Whisky Focus - George Wills Joins The Kilchoman Family Business

George Wills has joined his two brothers James and Peter, plus parents Anthony and Kathy Wills at the Kilchoman Distillery which now has the full complement of the Wills’ family working at Scotland’s only farm distillery, on Islay. George’s particular remit will primarily be developing sales in the UK, as with any small family business he will often be called on to turn his hand to many aspects of the business.

After working in the agricultural and property arenas, George was attracted to the drinks and hospitality sector, initially working as assistant manager at the renowned Oystercatcher Restaurant on Loch Fyne. Three years on he moved to a gastro pub in north Wales, before taking on the management of a gastro pub in North Wales and latterly managing three pubs for Brightspire, where he has been working for the last five years.

Anthony Wills, managing director of Kilchoman, said: "I’m delighted that George has joined the sales and marketing team. His experience in the hospitality sector will bring an added dimension to developing sales in this sector of the UK market."

George added: "I am very excited to join the rest of my family at Kilchoman and help promote our brands, throughout the UK particularly. As the business has developed over the last nine years my brothers and I have been involved in every aspect of a new business which has been fantastic. We’ve helped paint the malting room, labelled bottles, served in the visitor centre and gradually been entrusted to taking Kilchoman out to the market."

From September this year the three brothers will embark on a five week journey around Europe in a specially adapted Land Rover, visiting European distributors and holding tastings at 20 or more events. In November they will visit UK distributors and whisky events.

In the 1940s the boys’ great grandfather and his brother, Spencer and Maurice Wilks, designed and manufactured the first Land Rover in Britain. It is fitting that 80 years on the entrepreneurial young brothers are setting off on their own journey of discovery to promote whisky that they have been helping produce at their family distillery on Islay - in a specially designed Land Rover.
 

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