1975 Glen Mhor Alexander Campbell Retirement
One aspect of the Glen Mhor research project that was not foreseen when I began laying down some foundations approximately five years ago, is the social aspect. I have come to refer to this as social whisky history. The existing literature on distilleries and whiskies is extensive, yet it barely scratches the surface in terms of the characters and individuals who played a role in shaping these distilleries. Notable exceptions and prominent figures, such as the whisky barons, William Grant, John Grant, Joseph Hobbs and a handful of others, are exceptions to this rule. Mostly, these individuals were the owners and shapers of the industry, not the day-to-day workers at the distillery.
I have been fortunate to have received assistance from numerous individuals in my efforts to shed light on the contributions of John and William Birnie, Robert Robertson, excisemen Neil M. Gunn, Gilbert W. Peterkin and others, who were instrumental in the production of a Glen Mhor whisky. I'm pleased to be able to make further progress thanks to the access granted to me by Gladys and her family archive, focusing on her father, Alexander (Sandy) Campbell, who spent most of his working life at the distillery.
In terms of Sandy's career, Gladys recalled that 'I think my father must have started at the distillery around 1943-44, after the war. My parents got married in 1943 and 10 years later, I came long. So, for 10 years I have no idea.' And in keeping with a career at the distillery, she believes 'he worked at the bottom and worked his way up to foreman.'
Today, we are stepping back in time to 1975, the year in which he retired as an employee of Mackinlay & Birnie, D.C.L. and Scottish Malt Distillers (S.M.D.).
The potential future of former employees is not a general consideration for whisky enthusiasts. Having been released from the constraints of a working schedule, these ex-workers are now afforded the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of retirement. In hindsight, Sandy’s retirement was arguably timed perfectly, with more workers retiring in 1980 as reported in this newspaper article. The Distillers Company Limited were the new owners, and Glen Mhor's prominence as a single malt whisky was diminished. There was a growing concern about overproduction and a sizeable whisky loch, which became a reality in the early 1980s. This prompted the closure of the distillery and sadly resulted in many former workers struggling to find work elsewhere, as noted in a discussion I had via Glen Albyn.
However, the focus of this article is not on the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the closure of the distillery and the subsequent unemployment of its workers. Instead, this is a celebration of Sandy's retirement, which brought the entire community together. Possibly tinged with a sense of impending change for those that remained.
Please revisit the lead image on this article. I've been honoured to present to you photographs of the distillery and its inner workings, a group photograph from 1939 and the atmospheric stance of William Birnie on the empty malting floors. This retirement photograph from 1975 is arguably my favourite with Sandy perched throne-like on a cask of Glen Mhor. It exemplifies the community spirit and joy of the workforce, brought together to celebrate whisky and the efforts of the men and women who helped to create this wonderful spirit. It should be displayed in the National Gallery of Scotland.
Speaking with Gladys, it is evident that her father was quite the character and it was his idea to dress up in his best clothes, tailcoat and hat, for his last day on the job - not ideal clothing for a working distillery, with an emphasis on manual labour. She also recalls the standard retirement practice at the distillery...
'Normally, for the retirement the person with their partner would be invited to (distillery) office. Here they would have a small tea in office, then the manger would give a gift from the management and then a few staff visited the office, as the men would have had a whip round, to give whatever was collected or a gift.'
Nevertheless, for Sandy's retirement, this tradition was partially observed, albeit with an additional modification that arguably suggests the high regard in which he was held by his colleagues, as Glady fondly remembers...'My father and my mother were invited to office at 3pm for afternoon tea, but when they turned up and went through the gates of the distillery, they were in shock as all the men, office staff and the local press were present, My father never smoked in his life, but was handed a cigar. That was such a memory for him.'
Clearly a strong memory that endures and is assisted by such a great photograph. Gladys also remarked that this style of retirement celebration was in fact 'that was the only time I heard of this happening' at either of the Telford Street distilleries. Her memories also highlight the possibility of press-related materials being available, somewhere, ripe for discovery.
The next image from the archive highlights the tradition of having tea with the distillery manager, in what should be the distillery office. Tantalisingly, this could be the only image we'll ever see of the distillery office, which was also home to the Glen Mhor sample room and possibly is located just behind the group. The original plans for this office building, submitted in 1924, are available on the site as part of the research project.
On the back row we have Val Ritchie, Glen Mhor distillery manager with his wife. You can see Val as a young man in the 1939 distillery group photograph, beside his father Val Ritchie Snr, who was the distillery manager during this period. Possibly above, he is ensuring the traditions laid down by his forefathers continued, in spite of new owners and how things were preferred to be done, we'll never know for sure. However his presence symbolises the community and sense of family at Glen Mhor, and other distilleries across Scotland.
