In 1934, aged just 23, Elizabeth “Bessie” Leitch Williamson took a temporary position as a secretary to Ian Hunter at the Laphroaig distillery. She had planned to stay just three months. Instead Bessie Williamson went on to become one of the most well-respected managers in the whisky industry. Here are 5 things you might not know about the woman behind Laphroaig.
Bessie Befriended The Notoriously Grumpy Ian Hunter
In 1919 Ian Hunter inherited his father’s place in the partnership with his two aunts for the lease of the Laphroaig distillery. Ian’s formidable aunt Catherine in particular had been key in securing the inheritance of the lease to the Laphroaig distillery from the late Sandy Johnson.
Hunter had been working at Laphroaig since 1908 learning the ropes from the bottom up. He had become known as a dedicated employer who spent time training his employees from a young age. However he was also renowned for being ill-tempered.
Before Bessie the managers he employed didn’t tend to last more than 18 months. When Bessie arrived at the distillery it was for a three month tenure as distillery secretary, however she famously got on well with Hunter and over time Hunter came to trust her implicitly.
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Hunter traveled frequently to promote his whisky on the world stage, particularly in the US. Soon he started to leave Bessie in charge of the distillery.
In 1938 Hunter’s health took a turn for the worse. He suffered a stroke and, unable to work, arranged for Bessie to fly to the USA to continue his business dealings and negotiations. He would continue to work closely with Bessie over the coming years. In 1944 he signed over management of the distillery to Bessie officially.
Bessie Became Laphroaig’s First Female Owner
In 1954 Ian Hunter passed away. He had failed to find a relative interested in taking on the distillery, and so he left Laphroaig to Bessie. In the book 1815-2015 200 Years of Laphroaig they state that Elizabeth Williamson became the first woman to own and run a distillery. Thanks to her and Hunter’s work over the preceding 20 years Laphroaig whisky was successful and sought after worldwide.
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Do note, the book mentioned above was published for Laphroaig’s 200th anniversary, and was released some time before Macallan’s marketing materials on their own female leader: Nettie. According to Macallan Nettie was managing director as of 1918 when her husband died just before the end of the First World War, making her era before Bessie’s. What I can’t be clear on is ownership, but rather than making it a competition, I think it is safe to say that both women achieved something incredible for their time.
She Became Woman Of The Year
Bessie was known as a formidable businesswoman but also renowned for being generous and for caring for her staff. As manager of Laphroaig during the Second World War she successfully balanced hosting armed forces, managing stock while distilling was banned and continuing to provide their incredibly popular spirit for single malt and blending. Her commitment to her staff may be considered her one business weakness (if you consider caring a weakness).
Regarding the suggestion of staff layoffs (pruning) she is quoted in correspondence with partner Long John Distillers as writing, “I agree about the pruning—but remember some of the older men have been here for many years and I have kept them on [in the] meantime as we have no pension scheme.”
In the 1950s Bessie was elected Woman of The Year in Great Britain. In 1963 she was also awarded the Order of St John for her charity work.
Bessie Was The SWA’s Spokesperson
Prior to his death Ian Hunter, working alongside Bessie, had worked tirelessly to establish Laphroaig as a premium single malt brand internationally and as a sought after whisky for blenders. Bessie inherited a thriving product and was well accustomed to managing a distillery thanks to her years working alongside Hunter. However there were significant taxes to be paid on the inheritance, which did not leave much room for the long term developments needed to maintain the distillery at a modern standard.
Thankfully Bessie was also a shrewd businesswoman. In 1961 she was approached by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) who asked her to act as a spokesperson for them overseas. The SWA thought the novelty of a female distiller would provide additional marketing and appeal especially to a US audience. Bessie agreed and worked for the SWA between 1961-64. From a business perspective the opportunity also provided paid travel and opportunities for promoting her brand abroad.
The job also introduced Bessie to her future husband; a singer based in Canada but from Islay. They married in 1961 and this would mark the start of her withdrawal from active management of Laphroaig. The demands that came with being a wife in the 1960s alongside the need for necessary funds to develop the distillery meant she started looking for investors.
In 1962 she offered 33% of her shares to Long John Distillers, which was a subsidiary of the American Seager Evans Drinks Company. Her new partners would provide the investment Laphroaig needed for important upgrades and also provided yet another avenue of promotion within the vibrant USA market. Bessie worked alongside Long John Distillers until 1972 when she sold them the rest of her shares and retired.
Her Career Started With A Degree She Never Used
In 1934 aged 23, Bessie took a temporary position on the remote island of Islay as a secretary at the Laphroaig distillery. She had spent the previous five years studying (a three year course) to become a teacher. She intended to stay for three months, instead, Islay became her home until she died in 1982.
In 1954, 21 years after she arrived on that remote Scottish island as a secretary Bessie Williamson became the owner of the Laphroaig distillery. Today Laphroaig is the second largest distillery on Islay and is owned by international drinks giant Suntory. When Williamson inherited the distillery, rather than her gender being an issue, it was embraced as a novelty to boost marketing not just for Laphroaig, but for scotch whisky in general.
She was custodian of Laphroaig until she retired fully in 1972. She died 10 years later, fondly remembered by her family, community and the larger whisky industry. Today she is remembered as one of the founding custodians of the Laphroaig distillery and the iconic whisky we have come to know from the brand. Both alongside Ian Hunter and later as owner, manager and SWA spokesperson, Bessie was unarguably key in creating and establishing Laphroaig as the international brand we know today.
Bessie’s story was immortalized in 2019 by the release of a special Laphroaig 25 Year Old: The Bessie Williamson Story. A bottle of this collectable whisky, accompanied by exclusive experiences, was available as part of the Demeter Collection hosted by Whisky Auctioneer in March 2024.
This article is adapted from a piece originally written by me for Forbes.com
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