The all-female management team at Talisker distillery

In celebration of International Women’s Day this week, go inside the Talisker distillery to meet the all-female management team leading the production of this iconic Scotch brand, in a new short film released today.

As the world comes together to celebrate International Women’s Day this Friday, we celebrate the inspirational women at the helm of one of the world’s most iconic distilleries.

In a short film released today, viewers are transported to the Isle of Skye to take a tour of its oldest working distillery – the Talisker distillery – to hear from the women responsible for protecting the quality and heritage of this world-renowned whisky.

Talisker is a brand with an extremely rich heritage dating back to 1830 and is produced by the sea on the Isle of Skye.

The film features three women that head up the Talisker distillery team. These include:

Diane Farrell, senior site manager: Diane oversees the working of both the distillery and the visitors centre, leading a diverse team at this iconic site.

Fiona Macintyre, brand home manager: Fiona is responsible for the visitor centre, which brings to life the story of Talisker for up to 90,000 visitors from around the world each year.

Jackie Robertson, site operations manager: Jackie manages the production process of Talisker whisky from grain to glass, which operates 24 hours, 7 days a week.

These women serve as custodians for the Talisker brand and ensure that the distillery is not only producing the highest quality liquid but also playing its part within the wider community of the Isle of Skye.

Diane said: ‘It’s very rare to have an all-female team in the malt distillery industry so I’m extremely proud of the fact that I’ve got an all-female management team.’

The Talisker distillery on Skye

Fiona added: ‘It’s not just men that are running the industry, females are involved and there are now more and more women in the whisky industry.’

And Jackie said: ‘Talisker plays a huge role on the Isle of Skye. We have between 75,000 and 90,000 visitors come to Talisker each year so from an economy perspective it brings a lot of business to the Island.’

At Diageo, they view diversity as a key enabler that helps our business to grow. Women have always and continue to play a leading role within their Scotch business, from 1893 when John Walker & Sons bought Cardhu distillery, the home of Johnnie Walker, from its owner Elizabeth Cummin, to the present day where almost half of the 12-strong Johnnie Walker blending team are female.

In January 2019 Diageo was recognised in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index. In 2018 Diageo was named by Thomson Reuters as the 4th most inclusive and diverse company in the world and ranked by Equileap as the best company in the UK for gender equality.