Whisky makers from the “spiritual home of Scotch” launched a new dram to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The Sister Spirit is the latest bottling from the Lindores Abbey Distillery, near Newburgh in Fife.
The limited edition was designed to celebrate International Women’s Day and “the amazing work” of women in the whisky industry.
Lindores Abbey is where the first ever written record of Scotch whisky distillation took place in 1494. King James IV commissioned Friar John Cor, a Tironensian monk, to turn “eight bols of malt” into Aqua Vitae as it was then known.
The distillery restarted whisky production in 2017 after more than 500 years, but bottles of The Sister Spirit are the first to bear the signature of Helen McKenzie-Smith, who co-founded the business with her husband Drew.
The whisky, matured in Australian red wine casks, was chosen by the distillery’s Chief Blender, Lorena Baez-Subiabre, whose signature also features on the label.
The Sister Spirit name also refers to the distillery’s two spirit stills, named after the founders’ daughters Gee and Poppy.
Just 89 bottles have been produced and a sum of £5 from each one sold will be donated to the OurWhisky Foundation, which supports and empowers women in the global whisky industry.
Helen said: “While we recognise the progress being made in whisky, there is still work to be done to ensure that women have the opportunities, recognition and representation they deserve.
“By donating a portion of sales to the OurWhisky Foundation, we hope to empower and uplift the talented women who make whisky what it is today and what it will become in the future.”
