Tequila comes to Scotland with Storywood

A Scotland-based tequila maker has unveiled a new brand, Storywood, and announced a distribution deal with Halewood. 

Founder Michael Ballantyne was born in Scotland and raised in Texas. His background is in culinary arts, but four years ago he visited Luis Trejo, master distiller at La Cofradia Distillery to ask: "If Scotch is aged in more than just ex-Bourbon casks, why can't we add new flavours to tequila by using casks from Scotch whisky?" 

With this question in mind, Michael decided to age tequila in Scotch casks from Dufftown, Scotland. Storywood Tequila is the result of that idea and Michael has struck a UK distribution deal with Halewood International.

The agave plants used for Storywood are grown slowly, for between eight and 12 years, before the spirit is aged in Scotch casks. Michael hopes that his spirits will be sipped and not shotted.

The core range includes the Speyside Anejo and Speyside Reposado. The Speyside Anejo, aged 14 months in Scottish Speyside whisky barrels has an ABV of 40% and RRP £40. 

The Speyside Reposado is aged seven months in Speyside whisky casks and has an ABV of 40% and RRP £29.90. 

Storywood Tequila will be available to purchase from specialist retailers and from Halewood Wines and Spirits at halewood-int.com from September 2019. 

Founder of Storywood Tequila Michael Ballantyne said: “If there is one thing I know it’s flavour through oak, so I’m excited to bring to the industry my next chapter. Here at Storywood we really are about writing our own rulebook, creating unique barrel aged liquids and pushing on what we love best — innovation. Born in Mexico but aged by Scotland our mission is to make tequila more accessible to a wider audience encouraging brown spirit drinkers to step outside their comfort zone. We want to encourage our Storywood tribe to live free but sip slow, taking the time to sip and savour as you would with any fine barrel aged liquid. Welcome to a new era of tequila”

2 August 2019 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, editor