You can see exactly how we are tackling our old buildings, starting with some re-roofing, in the online photo galleries links below. We are using a photo album that draws pictures from our www.flickr.com account so people can comment, or ask about any particular photograph, if they click through to the photo on flickr. Anyway, as we move forward to create what we hope will be a special small distillery in a magical country setting, we hope you will enjoy following our progress.

Ladybank Diary Photo Gallery (this link navigates from this page)

Ladybank Diary Photo Gallery (this link opens a new browser window)

This was where the Stillroom roof had got to yesterday. The two stills will sit in the space photographed, but on a mezzanine floor level.

The oak roof trusses have been designed to allow enough space for the top of the stills to reach up into the roof space.

This is the first time since we started renovations just over three weeks ago that I have visited in the rain. You have to delay roof work if it gets too wet for safety reasons, as everything become too slippery.

This picture is taken facing the same way as the one on September 1st - but this is from ground level within the Stillroom

It is not commonly known that the different styles of Single Malt whisky are not determined by location; it’s just that - to be general -  mostly the Islay region produces smokey whiskies and the Speyside region produces less smokey whisky where some sweetness and cereal fragrance is easier to identify. That’s pretty general - and not a rule.

With this in mind we chose the location of Ladybank carefully but for a whole lot of different reasons. The idea of regenerating unused farm buildings, finding these buildings set in a tranquil, undisturbed setting, while not going to the ends of the earth (ie middle of nowhere; remote island; far,far north etc) was important.

We think we found the perfect place. In fact we would go even further and describe it as a really magical place. The buildings have remained untouched (and unused) since the 1950’s. There is wildlife and countryside all around. It’s hidden down a rough farm track next to a small stream. Apart from the days when it rains (which is not that often in Fife) it has all the ingredients for the perfect place for a lazy, undisturbed picnic. All of our members who have visited love it. I hope these two pictures capture what I have described.

Cleary there are many, and existing members are able to choose what level of involvement suits them. For example on July 4th we lanched our Online Distillery Boardroom where members are currently comparing thoughts and ideas about the finer details of how the club will be structured to their benefit. This is an example of opening up internal systems as reported in this article in Springwise

This is our stillroom! No roof, no still, no whisky yet. I expect the whole of the oak frame roof to be pretty much completed by the end of next week - so we’ll update with a new round of pictures then.

Another new distillery is being built in Norfolk and work started a few months ago. Here at Ladybank we had to go as far as Norfolk to find enough reclaimed pantiles to restore our roof in the traditional way. The guys at the Norfolk distillery meanwhile had to come as far as Scotland to recruit a skilled distillery manager (Iain Henderson who I know has a house just along the road from ladybank in a village called Freuchie).

This is my son Hector at the yard of Aspect Roofing in Norfolk when we went down to inspect the pantiles. 7000 of them arrived with us 2 days ago but it will be a few weeks before the replacement oak framed roof is ready to have the tiles fitted.

A nice journalist from New Jersey, Mark Gillespie, has been recording whisky related news via downloadable audio files (podcasts) from his whiskycast.com site. Mark kindly rang up this morning to do a quick interview for his 56th podcast which he says will be available in a few days.

I was in a bit of a ‘rant mood’ so it will be interesting if Mark’s skilful editing will keep the interview orderly. We’ll see!