Here's to a promise kept.
Elevate the Experience
Whether it’s a gift for a fellow whiskey lover or an indulgence for yourself, these essentials are crafted to reflect the same bold and authentic spirit as the whiskey you savour.the making of
bailiff whiskey
We set out with an ambitious idea to create something one of a kind to house our whiskey. You are holding a handcrafted work of art using traditional methods and skills slowly becoming lost to time. This book was entirely constructed and finished by the skilled hands of Milton Watkins - traditional bookbinder.
The same hands crafted a Bible gifted by Australia to Pope Benedict XVI and a rare book for Prince Charles, making for a fitting case for this very special spirit. The spine pattern has been applied using a tool from the 1800s and the corner emboss details pressed with an early 1900s tool - the latter giving a little nod to the same era Granddad Jack was born.
In the spirit of our Granddad Jack, we’ve created something to be kept and cherished long
after the bottle has been emptied - an art form captured in a gift to last generations.
The story behind the spirit
why the name?
One day there was a knock on the door. Granddad Jack answered only to find a Bailiff standing there telling him nothing had been paid on the farm in years!
It’s hard to picture a then 14-year-old negotiating for more time, but he did just that. He must’ve been a very smooth talker even at that age because, within half an hour, he walked the Bailiff to the gate and promised to make payment in full. The Bailiff said, “I’ll take your word for it, and if you fulfil your promise, you won’t see me again”.
Over the next few months, Granddad Jack worked hard at the sheep station biking the 65 miles there and back every week and managed to pay the debt off in full - not a bad effort for a young lad when in the 1930s, when the best you could expect to earn was around a pound a week! This integrity, hard work, and a never-give-up attitude have been instilled throughout the family and are what continue to drive Granddad Jack’s brand.
[Here he is pictured years later in front of the family farm he saved]
