The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Whisky loving GP lands a dram job at distillery
Every Monday we ask small businesses key questions. Here we speak to Jock Ramsay, director of GlenWyvis Distillery
How and why did you start in business?
Brought up in Inverness, I studied medicine at Edinburgh University. I then worked as a GP in Dundee, moved home and did locums across the Highlands, including Dingwall.
I retired from practice in Gairloch in 2015.
Even though most GP practices are small enterprises, they don’t necessarily give doctors an ideal preparation for business in the real world. A lover of whisky, I was inspired by a really exciting community-based project in Dingwall and, in 2016, became a member of GlenWyvis.
This was the initial crowdfunder. It raised the £2.5 million needed to get the distillery up and running and producing its first spirits, which it did in 2018.
It’s owned and run by its members on the back of a promise of some free whisky. How did you get to where you are today?
I was happily retired and a volunteer board member of archaeology for Communities Highland when, in 2022, David Graham, chairman of the board, asked me if I fancied becoming a director of GlenWyvis Distillery.
He also invited me to take over the goodwill fund he had started. It’s a community grant scheme supporting the culture, history and society of Ross-shire.
My initial reaction to both these offers was “no” but my wife told me I was an idiot, as everyone would want to be a director of a distillery and help do good things. So I accepted, and over the past two years we have raised £50,000 from online sales and distributed £30,000 to some great causes.
Who helped you?
The Federation of Small Businesses has always been helpful. But we could have done nothing without our 3,500 members.
In fact, with our first bonded warehouse now full, we are seeking new members through crowdfunding. This will pay for a second warehouse and new visitor experience centre.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
When I failed exams at medical school my mum said: “Don’t ever give up, you can do it.” Amazingly, the coursework became more interesting and relevant after that. Things would have been so different if I hadn’t listened to her.
What is your biggest mistake?
Not taking my wife’s advice to invest in Moderna vaccines at the start of the pandemic.
What is your greatest achievement?
Being the director of a whisky distillery that actually delivers for the community. I did get the diamond jubilee medal for doing emergency work in Gairloch. It was good to see all emergency services recognised on that occasion.
How is your business managing rapidly rising costs and what should government do to help?
Costs have risen, so we have brought our latest crowdfunder forward. Government should help by making affordable finance accessible and it should not make above-inflation excise duty rises during a cost-ofliving crisis.
What do you still hope to achieve?
To see Dingwall and the surrounding areas prosper. At GlenWyvis, we are doing what we can to support local businesses and revitalise community spirit.
What do you do to relax?
Go metal detecting. I’ve found numerous beer cans and bottle tops but also some medieval silver coins and a Bronze Age axe-head, which is heading towards a museum, hopefully in Dingwall.
What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?
I’m enjoying Fraser Hunter’s Beyond the Edge of the Empire – Caledonians, Picts and Romans.
What do you waste your money on?
Whisky – but that’s an investment. I’ve just received my free member’s firkin, bottled and taxed, but I’ll be selling most of it to raise funds for the community.
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
I do some gentle stretching exercises to keep my joints moving.
What do you drive and dream of driving?
I drive an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. I love Jags and once had a supercharged 4.0 litre XJR that got me to emergencies before the ambulance. I would love a green electric version of the XJR.