Allan Bartlett, at Highland distiller Tomatin, has been named ‘Cooper of the Year’ at the 2025 Icons of Whisky Awards.
Allan has been coopering at Tomatin Distillery for 21 years, including five years of training under the distillery’s former head cooper, Iain Duthie, who served for 39 years.
Allan previously won ‘Cooper of the Year for Scotland’ in the 2025 Icons of Whisky regional awards before progressing to take the global title.
Allan is only the third person to take home the prestigious accolade in the 19-year history of the awards and the second from a Scotch whisky distillery. Introduced in 2023, the coveted award was won by Andy Moore from Loch Lomond Distillery in its inaugural year and by Rafa Cabello from Casknolia in Spain’s Andalusia region in 2024.
As part of his role as Tomatin Distillery’s cooper, Allan is responsible for inspecting each and every cask before it is filled and making repairs when required. In his time at Tomatin Distillery, Allan has worked on more than 37,000 carefully selected casks.
Tomatin is one of just four distilleries in Scotland that have an on-site cooperage. This facility is essential to the distillery’s first-class maturation policy, which begins with the cask. By bringing barrel repairs in-house, Tomatin can closely guard its reputation for quality and work with a wider range of suppliers than most other distilleries.
As well as purchasing casks from cooperages, Tomatin also works directly with wineries, breweries and distilleries to source barrels for maturing its exceptional Highland single malt, allowing the expert team to produce a diverse range of whiskies.
Allan said, “To be internationally recognised by the Icons of Whisky Awards as a leading figure in the industry is a real privilege, and I’m thrilled to take this award home to Tomatin Distillery. I wouldn’t be here without Iain Duthie, who taught me the tricks of the trade.
“Coopering is a traditional craft that requires care, commitment, and skill, and it takes years to master. I’m proud to play a role in preserving this important part of Scotch whisky heritage at Tomatin.”
With a proud heritage dating back to the 15th century, Tomatin has been a home for the whisky-making team’s dedicated artisans and their families since the current distillery was established in 1897.
Run by the team at Whisky Magazine, the Icons of Whisky Awards aim to celebrate the best and brightest people and places in the sector.
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