Denis Nicol has an almost unrivaled knowledge of brewing and distilling, he literally wrote the book on whisky distilling; contributing the capter on distillation to "Whisky: Technology, Production and Marketing".  

Starting his career as an Analytical Chemist at Hiram Walker, he went on to manage both Tormore in Speyside and Laphroaig on Islay.  His time at Laphroaig spanned four years from 1976 to 1980; a time of some change at the distillery, with the output from his time as manager now revered by whisky fans.  Denis' experience doesn't stop at whisky however, he also spent some time at Technical Manager at Demerara Distillers in Guyana.

With a pioneering approach to bottling very old and vintage whisky, former Macallan managing director Willie Phillips is the man who made Macallan what it is today. He positioned Macallan as ‘the Cognac of whisky’ and combined irreverent advertising with his dedication to rich new-make spirit matured in sherry casks, creating through the 1980s and 1990s the template for Macallan's rise to fame.