Little Brown Dog

Little Brown Dog Spirits is one of the most distinctive names to emerge from Scotland’s recent wave of independent distillers and bottlers. Founded in 2018 by Andrew Smith and Chris Reid in rural Aberdeenshire, the company takes its name from Smith’s much-loved pet, Banksy, whose presence has shaped both its identity and its irreverent approach to whisky and spirits.

History

From the beginning, Little Brown Dog has combined serious whisky knowledge with a playful disregard for convention. Banksy, the original ‘little brown dog’, accompanied Smith on countless distillery visits before her passing in 2022. She was later commemorated in an Ardnamurchan single cask bottling – a cask strength, peated dram drawn from a refill Oloroso sherry cask – a fitting tribute that captured the brand’s ability to balance humour with heartfelt respect for quality whisky.

While whisky is at the heart of their work, Smith and Reid have also turned their attention to gin, rum, Cognac and calvados. Their naming style alone hints at the brand’s personality: Li’l Brown Dawg for an American rye, Wee Mongrel for a blended malt, and Petit Chien Brun for calvados. This tongue-in-cheek approach subverts traditional marketing tropes, but it never undermines the care and craft behind each bottling.

Production process

The distillery itself is small by any measure, housing a 10-litre copper pot still known as the ‘wee dug’ and a larger 350-litre still used for rectifying grain neutral spirit. Far from being a limitation, this modest scale allows the team to experiment with precision and adapt its equipment to its needs. They have even engineered cooling systems and copper botanical baskets to handle fresh botanicals with delicacy.

Botanicals for its gins are often foraged locally, adding a clear sense of place to the spirits. The company also operates its own maturation warehouse, giving them direct control over cask ageing and the flexibility to bottle whiskies when they reach their peak. With accreditation for maturation, blending, bottling and labelling, Little Brown Dog also provides bottling services, further extending its reach within the industry.

Distinctive characteristics

What sets Little Brown Dog apart is not only its size and creativity but its refusal to take itself too seriously. Where many producers lean on heritage-driven narratives, Smith and Reid prefer humour, parody and a dash of irreverence. This makes their branding memorable, yet behind the levity lies a deep respect for the technical side of distilling and cask management.

The location also plays a role. Based at West Aquhorthies Farm in Aberdeenshire, within sight of the Bennachie hills, the rural setting informs the company’s use of local botanicals and its sustainable ethos. The brand’s identity is rooted firmly in place, yet it is not constrained by tradition.

Product range

Little Brown Dog’s whisky bottlings are deliberately small in number, chosen with an emphasis on individuality. Its single cask expressions often showcase unusual cask types or long maturations, while blended malts such as Wee Mongrel highlight sherry-driven depth. Drookit Dug, by contrast, is conceived as a ‘session dram’ – accessible, balanced and bottled at cask strength despite its modest 45.2% ABV.

Recent years have also seen a Campbeltown ‘Mega Blend’, drawing stock from all the region’s working distilleries, and a remarkable 26-year-old Ben Nevis single cask, filled in 1999. Each expression is produced in limited numbers, making them sought-after by drinkers who value originality and transparency.

Alongside whisky, the company continues to produce small-batch gins and forays into rum, Cognac and calvados, always with a characteristically playful twist.

Enjoying Little Brown Dog whisky

Approach Little Brown Dog’s whiskies as you would any carefully made spirit: take time to appreciate the nose, palate and finish. A sweeter expression can pair well with smoked meats, while sherried bottlings like Wee Mongrel reward slow sipping after a meal. For lighter or higher-strength whiskies, a splash of water can open up the aromas without diluting the character.

Looking ahead

With just a few years of history behind them, Little Brown Dog has already established itself as one of Scotland’s most original independent bottlers. By blending technical rigour with irreverent storytelling, the brand has carved out a niche that feels both fresh and authentic. Future bottlings – whether gin, calvados or whisky – are likely to continue surprising drinkers who value quality, transparency and a healthy dose of wit.