Wizards of Whisky: Miss Bessie Williamson

So we thought we’d throw a little light on some of the greatest personalities that made whisky what it is today. “Whisky Wizards of the World” is what we’re going with.

We start this series with one of the most admired personalities of the industry -Miss Bessie Williamson, the former owner of Laphroaig Distillery.

She joined Laphroaig in 1934 while Hitler was bombing the UK, and she earned the manager title after the owner, Ian Hunter, suffered a stroke. Bessie took over Hunter’s full-­time duties in the midst of the Second World War. She expanded the distillery and carried the weight of the Scotch industry on her shoulders as she toured America and tried to introduce stateside drinkers to single malt, which at the time was a relatively foreign concept.

Within months of Laphroaig receiving trademarks in New Zealand and Canada, Bessie added military liaison to her managerial duties. She kept her workers from getting drafted and protected her whisky. Her ‘people first’ mentality would clash with profit-­driven ideals of US firm Long John International, a Schenley subsidiary, which acquired Laphroaig in the 1960s.

Sharp witted, brave, and level headed was what they called her. Years later Laphroaig released a series in her honour.