Graeme Cruickshank

Warehousing can be the first education in distilling: casks, movement, stock discipline, and the day-to-day order that keeps a house running. Graeme Cruickshank began at Chivas Brothers in Strathisla in 1985 in that setting, then moved into production at Chivas Brothers in Strathisla distillery the same year. That shift placed him inside the working core of Scotch whisky-making early on, with process and detail becoming the terms of the job rather than abstract ideals. In Speyside, that foundation now sits behind his work at Aberlour distillery, while Dalmunach distillery also remains part of his professional life.

House style depends on consistency, and at Aberlour distillery Graeme Cruickshank’s role as master distiller puts him close to that daily discipline. Dalmunach distillery broadens that practice across another Speyside site, so his working life runs between two distilleries rather than one. His own description is direct: "My name is Graeme Cruickshank, I work at Aberlour and Dalmunach distillery in Speyside, but Aberlour is my primary distillery and I am master distiller there."

That plainness suits the job. It is a role built on decisions that have to be explained as well as made, because as he puts it, "Whisky lovers want to know why the whisky tastes as it does – this is the cue for a story and it's up to us to explain." In that sense, the work includes interpretation: translating what is in the glass into language a drinker can follow.

At Aberlour distillery, the title of master distiller marks the clearest recognition in Graeme Cruickshank’s career. Aberlour is his primary distillery, and Dalmunach remains part of the same working circuit in Speyside. The distinction is less about ceremony than continuity: a career that started in 1985, moved from warehousing into production, and stayed close to the practical side of making whisky. In a trade that values time in place, that kind of progression carries its own weight.