Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery Fettercairn will exhibit a balcony garden inspired by the whisky aging process at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, running May 20-24 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Created in partnership with garden designer May Starey, the installation titled “Fettercairn: The Angels’ Share” traces the liquid journey from the Cairngorm mountains through copper still and oak cask to the vapor lost during maturation.
The garden design draws on Fettercairn’s distillery location at the foothills of Scotland’s Cairngorm mountains.
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READ THE STORY“I was drawing inspiration from the distillery’s location at the foothills of Scotland’s Cairngorm mountains and wanted to show the liquid journey, from cloud to the field crop, to copper still and wooden cask, before ascending as the ‘Angels’ Share’ of liquid which is lost to condensation during the maturation process,” said Starey.
A key design element incorporates a piece of Fettercairn’s distilling heritage. The distillery’s copper cooling ring system, added to its stills in the 1950s, was replaced for the first time in over 40 years in 2024. The previous ring has been integrated into Starey’s garden as a water feature.
Lucy Joss, UK brand manager for Fettercairn Distillery, said: “We are thrilled to bring a piece of the Cairngorms to the Chelsea Flower Show, blending the story of our whisky with the beauty of Scotland’s flora. This garden is a tribute to the landscapes that shape our whisky and the delicate balance of nature and craftsmanship.”
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Joss added: “We have a completely unique copper cooling ring system which was added to our stills in the 1950s. It drenches the still with water, which helps produce some of the lighter, tropical notes in our whisky. Bringing such a keystone of Fettercairn to Chelsea means so much to our whole team and May’s collaboration and creativity on this project has been truly inspiring.”
The garden incorporates native plant species, including the silver birch, which serves as habitat for the rare Kentish Glory moth, a species found in just two locations across the Scottish Highlands. Starey’s planting also focuses on attracting pollinators, with species like Iris pseudacorus and Geums providing color alongside ecological benefit.
Starey brings a diverse background to the project. She credits a fine art degree in sculpture and a childhood spent on her parents’ allotment as the foundations of her career in garden design.
Following the show, the balcony garden will be relocated permanently to the Fettercairn Distillery in the Cairngorms, the region known as the Garden of Scotland. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show remains one of the world’s most prestigious horticultural events, attracting thousands of visitors annually.
