Name: Jaynie Kean
Company: RAER Scotch Whisky (Jackton Distillery)
Job: Owner/Managing Director
Website: raer.co.uk
Socials: @raerwhisky

How long have you been working in the whisky industry?
I have been working in the alcohol industry for 10 years. My family and I developed the RAER Original Blend because we wanted something for our family to share and enjoy, but I hated whisky, and so did my siblings. So, we worked with people we knew in the industry and came up with something that we could all drink and enjoy. From there, the passion was ignited, and it has led to us having our own distillery on our family farm, where we can now make our own whisky!

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
Releasing our first single malt to market has, I think, felt like the most satisfying thing I have achieved in my career. There is so much that goes into it that it feels a little surreal looking back at how we did it. From building the actual distillery, developing our own recipes for new make spirit, picking the right casks and building a team, to developing a bottle, a label and a brand, all the way through to getting it to market. Sitting down at the end of a hard week, sharing a glass of our first malt with my fiancé and having our own RAER moments, is the greatest achievement of my career.

Can you remember your first dram, and indeed what it was?
My first proper dram was Famous Grouse, as this was the house whisky of the bar I worked in. At the time, I honestly thought it was dreadful; it’s what put me off whisky in the first place! However, since then, I don’t mind Grouse at all. It’s a fine and affordable blend. It’s not my go-to, but I wouldn’t squeal or choke the way I did when I was 18.

What does whisky mean to you?
I find whisky is a great reminder that time is passing. Everyone always says that as you get older, you’ll blink and the moment is gone. Life does feel this way; however, with whisky, it can help remind me that, yes, time is passing quickly, but we can slow it down if we choose to.

Three years and a day is how long it takes for new make spirit to become Scotch whisky. This is not an insignificant amount of time and realistically, you wait until it’s at least five years old to put it into a bottle and enjoy it. At times, it can feel as if time is moving so fast and that it was only yesterday that we filled our first cask. But it wasn’t yesterday; it was almost seven years ago. So many beautiful and meaningful things have happened in that time.

By using the practice of reflection and being present each day, we can help slow things down and make even the most mundane day feel special, and learn to better appreciate how good things, including whisky, take time.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years’ time?
I would like to see my business grow substantially in all areas so that we can achieve our goal of bringing people together to celebrate RAER moments. With AI and social media still retaining control over our lives, we as a species are in desperate need of connection, as it is fundamental to human life and perseverance.

We create this connection through the historic practice of drinking well-made spirits to enhance social experiences; however, we also do this without requiring drink at all. We welcome people, drinkers and non-drinkers alike, to visit our distillery, participate in our events, and make real connections with other people.

I see myself in five years as a stronger leader, with a larger team, doing my bit to help bring warmth and fun to communities.

What was your last dram?
My last dram was from one of our 5 Year Old Madeira casks, as we are in the process of looking at what liquid to release next. In truth, I have about 10 different cask samples on my desk, which I will be working through for the next while. My office constantly looks as though I’m having a party!

Do you have a favourite whisky and food pairing combination?
My current favourite is the RAER Inaugural Single Malt neat, alongside a Chinese takeaway. I order sushi as well from our local Chinese (it’s very good), and it goes so well with some salmon nigiri and soy sauce.

What’s your favourite time and place to enjoy a dram?
Truthfully, I really love sharing a dram with my team at Jackton Distillery. At the end of each month, we do a team tasting, where we try something new. It’s usually a whisky or spirit no one has tried before, or some of our own casks that we are thinking of bottling.

Everyone in the team is so passionate and works so hard, so being able to sit together, relax, talk about nonsense and get excited about what’s to come brings me so much joy.

What do you think is going to be the next big thing on the whisky horizon?
I think that whisky tourism is going to continue to grow massively over the next few years. Scotland and Scottish culture have been getting much more publicity across the globe; we also did ourselves a great service when the Tartan Army represented our country at the World Cup.

The next generation are much less averse to travel, buying quality over quantity, and seeking real connections to the things they buy and interact with. I think people globally want a taste of Scottish humour and life.

With domestic duty rates continuously rising, and costs of production going up, I expect to see more and more distilleries focus on the experience side of their business to help supplement income, as profit margins for whisky are non-existent.

What’s the one dram you couldn’t live without?
I am not purposely trying to be a brand advocate at all times, but realistically, I couldn’t live without our RAER Original Blend. It’s just so simple, and I bring it to every party I go to as I know everyone will be able to enjoy it. We can have it neat, or I usually make it into whisky-ritas for my whisky-averse friends.

This product is what ignited my interest in whisky and the industry. It was created simply so my family and I could share a dram together on special occasions. The memories that this one product has brought me are priceless, and they all come flooding back every time I have a dram.

Many thanks to Jaynie Kean. Who will be our next Whisky Insider? Click back soon to find out!