Present on the front row we have Sandy Campbell with his wife, Ellen, enjoying their day and clearly the celebration that is unfolding. Sitting alongside is Davy MacRae and I asked Gladys about this gentleman in particular, who she recalled as being a 'lovely man' and 'he worked at Glen Albyn Distillery as the mashman.' Gladys confirmed that Davy was also retiring at this time.
Glady has also kindly provided details of Alexander's retirement arrangements, which is probably the most important consideration when you decided to hang up your boots and step back from working. These give us confirmation of arrangements that seem to have been in place since 1952 with a major UK insurer.
Gladys also recalled some of the memories of her father working at Glen Mhor, which help build up the routine and practicalities of working at the distillery, such as:
'Once a week my father or one of the men would go to the Muir of Ord distillery with samples for the laboratory there.' This is likely to have been a result of the D.C.L. takeover as the company already had such facilities on the Black Isle. However we do know from a job advertisement for a Laboratory Assistant published in the Aberdeen Press & Journal, 26th February 1973, that some functions were still expected on site at Glen Mhor.
Then, Gladys also touched upon something I've always suspected but never had confirmation of until now, regarding the problems Telford Street harboured as a major thoroughfare:
'In those days, if the men needed something from the Glen Albyn distillery - although they were across the road from each other - in the middle was the A9 main road, which in the summer meant it could take over an hour to cross the road, or even for the men to get home for dinner. Remember they had to go back again as well.'
Quite frustrating, and as we've seen in our dissection of the distillery logbook, there were often entries where a part or replacement had to be obtained via Glen Albyn. Not ideal in an emergency, and possibly relegating more mundane requirements to later shifts during the day before traffic built up. Even today, the road is extremely busy and pedestrian crossings are still rare, even more so for the men of yesteryear.
Sandy also had to navigate this hazard several times a day, with Gladys confirming that 'my dad worked at Glen Mhor but had to walk through Glen Albyn to get home.' As his family resided at one of the Glen Albyn cottages.
Interestingly, Gladys also recalls that 'some of the peat came from the back of Foyers' which would be near Loch Ness. This recollection is of interest, as we know for most of its history, Glen Mhor took peat from Eday in Orkney, then the east coast of Scotland. The inclusion of a more local peat source is a first, but also underlines the desire of Mackinlay & Birnie to utilise local resources, as we've seen in a bere barley receipt from 1921. This is something I'll look into further at a later date.
Fascinating snippets of details, including a list of employees from the period that (hopefully) I can introduce into this research project in the coming years with Mr MacGrigor, Patty MacKenzie, Davy MacRae, S. Lookock, Willie Simpson, Walter Cumming, Alistair Innes, Louie Paul, Dick Tracy, Peter (was Polish) and John Wylie.
This section presents the details of the pension scheme for Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn workers during this period. The annual pension of £78 in 1975 would be approximately £788, which is difficult to quantify in today's terms as it would not be sufficient to cover a year of living. It is perhaps more fruitful to consider the death-in-service benefit, which may have been a more attractive proposition given the difficulties of crossing Telford Street. This feature entailed the payment of a lump sum of £3,680, if something unforeseen happened.
Nevertheless, let us set aside the pension benefits and return to the celebration of Sandy's career at Glen Mhor distillery. Additionally, Gladys provided what may be considered a rare photograph, collectively showing the employees of Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn, and their families, gathered together later that day at Muirtown Motel for a celebration dinner and dance. Sandy and his wife are prominently featured in the photograph, situated at the centre of the frame.
It seems reasonable to speculate that some of the aforementioned workers are depicted in this image, and that many more may be identified. Hopefully, the publication of this image will prompt further disclosures and the unlocking of lost memories, which will contribute to the social whisky history, which is gradually being lost to time.
In light of this article, it seems reasonable to consider my own impending retirement from the Glen Mhor research project. It is likely that this research will continue indefinitely, as the residents of Muirtown and descendants of former employees are likely to possess a wealth of information. It would be remiss of me not to mention the promise of the Mackinlay & Birnie company records at Glasgow University.
However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that, in addition to opening more Glen Mhor bottles (an enjoyable task), I am approaching the limits of what can be unearthed, which has gone way beyond what I ever anticipated and continues to surprise with new finds.
I remain optimistic that investigating the Glen Albyn distillery will yield new insights into the history of Glen Mhor. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude once again to Gladys for allowing me to share these wonderful family memories over 50 years later, which fills me with a tremendous amount of satisfaction. I hope that you have enjoyed these as much as I have.
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