Edinburgh had not been home to a single malt scotch distillery in almost a century. It took two Canadians to change that.
Rob Carpenter was first introduced to scotch by his wife, Kelly. “I just grew up in a house where both my parents drank whisky,” said Kelly. “This would be back in the 1970s and there was always a bottle in the cupboard.”
When Rob and Kelly moved from Canada to Edinburgh in 2004 so Rob could pursue a master’s degree, Kelly introduced Rob to the spirit. Living in the ancestral home of single malt, the couple became immersed in whisky, and the culture and community that surrounds it.
Among many tastings and events, one night stands out as a turning point in the couple’s relationship with scotch. The couple met Sam Simmons, a fellow Canadian living in Scotland. Simmons is now a long-time scotch industry veteran, but was then known as Dr. Whisky, with one of the first whisky blogs. Simmons took the couple to The Vaults, the tasting room of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
Housed in a building completed in 1787, The Vaults is a members-only, stately venue offering hundreds of the single-cask, cask-strength bottlings of whisky released by the Society. Enamoured by the room, the building, the company and the flavours in their glasses, the Canadians would never look at single malt scotch whisky the same way.
A Canadian scotch business
The couple returned to Canada in 2005 with matured palates, expert knowledge of scotch and the industry, relationships in Scotland and maybe a little extra peat running through their veins. Rob resumed his legal career and Kelly worked for a high-net-worth family office. These were fine careers, but the couple knew they wanted to be part of the scotch world.
Recalling that evening at The Vaults, Kelly said, “We sat there, mouths agape and Sam Simmons said, ‘Yeah, I would love to bring this back to Canada.’” However, Simmons was laying roots in the U.K. and the Carpenters doubted that Simmons was going to move back to Canada. So, they decided to take on the job of bringing the Scotch Malt Whisky Society to their home.
Most sensible men would buy an expensive car for their midlife crisis, but I wanted to open a distillery. I thought, if I’m going to do this, now is when I have the energy, the experience and the financial wherewithal, so I’d better get on with it.
Rob Carpenter, Holyrood Distillery
It took six years – founding a private scotch club with imported bottles for sale is a regulatory obstacle course – but in October 2011, the couple launched the Canadian chapter of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, accepting members and importing the Society’s exclusive bottles into Canada for sale to members in Alberta and B.C. Navigating the provincial liquor laws and ensuring great customer service fit squarely within the couple’s skillsets, and while the business had started as a weekend activity, by December 2013, it flourished to the point where Kelly could quit her job and go full-time with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
“Life was just really out of balance, and so we had decided to pursue the Society full time and just let that other chapter of my life go,” said Kelly. If a balanced life was the goal, that would not last long.
A Scottish scotch business
Kelly had changed her career, and soon Rob realized it was time to change his. “I was 49. I’d done what I wanted to do in my legal career,” said Rob. “Most sensible men would buy an expensive car for their midlife crisis, but I wanted to open a distillery. I thought, if I’m going to do this, now is when I have the energy, the experience and the financial wherewithal, so I’d better get on with it.”
“Rob had said to me very early in our relationship that he didn’t want to be a lawyer his whole career,” said Kelly. “And he isn’t good at being at rest. He likes a challenge. He likes big things to think about, and I think he viewed this project as that.”
The original plan was to build a distillery in Canada. “I chased that idea for a couple of years, but it didn’t pan out,” said Rob. “And then I thought, we love Edinburgh. We love Scotland. And scotch is the most valuable appellation in the spirits world … all these things made me want to open a distillery in Edinburgh.”
Rob’s legal career, most recently as a VP, legal with a major pipeline company, trained him to manage large projects and navigate regulations, while balancing the interests of multiple stakeholders. For Holyrood, he partnered with David Robertson. “You hit all these barriers along the way, but you find a way over and around them,” said Rob. “Eventually, you find yourself inside a building, making spirits with employees.”
Next to Holyrood Park, near Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Distillery was constructed in a building dating back to 1835. It is a testament to Rob’s project management skills that construction completed “pretty much” on time and on budget, opening in 2019, 94 years after the last scotch distillery in Edinburgh closed its doors.
While Holyrood is a working distillery, able to make up to 240,000 litres of spirits every year, it is also designed as a tourist destination. Holyrood offers tours for curious drinkers and has a distillery bar with stunning views of Salisbury Crags.
The distillery’s motto is “Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.” and is located in what was once known as Edinburgh’s Charmed Circle, at one time home to almost 40 breweries that took advantage of the local water aquifer, which is rich in minerals. Inspired by these breweries, Holyrood takes a beer-maker’s approach to whisky-making, experimenting with heritage barley and specialty malts in mash bills, much like a brewer would to make beers ranging from pale ales to stouts.
In addition to regular distillers’ yeasts, Holyrood’s wort is frequently fermented with brewers’ yeasts, and sometimes even wine, sake or other yeasts, which naturally impart flavours different from typical distillers’ yeasts. Maturation occurs in all manner of barrels. “We will use anything we are allowed to use by the Scotch Whisky Association,” said distillery manager Calum Rae.
In addition to scotch, Holyrood makes gin and releases rums, under award-winning brands Height of Arrows and Elizabeth Yard, respectively.
A life in balance
Building and now operating a distillery 6,500 kilometres from home has not been easy. If the couple left their prior careers to return balance to their lives, they have yet to achieve that.
First, there was the intense period of planning, designing, fundraising and constructing the distillery. There were the regulatory issues, and renovating a building that is almost 200 years old is extremely difficult. There was the construction contractor who quit three days before construction was to start, and then, five months after the distillery opened, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Rob estimates that between 2017 and 2023, he spent up to 70 per cent of his time in Edinburgh. Kelly would commute back and forth, getting to know airport security agents on a first name basis.
While the couple recently was able to spend 18 months living together, Rob is now back in Edinburgh dealing with growing the brand so it can have a more solid financial footing. “I wish I were at the point where I could say it was worth it,” said Rob. “I’d like to see the business in a more stable financial situation; there is so much uncertainly right now. But it’s a project that I’m proud of. Holyrood is doing some incredibly interesting things.” The fact that Holyrood recently won Global Distiller of the Year at the World Whiskies Awards is proof of that.
Holyrood’s spirits are available for sale in Alberta and B.C., as well as over a dozen overseas markets.
