WHISKY lovers who have spent thousands on casks from a new distillery that is yet to be built are demanding refunds after being told they would receive “unbranded” spirit from an undisclosed Highland location.
Wolfcraig Distillers is hoping to open up a distillery at Stirling’s Craigforth campus but a request for planning permission was turned down in March 2022.
Despite not getting the green light for the site, the company had already sold casks to private indiviudals priced between £4000 and £6000, which were paid for upfront.
Now angry buyers have been told they will not be given whisky distilled in Stirling.
In September, the whisky company informed customers that their casks would be filled before the end of 2024 – not in Stirling but in the Highlands.
In an email seen by The Courier, director Jamie Lunn wrote: “In order to accelerate the filling of the much-awaited casks, we have leased a production facility in an existing Highland malt distillery, to create our Wolfcraig Single Malt.”
One buyer, Howard Downey, who spent about £5000 on a cask, is from Stirling and says he was excited to invest in a local distillery.
But uncertainty about the distillery’s future and poor communication left him unhappy with the situation.
Despite contacting Wolfcraig in November last year requesting a refund, he was encouraged to remain a customer as bosses talked him out of the request.
Downey is opposed to the casks being filled outside Stirling, arguing that the distillery’s location is key to its heritage and taste.
He feels Wolfcraig is not honouring its commitment to customers.
He said: “My fear is loss of value in a cask for all, as there will be no provenance associated with the cask – a cask that a person has bought at a premium price due to provenance.”
Wolfcraig Distillers currently sells several branded whisky blends – a combination of whiskies made at other distilleries – but has not yet released its own single malt expression.
The firm is headed up by Lunn and Richard Paterson, a master blender and distiller who is a well-known figure in the whisky world.
Former Whyte & Mackay CEO Michael Lunn, Jamie Lunn’s father, was a founding director of Wolfcraig until his death in January 2023.
Downey thinks Wolfcraig should have given its cask buyers the option to either get their money back, accept the offer of their cask being filled at a different distillery, or wait for the Stirling Wolfcraig distillery to open and have the cask filled there.
“I would have been perfectly happy to have waited until they’d got their distillery in place under the terms that they offered, which is 12 years of maturation in the cask,” he said.
Lunn said all plans meet the terms and conditions agreed at the time of sale.
“We remain fully committed to fulfilling our cask agreements with our members,” he said.
“Due to our plans for a whisky distillery in Stirling being rejected, we have secured an alternative distillery to produce the new make spirit under the close supervision of our master blenders, Richard Paterson and Ian Macmillan, ensuring it meets the high standards expected from our brand.
“All casks will be filled within the original timeframe, with no impact on quality.
“We have communicated these changes transparently, and this arrangement aligns with the terms and conditions outlined in the original agreements.
“We are excited for people to experience the new make spirit, which will reflect the quality and craftsmanship that Richard and Ian are renowned for.”
