I wonder if I could get a list of the investors so I can approach them about my dream brewery 
Doc
Rare whisky lovers pay for a taste of the future
By David Lister, Scotland Correspondent
THE distillery has not yet been built, its first single malt will not be ready until 2017 and the exclusive members club it aims to create is still a derelict old hayloft.
You might think that investors who coughed up 1,850 for a rare dram that is no more than a twinkle in its creators eye might be advised to take more water with it. Already, though, more than 330 whisky lovers have paid that for the privilege of being first in the queue for this new private members distillery.
In its glossy brochures the Ladybank private distillery in Fife is described as a luxurious country club with one difference here the activity is focused on the special mystique that is the production of fine single malt whisky.
But as he strolled around the empty old mill intended to be a sort of your good health club, the distillerys founder, James Thomson, admitted yesterday that it required a leap of imagination to see how his dream would take shape.
Although architects plans have been circulated to members, the empty old farm buildings at the end of a narrow track will not begin to be converted until next spring. Production will not start for another year after that. The cost of the project is estimated at 2.7 million, of which more than 1 million has already been raised.
The empty cattle shed destined to become the distillerys mash room was covered in mud and the feathers of dead birds yesterday. In the old hayloft across the courtyard, which will be the clubs private dining room, the wind howled in through a hole in the roof and an old plough horse bridle lay abandoned on the floor.
Mr Thomson envisages his members attending whisky-making classes in the converted 18th century mill or taking a stroll in an adjacent secret Victorian garden, with rockeries, grotto and a pond. Those especially pressed for time will be able to land their helicopters on the lawn.
In return for their payment, a maximum of 1,250 members will be entitled to six bottles of single malt whisky per year for 50 years, starting in 2017, when the first Ladybank malt will be ready to drink.
Whisky production will be on a small scale, with about 25,000 litres distilled per year compared with between one and two million for most whisky distilleries. The whisky will be shared among members and VIP customers with little, if any, sold commercially.
Members will also have access to the rooms, dining area and library of the adjoining Ladybank private members club, expected to be completed by 2007.
One investor, Bengt Larsson, 59, said that the idea of owning part of a distillery was unique. Mr Larsson, an IT consultant who lives near Stockholm, said: It is definitely a lot of money, but I wasnt that fast to put it up and I had a couple of weeks to think about it.
I really believe in the project. I have been over twice and I love the site. When you go there you feel you are involved with it.
The second tranche of 250 membership places is now on sale, this time at 3,250 each. Mr Thomson is even hoping to interest Chinese enthusiasts in the project. He said: Our members will be able to decide how they want their whisky, whether they want it peaty or not too peaty, how they want it bottled.
In an age where people want access and control, this is all about getting the whisky lover behind the scenes. It is a bit like sitting down with Gordon Ramsay for dinner and being able to tell him exactly what you want to eat.
And, its true, investing in an upmarket drink factory is far less risky than trying to tell Gordon Ramsay exactly what you want to eat.
Doc
Rare whisky lovers pay for a taste of the future
By David Lister, Scotland Correspondent
THE distillery has not yet been built, its first single malt will not be ready until 2017 and the exclusive members club it aims to create is still a derelict old hayloft.
You might think that investors who coughed up 1,850 for a rare dram that is no more than a twinkle in its creators eye might be advised to take more water with it. Already, though, more than 330 whisky lovers have paid that for the privilege of being first in the queue for this new private members distillery.
In its glossy brochures the Ladybank private distillery in Fife is described as a luxurious country club with one difference here the activity is focused on the special mystique that is the production of fine single malt whisky.
But as he strolled around the empty old mill intended to be a sort of your good health club, the distillerys founder, James Thomson, admitted yesterday that it required a leap of imagination to see how his dream would take shape.
Although architects plans have been circulated to members, the empty old farm buildings at the end of a narrow track will not begin to be converted until next spring. Production will not start for another year after that. The cost of the project is estimated at 2.7 million, of which more than 1 million has already been raised.
The empty cattle shed destined to become the distillerys mash room was covered in mud and the feathers of dead birds yesterday. In the old hayloft across the courtyard, which will be the clubs private dining room, the wind howled in through a hole in the roof and an old plough horse bridle lay abandoned on the floor.
Mr Thomson envisages his members attending whisky-making classes in the converted 18th century mill or taking a stroll in an adjacent secret Victorian garden, with rockeries, grotto and a pond. Those especially pressed for time will be able to land their helicopters on the lawn.
In return for their payment, a maximum of 1,250 members will be entitled to six bottles of single malt whisky per year for 50 years, starting in 2017, when the first Ladybank malt will be ready to drink.
Whisky production will be on a small scale, with about 25,000 litres distilled per year compared with between one and two million for most whisky distilleries. The whisky will be shared among members and VIP customers with little, if any, sold commercially.
Members will also have access to the rooms, dining area and library of the adjoining Ladybank private members club, expected to be completed by 2007.
One investor, Bengt Larsson, 59, said that the idea of owning part of a distillery was unique. Mr Larsson, an IT consultant who lives near Stockholm, said: It is definitely a lot of money, but I wasnt that fast to put it up and I had a couple of weeks to think about it.
I really believe in the project. I have been over twice and I love the site. When you go there you feel you are involved with it.
The second tranche of 250 membership places is now on sale, this time at 3,250 each. Mr Thomson is even hoping to interest Chinese enthusiasts in the project. He said: Our members will be able to decide how they want their whisky, whether they want it peaty or not too peaty, how they want it bottled.
In an age where people want access and control, this is all about getting the whisky lover behind the scenes. It is a bit like sitting down with Gordon Ramsay for dinner and being able to tell him exactly what you want to eat.
And, its true, investing in an upmarket drink factory is far less risky than trying to tell Gordon Ramsay exactly what you want to eat.
