Meet The Family

Fred Douglas Laing (FDL) always had a taste for Scotch Whisky; before, during, and after his RAF service. His dreams came true when he established Douglas Laing & Co in 1948, with little more than a few casks of blended Scotch Whisky, a recently purchased brand name – King of Scots – and an unyielding desire to succeed. Typical of many of those old characters in our Scotch industry, FDL was couthy, personable, and commercially astute. 

To protect burgeoning sales he established filling contracts with many of Scotland’s most famous and prestigious distilleries, some still in place today, so that the future of the company’s stock was assured. His blending skills were self-taught, and through his successes and (occasional) failures, the blender’s art was learnt.

Born into a Whisky blending family in 1950, Fred Jr is the son of our founder, Fred Douglas Laing. Fred Sr. was always adamant that his son’s mistakes should be made in someone else’s business, and so Fred apprenticed under several Scotch Whisky greats, before joining the family business in 1972. He was the owner of the eponymous Scallywag,  now replaced by the current Fox Terrier face of the brand, Cooper;  and is the father of Big Peat.

Today, Fred works closely with the Board and Management team to develop and realise a global strategy that continues to take Douglas Laing and Co. from strength to strength. His creative tasting notes can be found on our single cask bottlings, identifiable simply by “FHL”, and his remarkable palate ensures the utmost quality in our Blended Malt bottlings.

Managing Director (and third-generation family member) at Douglas Laing, Cara Laing describes herself as an ‘all-round Whisky enthusiast!’. But where did it all begin?! Cara was born into Whisky, the industry in which both her father and grandfather worked in. She grew up hearing stories about bottlings for far-flung locations that her father visited on business and being taken around various Distilleries across Scotland.

Many years on, and with a University degree in Marketing, Cara officially entered the Whisky industry in 2006 joining Whyte and Mackay as Brand Manager for Jura Single Malt. Thereafter she moved on to become Marketing Manager for Bowmore and Glen Garioch Single Malts at Morrison Bowmore Distillers. This was an apprenticeship of some considerable note and value, that fostered a deep love and appreciation of the Distillers' art in general, and a soft spot for the brands she previously managed in particular.

Having joined the business in mid-2013, Cara’s role as Marketing Director has her oversee Marketing for Douglas Laing but she also plays a key role in approving Cask samples and the writing of tasting notes. Cara was recognised for her outstanding commitment to Scotch Whisky in 2014 when she became one of the youngest women to be appointed as a “Keeper of the Quaich” and has recently taken on the role of Managing Director.

Often described as ‘not your typical accountant’ Danny has built a successful career in the drinks industry and other fantastic brand led businesses by seeing past the numbers and appreciating the creative magic surrounding the management of a brand.

Following a traditional training route through professional practice with French Duncan in Glasgow, Danny then spent some time working with some of Scotland’s largest public sector organisations during a three-year stint at PwC. Having had his fill of the profession, in 2007 Danny followed his heart into the whisky industry taking up a role with William Grants Distillers where he (further) developed his passion for quality spirits. After several years of international travel to far flung destinations in the Far East, Russia and the USA, supporting Grants overseas subsidiaries with the development of their business and financial systems, he was approached to lead the creation of a new marketing business in Dublin focussing on Grants portfolio of innovation brands.

Despite the ‘good craic’ in Dublin, Danny eventually came back to his roots in Scotland, to gain further insight into a world-renowned brand led business by taking up a position in the Trump Organisation and then BrewDog as UK Finance Director.

In May 2017, with 19 years of financial system, management and strategic expertise under his belt, Danny then joined the Douglas Laing team as Finance Director to head up the Finance, IT and HR functions and to support the business with strategic projects.

The world of whisky and other spirits plays a big part in Danny’s life outside of work where he works tirelessly to free up space in his home bar for yet another Exceptional offering from Douglas Laing to share with family and friends. Finding just enough time to devote to his other family, Danny can be found socialising with Mrs MacLennan, or on a hill somewhere with his wee scallywag Poppy, a seven-year-old Labradinger, or playing chauffeur to his daughter, 13 year old Anna in her many social pursuits.

Scott MacDonald, Douglas Laing’s Sales Director, began his working career in earnest with Tennent Caledonian Breweries (TCB) in Wellpark Brewery Glasgow following a very brief period in the banking industry after leaving high school in 1995.

From his early days at Tennents it was clear to Scott that he thrived working with brands that resonated with consumers and had a unique story to tell.

Over the next 15 years, during a period of multiple mergers and acquisitions, Scott progressed through the organisation that evolved from Tennents, Bass Brewers, Interbrew, InBev and finally Anheuser Busch InBev before deciding the time was right to leave the world’s largest brewer and join his family business, working alongside his father, supplying steel to the North Sea Oil & Gas industry.

Never loosing interest in the alcohol industry, and as a result of the oil price crash in 2015, the family business was sold and Scott returned to work in the brewing and distilling industry.

Not one to let the grass grow under his feet, within two years of working with many of Scotland’s best known craft brewers and distillers Scott accepted a permanent role of Commercial Director at Brewgooder, one of his clients. He remained there for three years until Douglas Laing came calling and, following conversations with the Laing family, joined the business in February 2020 to manage the EMEA business unit.

Since then, Scott has developed his knowledge and love for the Scotch Whisky category through what we all now recognise as an incredible time that saw the world effectively close down and people’s drinking habits change overnight. Not to be deterred and, after delivering three years of year-on-year growth in EMEA, Scott accepted the board’s invitation to become Douglas Laing’s Sales Director in March 2023.     

An experienced and passionate Supply Chain leader, Mick joined Douglas Laing in 2023 and brings with him over 20 years’ experience in the Scotch Whisky industry.

Following more than a decade in the Brewing industry with Bass Brewers, during which time he held various operational roles and qualified as a Master Brewer, Mick moved into the Scotch Whisky industry in 2001 with Allied Distillers in Dumbarton. He subsequently joined Beam Inc in 2006 and was instrumental in setting up their supply chain in Scotland before leading their co-manufacturing business, first across Europe and then globally.

In 2013 he became Director of Scotch & Irish Whiskies and following the creation of Beam Suntory in 2014 was asked to lead the integration of, and subsequent transition to, the new combined operations business across Scotland, Ireland and India. This experience and commitment to Scotch Whisky was recognised in 2021 when Mick became a Keeper of the Quaich and was pleased to join the Laing family business early in 2023 as Production Director.