Since my brother Gordon and I launched our blending house, Turntable Spirits, last spring, we have released eleven whiskies. More important than the number of blends we’ve gotten to market, though, are the lessons we’ve learned along the way. Lessons about blending, branding, and marketing. About what it takes to succeed as an independent entity in a fiercely competitive industry.
One thing’s for sure, our journey to this point has reinforced our initial belief: there’s room for a blending house that is committed to transparency and creativity. As producers of small-batch whiskies that challenge drinkers’ perceptions, we’re determined to keep raising our game and pursuing innovation.
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Why We ‘Dropped the Needle’ On Turntable Spirits
After over a decade working for established distilleries and bottlers – Inver House, Douglas Laing & Co., BenRiach, Glenallachie – we felt the time was right to take control of our own destiny. We’d long harboured ambitions to work side-by-side, so what better way to make that happen than…by making it happen!
While the single malt category has witnessed incredible growth over the past 30 years, driven by quality and connection with consumers, we saw an opportunity to bring similar care and transparency to blended whisky – an underappreciated category with, we believed, major potential.
We always felt frustrated by the perception that single malt is where the quality lies and blends are where the volume lies. We wanted to challenge that perception and prove that blending could open up endless opportunities for flavour development.
The inspiration behind Turntable, then, was simple: to combine the creative possibilities of blending with the attention to detail and provenance more typically associated with single malts. To show that blended whisky could be just as interesting and complex, while offering unique flavour combinations that aren’t possible when working with spirit from a single distillery.
As for the name, Turntable arose from a bit of a eureka moment while chatting about our love of whisky and music and the connections between them. The slogan “flip the record on ordinary” practically fell into our lap.
Our Approach to Blending
As a blending house, our philosophy is straightforward: no shortcuts. Everything we release is small batch, natural colour, and non-chill filtered, bottled at a minimum of 46% ABV. Wood management being vital to what we do, we source outstanding casks from cooperages in the US, bodegas in Spain, and wineries across Europe, enabling us to run an extensive re-rack programme.
In common with independent bottlers, we acquire casks from many Scottish distilleries, monitoring and nurturing them until they reach optimal maturity. Where we differ is in showcasing these whiskies as small-batch blends rather than single casks. Our goal with each is to create something more interesting, complex, and flavoursome than any individual component could offer.
After blending and reducing the strength to slightly above the intended bottling strength, we marry our blends in cask for at least three months. This allows the whisky and water to properly integrate, ensuring each expression reaches its best possible form.
Learning Through Experience
Getting Turntable off the ground wasn’t easy, but unless you’re sitting on a mountain of cash, that’s true of every startup. Fortunately, our first releases – a trio of limited-edition blends – got great reviews and we were off to the races.
We were very fortunate to have a network of strong relationships when we started, and we have continued to develop these bonds over the last 18 months. As our suppliers now see our range of whiskies and what we’re trying to achieve, I believe they have confidence that we will nurture casks and bottle whiskies with a firm commitment to quality.
Of course, things go wrong, and unexpected obstacles inevitably get in your way. Perhaps the most important lesson we’ve learned is to stay positive and solution-focused, no matter what’s thrown at you. This is something Gordon excels at. To be fair, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support offered to us by others in the industry too. As a whole, the scotch whisky sector is a helpful and collaborative place.
As far as the actual blending is concerned, our most challenging whisky to date has been Smokin’ Riff, which is part of our core range. Neither of us had previously worked for an Islay distillery, and achieving the perfect balance between campfire smoke and sweet sherry notes required a lot of experimentation. We’re proud of this one, as we see peat lovers drawn towards the style but also those who wouldn’t normally choose a peated whisky.
Understanding Our Audience
When we started the business we expected to attract younger, more open-minded whisky drinkers seeking something new. While that’s proven true, we’ve been delighted by the response from more experienced enthusiasts and the slightly geekier section of the market. Our transparency around cask types and components has probably helped in that regard. I think more people are putting quality and value at the top of their priority list, which is great to see.
Bittersweet Symphony has been our biggest hit. Sherry-matured whisky is very popular, with its dark colour and rich profile, but I sometimes think producers play into the trend too much. We wanted to offer something different from the cloying sweetness you often find with this type of whisky. By using heavy-style malt distillates like Craigellachie and Balmenach that can stand up to the sherry, and combining PX with Oloroso casks, we produced a more balanced, spicier experience with notes of dark chocolate, cinnamon, orange peel, and dried fruits.
It’s difficult to pick a favourite from the Turntable range, as it depends on what you’re looking for in a given moment. One of the nice things about being a blending house is how diverse the range can be. Track 4: One Way or Another, which came out in May, is a style we both love. Focusing on older grain whiskies, which are very underappreciated, gives amazing complexity and delicate notes of tropical fruits, boiled sweets, and warm banana bread.
What The Future Holds For Turntable Spirits
Looking ahead, we’re focused on building our core range (Paradise Funk, Smokin’ Riff and Bittersweet Symphony) and continuing to release limited editions that push boundaries. Supporting our specialist retail partners is a priority, though we’re also gradually expanding our presence in the on-trade, which will take time. We want to spend more time in each market, presenting Turntable to customers and working with sales teams to give them the tools and info they need to grow the brand in their region.
This summer’s one-year anniversary party at The Haberdashery in Glasgow, and our recent event at Bang & Olufsen in London, were incredible experiences. Glasgow was special as we were surrounded by friends and family, and the opportunity to partner with Bang & Olufsen was something neither of us would have dreamed of. We’re hoping to drive more whisky and music experiences where possible.
Speaking of which, our partners in Seoul recently organised a fantastic launch event where I introduced each of the whiskies and a talented local DJ called City Boy curated song pairings. There is huge scope for us to explore possibilities with Japanese listening bars and in-depth whisky and music pairings.
Gordon and I are loving the journey we’re on. It’s fair to say the highs are very high and the lows can be quite low, but having each other to lean on and bounce ideas off has been amazing. With the core range recently winning awards with the Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters, we’re ecstatic that our approach is resonating with critics and consumers alike. We can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring.