When you ask Jethro where he’s from, he pauses.
For a long time, he pauses.
And when he explains his journey, you understand the pause.
“I lived in a depressing, dying town west of London until I was eighteen, and I left as soon as I could.”
He spent several years in Inverness, where he began his career in whisky. He then moved to Edinburgh, working in the same industry, and it was there that he fell in love with the vibrant energy of one of the world’s most fascinating and beautiful cities.
And then he came to Jackton Distillery, where he’s found a home.
He leads tours almost daily. He manages big groups. He reaches out to the local towns and villages. When he takes you on the tour of the distillery, you’ll probably figure out pretty quickly that it’ll be the best distillery tour you’ve ever had. And perhaps the best anything tour you’ve ever had.
Jethro is a truly great communicator, and he loves what he does. I’ve been on numerous tours of various places and things, and I’ve never seen anyone who truly embraced sharing a great story and a great spirit with people.
His enthusiasm and joy are inescapable. My first tour with Jethro was pretty large, 16 people, with me tagging along.
After the tour, we all headed into the tasting room and a huge wooden table where we all sat with our glasses waiting to taste different variations on whisky and gin, and everyone was rather sedate. There were multiple cliques of visitors, and they huddled together in quiet conversation.
But after a bit of Jethro’s banter… And some great whisky, the whole table was talking to the whole table.
And that, my friends, is the joy of great whisky. It opens the doors to conversation and stories. Before long, we were all friends, and Jethro and the whisky guided the transition.
He’s a lucky guy to get to do what he loves, and he’s damned good at it.
And he gets to do it in Scotland.
