Anna McNee

Queen of the Barra’s whisky is set to inspire and entice novice whisky drinkers by changing the view of whisky from this traditional, landscape of the highlands of Scotland into the urban lifestyle of the East end of Glasgow. The Barra’s is an institution created by Maggie McIvers to give traders a space to sell their wares. She also loved to celebrate this by having big events and dances. This created the Barrowland ballroom which is known as one of the most infamous concert venues in the UK.

Situated in the East End of Glasgow I was inspired by the industrial pass to make this a specialist smoked whisky. I decide to use oak wood as my base for this as it is located in Glasgow as a local tree. The process of smoking whisky is usually used after it is distilled I thought this would be an interesting gimmick to include in my brand that would catch intention. I inspire through this whisky to introduce the world to the colourful world of the Barra markets, showing it's unapologetically self .

I wanted to make this a more casual whisky brand than many of the whisky brands I see. Inspired by a different type of life than the Scottish highlands. Inspired by the urban landscape and markets stall signage. The noisy and busy energy of the Barra’s contrast the tranquil energy of the highlands, which is a gap in the whisky market I think is worth pursuing. Being from Glasgow myself, I wanted to help honour this iconic part of Glasgow.