Award created to posthumously honour whisky expert Jim Swan

The contribution of a man described as one of the most accomplished scientific and technical advisers to the whisky industry is to be recognised posthumously with a new annual prize at the Scottish Whisky Awards.

Jim Swan had a 40-year career as a research scientist and adviser to distilleries around the world, dying in 2017 aged 75.

The industry has praised him for his “tireless” work to collaborate, encourage and steer whisky producers to pursue excellence in making the spirit – and the awards judging panel has now received the blessing of his family to create The Jim Swan Award for Services to Scotch Whisky.

This year, the prize will be awarded to the late Swan and will be accepted by his daughters at the Scottish Whisky Awards’ inaugural celebration to be held in Edinburgh in a few weeks and expected to attract more than 400 leaders from the Scotch trade.

It will be presented along with a film featuring many of Swan’s distillery clients including Annandale, Clydeside, Lindores, Cotswolds and Penderyn – and in subsequent years will be presented to an individual deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to the industry.

The idea was proposed by Alan Wolstenholme, the chair of the judging panel, who said the award is a chance to keep Swan’s name and legacy “front and centre” in Scotch whisky. “His selfless sharing of knowledge and expertise has benefited a huge range of distilleries in Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales and abroad,” Wolstenholme added.