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‘Thank you, that’s very kind.’ Liz nodded.
‘So, I don’t know if you’ve managed to look at the financials, and the sales reports from the past few years, but—’
‘I have,’ Liz interrupted. ‘You’re not in great shape. I guess that’s why I’m here.’
‘It is, yes.’ Ben sighed and sat back in his chair. ‘Loch Cameron Distillery is a family-owned business, as you know. It’s an old, established brand, but we don’t make enough money. And, if I’m honest, I need some inspiration from someone who knows the market. I know whisky, and I’m passionate about how we make it. But, honestly, I don’t have the expertise to take us from traditional niche brand to… I don’t know what. Better than where we are, anyway.’
‘That’s your first problem. You don’t know what you want the brand to be. What are your aims for the company?’ Liz sat forward. ‘Do you want to be a boutique specialist? Mainstream family favourite? Supermarket discount brand? Hipster cocktail bar brand?’
‘I don’t know. Not a supermarket discount brand, I can say that at least.’ Ben shuddered.
‘Well, what then?’ Liz was pushing him, but clearly, nobody had asked any difficult questions at the company for some time.
‘I don’t know. I think we’re more of a boutique product, maybe?’ Ben shrugged. ‘We’re just a whisky firm. We make two whiskies: a Ten Year Old and a Twenty Year Old. We do it well, but that’s all we do. I don’t know that we’re different in any way to any other distillery.’
‘Believe me, you are. It’s just a case of defining what’s special about Loch Cameron whisky, and that’s what I’m great at. Tell me what’s special about your Single Malt,’ Liz suggested.
‘Well, we use all local ingredients. We don’t buy the mash in from somewhere else. Everything that goes into the whisky comes from within five miles of Loch Cameron: the peat and the grain. And we use the loch water.’
‘That’s good. What else?’ Liz made a note on her pad.
‘Umm. It’s a family business. It’s been run by a Douglas since 1785. We’ve got the biggest storage vault in Scotland,’ he added, stroking Henry’s silky black ears.
‘Sally showed me yesterday. You have some desirable vintages down there, I think.’
‘Oh, gosh, yeah. I think we’ve got some that date back to the 1850s. Lots of others. My dad used to look after them like they were his babies.’ Ben rolled his eyes.
‘Well, that’s another feather in your cap. You can sell some of those vintages to collectors. Depending on what you’ve got down there, you could even do auction events, or make a museum out of the vault. Showcase the really old stuff.’
‘Do you think so? I doubt people would be that interested.’ Ben frowned.
Give me strength,Liz thought, covering her frustration with a smile.
‘Again, please believe me when I say that they would be interested,’ Liz assured Ben. ‘Whisky collectors are a growing specialist market. If you let people know about what you have in your vault, and make a name for yourselves as a distillery of ancestry and tradition, then you can build a reputation for your Ten Year Old and your Twenty Year Old as having some of that quality pedigree,’ she explained, patiently.
‘I see.’ Ben smiled. ‘I can see why you had such glowing recommendations.’
‘Thank you. So, my next question is, do you do tours here? Because you should. The building itself is interesting, and really attractive. I’ve noticed you don’t have a gift shop or a café,’ Liz added. ‘Most distilleries are tourist attractions now as well as businesses. There’s the tour, the tasting – at some places you can even do a day course and make your own whisky.’
‘No. We don’t do any of that. My dad resisted it, and I always have, too,’ Ben sighed. ‘Just the thought of all the health and safety stuff I’d have to put in place to have the general public here. And, it is a working distillery. I’d just think people would… get in the way.’
‘Most whisky distilleries are active, and most hold tours and have gift shops,’ Liz repeated, patiently. ‘You have to do it to compete. I would strongly suggest you do both of those things. A café would also be nice. You could have people onsite selling food connected with the whisky in some way, like whisky fudge cake or whisky in the coffee, that kind of thing. Or, find some local artisanal caterers who would like to operate here and they can run the café.’
‘You’re right, I know,’ Ben sighed. ‘Look. These are all great ideas, but before we get onto looking at the sales reports, I want to let you know that I’ve received an offer for the business.’ He set Henry back down on the floor and folded his hands on the desk, a serious expression on his face.
‘What? From whom?’ Liz was taken aback. Ben named a large, international beverage company.
‘How much?’ she asked, and Ben supplied a generous sum. ‘Wow. So, why employ me at all, then?’ She was annoyed, and perhaps it showed, because Ben got up and walked around to her side of the desk, perching on the edge of it.
‘Because I don’t want to take the money. I don’t want to sell the business,’ he said, quietly. ‘But I fear I may be forced to if the brand can’t make a better name for itself – which is where you come in.’
‘Oh.’ Liz frowned. ‘You know, that’s a good offer. I’ve seen your accounts, remember,’ she added, a little archly. It was one thing, coming into a new company where there was so much work to be done. It was quite another to be told that the whole thing could be swept from under your feet at any minute. ‘You’re sure you won’t take it? Because if I need to look for another job, I need to start looking now.’
‘Liz. I don’t want you to look for another job. I want you to help me rebuild Loch Cameron Distillery so that I don’t have to take the offer. That’s what I’m telling you.’ Ben clasped her shoulder, his warm touch enveloping her.
‘How long do we have? Before you make a final decision?’ Liz tried to ignore the electric feeling his touch enflamed in her; she moved away, but not because she didn’t like the sensation. Rather, because she did, and she didn’t know what to make of it.
‘I don’t know, exactly. I mean, the offer won’t stay on the table forever. Three months, maybe. Then, if things haven’t at least improved, I’m going to have to plan a phased close. There will come a point, based on our current income, when we can’t afford to keep the lights on anymore. And I don’t want it to come to that.’
