THE skirl of the bagpipes and a loan for a car he didn't buy have helped Gregor Hannah take top quality whisky from Dalgety Bay to an international market.

The 34-year-old started trading from his home in Inverkeithing in 2012 and his business is maturing nicely with a recent move to premises at West Way.

Hannah Whisky Merchants is an independent bottler that exclusively releases single cask whisky under its own label, Lady of the Glen.

Over his first dram with his dad, who came from a long line of pipers, Gregor was taught that "life’s finest moments are best celebrated with quality whisky" and he aims to meet that demand for the water of life.

He smiled: "My dad had an amazing collection as he was always given a bottle of whisky as a piper."

With a taste for a career in the industry but no capital, he did his research to find a gap in the market and sourced finance to pursue his dream.

Gregor said: "I started in 2012 with a bank loan. I said it was for a car but I spent it on two casks, a Benrinnes and an Invergordon, and used them to launch Lady of the Glen.

"It took ages to sell them. I didn't have much confidence to begin with, I struggled to get people to buy it and it was a brand new company.

"You need a range to show you've got a lot to offer, which I didn't have."

The business is based on discovering the rarest of casks, such as from recently-closed distilleries or top-quality excess stock, and giving customers the chance to buy from an extremely limited edition.

Gregor, who has a business degree from Stirling University and a post-graduate diploma from Heriot Watt, received help and support from Prince's Trust and pitched his idea to Scottish Edge to win more funding.

He admitted: "It took years to get momentum.

"I started with a small number of casks and small capital but as I was able to buy more casks it grew really quickly.

"We've got more than 300 casks now and we've built up experience after almost 10 years in business."

Those casks full of maturing whisky are stored in a warehouse in Dumfries and he will taste each one so it's released when the time is right.

He explained: "Distilleries make mass batches but there will be some that are maybe not suited to their blend recipes, and they may then sell it off in single casks.

"That's one way that we can get rare casks but there are others."

When the Press visits they are in the middle of an 'outrun' – they do four a year – and preparing to release 10 different casks of whisky.

Each has enough for around 300 bottles and it's destined for connoisseurs and whisky-lovers around the world.

Gregor said: "This is the biggest release of Lady of the Glen to date and half of it is pre-reserved which is a good position to be in as it shows our customers trust us."

Each release can take years to source; it mainly comes from distilleries in Speyside, Highland, Lowland and Islay regions, and they often sell out in weeks.

Gregor, whose partner Maria is due to give birth to a baby boy on May 25, took on staff last year to help with an increasing workload and the growth of the business.

Bottling is now done from Dalgety Bay – previously, it was contracted out – and there's the possibility of further expansion, with Fife Council adding more units at West Way.

As well as the UK, one of their biggest markets is Australia and they also export to distributors in Belgium, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Canada.

He said: "We try and pitch it to people with a knowledge of whisky that want to try something unique.

"It's a very contemporary brand, I've no real background in Scotch and I don't have a family crest, so it is a fresh approach.

"We take our casks and work with them to make them as good as they can be."

The company website says there are 20 million casks of whisky maturing in private Scottish locations and they set out to bring you "the grandest handful of these".

Once sourced, the Scotch may be re-racked, as putting it in a different style of cask gives it a different flavour.

He said: "We may adapt the spirit to enhance it or balance it using different casks from bodegas in Europe.

"That's how we make sure each release is wholly unique."

For example, one of the sold-out products on their website is an Auchentoshan from a 1999 barrel, a triple-distilled spirit that was "rescued from a leaky cask".

Another is an Inchmurrin produced at Loch Lomond distillery, which was "re-racked in an Oloroso hogshead for the last few years".

One of the casks he has just now is valued at £30,000 and is much larger, with enough for around 660 bottles.

He said: "This is one I'm most excited about. It's Bunnahabhain matured in a sherry butt. It's a lovely taste."

Brand ambassador Paul McKendrick said "some companies don't want you to re-release their whisky" but that their business reputation, built on respect for the product and a taste that still compares favourably with the original, had opened doors.

He said: "Independent bottling has an important role in whisky as you can produce different flavours and show them in a different light.

"So what we do needs to complement the big brands."