a 14-year-old expression. While still remaining a vintage, Hannett — with his years of knowledge of the spirit — has been able to decide that this is the best for the release moving forwards.
“I wouldn’t have had the confidence to make that change in the first few years, but you grow into these roles
and responsibilities.”
Much like his predecessor McEwan, Hannett realises that his decisions have a big impact down the line. “It really makes you think about the future and the fact that at some point someone else will take this on. Rather than accepting how things are, it’s about how we make this better and build on those foundations for the next generation.”
“You want to be laying down the stocks the best possible way you can. And more and more now, I’m realising the whisky we are laying down in the cask, if it gets bottled in 30 years, it’s not going to be me doing it,” he says. “Unless I’ve not saved enough in the pension,” he concludes, laughing.
It’s clear the future at Bruichladdich is in solid hands. Hannett, as someone who has been with the brand for so long, is passionate not only about its own future, but a future of supporting all those associated with the distillery in a myriad different ways. It is a community effort, one that Hannett, as a native islander, knows the importance of through and through.
