'In reality': Diehard Rangers fan and whisky guru who made £285m sale ready to invest - talks and conditions revealed

Whisky guru Billy Walker has revealed he is open to investing in Rangers.

The master distiller, who is the owner of The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, is a long-serving Rangers supporter and has a high standing as a whisky revivalist.

He has formerly owned Benriach Distillery Company - a firm he sold for £285million back in 2016 to US drinks giant Brown-Forman - GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh, and now says he is prepared to give the Ibrox outfit some of his cash.

Walker says he does not want to be the principal investor in Rangers, but would want to have a say in the direction of the club. He also threw his support behind current interim chairman John Gilligan.

Rangers are looking for a permanent chairman and new chief executive after the departures of John Bennett and James Bisgrove earlier this year.

Rangers are searching for a new chairman and chief executive. | SNS Group

Walker said: “Running a football club must be extremely difficult as there is so much uncertainty. You have to put a lot of trust into the managerial team and you have to oversee the inside of the business and make sure the club is on the right track. You’ve got to have people with a football knowledge and you’ve got to trust the manager that he’s going in the right direction.

“The reality is the board has the fiscal responsibility to make sure all the correct financial levers are in the right places and they can see a future, that’s very important. It’s really important to see past the next week and certainly the next five years and determine where the club is going.

“In reality, would I like to invest? Yes, if the circumstances were right. Would I be the principal investor? No. That would be for somebody else.

Previous talks

“I’ve had conversations in the past but in parallel with what’s happening in the football world, there’s also what’s happening in my own business world. There’s always demand. You’re always asked questions when opportunities come up and that’s life.

Adding in an interview with the Rangers Review, Walker added: “I wouldn’t be against investing in the club. John Gilligan is an excellent man, he’s a top businessman. Any time there is a call to arms, John has been prepared to step up. But sure, I’m a Rangers fan, if the environment’s right, probably yes why not? But if I was investing I would want to have a say about the direction of where the club is going.”