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Dennis Malcolm OBE grew up in The Glen Grant distillery and has dedicated his life to growing the distinctive brand

- EUAN DUGUID

I first met Dennis Malcolm OBE a number of years ago in the glorious grounds of The Glen Grant Distillery.

It's a Speyside utopia, lovingly landscaped by one of the operation's founding fathers, James Grant, also known as The Major, nearly 140 years ago.

The Major had established the famous Victorian Garden to showcase the eclectic plants and exotic fruits he gathered on his journeys across the globe.

Yet it is here, over the course of 60 years and within the 22 acres of orchards, meadows, and gorges, that Dennis has cultivated a deep sense of contentment (and manifested success) which others scour the world for.

"I was born in these grounds in 1946," says Dennis, now Glen Grant's revered Master Distiller, as I caught up with him again recently.

"As well as my father and grandfather, my uncle was also in the industry before the war. It is a way of life for me - I was destined to be a part of it."

Dennis started at The Glen Grant in May 1961, aged just 15. By July 1971, he had been promoted to Production Brewer

In those early years, however, his life could have taken a different turn...

"When I was young, I was an inquisitive learner - I wanted to know every detail of how the whisky was made, but with the wages at the time, I had to consider other options.

"My uncle was in the police, which inspired me to apply as well, but nobody knows that!

"It was hard to get into police school and I didn't want to take favours to get anywhere.