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A sculpture
marking the replanting of an
ancient forest has been unveiled near the
Fettercairn distillery.
A flowing and shimmering new sculpture
representing life, growth and
transformation has emerged in the rolling
foothills of the Cairngorms as
Scottish land artist Rob Mulholland
unveiled his latest creation at
Fettercairn Distillery.
Created from 800 metres of 12mm round
recycled stainless steel bars – 3,200
individual pieces in total, the
inspiration behind the piece – FOREST
FLOW - is a ground-breaking project 10
years in the making that has seen tens
of thousands of oak saplings planted on
the land next to the Fettercairn
Distillery on the 8,500-acre Fasque
Estate. This futurefocused project will
establish a new land management vision
for the next 200 years and challenge
whisky making convention by providing
responsibly sourced and managed local
wood to mature whisky in - ultimately
enabling Fettercairn distillery to craft
single estate whiskies.
Set on a clear pool of pure spring water
from a natural source only a few hundred
yards away, ‘FOREST FLOW’ draws its
inspiration from the endless cycle of
growth as saplings draw water and
nutrients from the ground and circulate
them to create vibrant life. Looking out
to the new Forest - highlighting the
deep and inextricable relationship we
all have with nature – this bespoke
piece of art has been created to fully
harmonise with its environment through
the depiction of essential whisky making
ingredients – water, locally grown
barley and the wood for maturation. The
sculpture also celebrates the unique
water-cooling ring on the stills at
Fettercairn, allowing only the finest
vapours to rise creating the purest
spirit.
"Fettercairn Distillery is embedded in
the landscape. It draws its raw
materials from its natural surroundings
- the water, barley and the future oak
forest – which are all within sight of
the distillery. I wanted to capture all
these elements in my sculpture. I was
inspired after seeing the water flowing
into the distillery from the nearby
well, filling the mash tuns and pouring
over the outside of the stills - a
constant sense of movement and life as
the water is circulated over the stills
and then naturally cooled and
re-circulated.
This is the same water that sustains the
newly planted Fettercairn forest and
nourishes the surrounding landscape, a
visceral connection between the land and
the distillery. I wanted to capture this
life-giving flow in my sculpture and
convey the close relationship that the
whole whisky process has with the
natural environment. I imagined the
water flowing over the still, instantly
solidifying into metal to create an
organic sculptural form as it emerges
from a pool of crystal clear water, as
if some unseen alchemical process had
transformed the flowing water into solid
steel. On the outer edges a scattering
of oak leaves form in a circle
symbolising the newly planted
Fettercairn forest.
The reflective clear pool captures the
mirror image of the sculpture and
simultaneously captures the reflection
of the sky and changing light as time
passes by. Time is a key element in
creating whisky and in creating
sculpture, a synergy of craft that
permeates both practices. I hope that my
work conveys both crafts and harnesses
our respect for the setting and natural
environment at Fettercairn," said
Glaswegian sculptor Rob Mulholland.
Stewart Walker, Distillery Manager at
Fettercairn said: "We love the idea that
Rob’s stunning work will keep watch over
the mighty oaks in our sustainable
forest 150 -200 years from now. We are
extremely proud when we look at Rob’s
artistic endeavours – the sculpture has
movement, texture and its shadows and
reflections are constantly changing. It
feels totally in keeping with its
environment and for our whisky making
philosophy. We are confident it will
become iconic on our regional landscape
– loved by visitors and the local
community alike."
The Fettercairn Forest project is led by
whisky maker Gregg Glass, who has
conducted numerous trials with
wind-felled and responsibly sourced
Scottish oak as well as extensive tests
and experimentation in collaboration
with experts across different
industries.
The Distillery has already laid down
whiskies in different types of Scottish
Oak cask and plans to release the first
commercially available Fettercairn
Scottish Oak bottling next year. The
sculpture is due to be incorporated into
the Distillery visitor experience from
2022.
You will find the current Fettercairn
single malt whisky range available from
specialist online whisky retailers such
as
The Whisky Exchange,
Amazon and
Master of Malt
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