MEET THE TEAM: BEN STEWART, DIRECTOR OF UK AND EUROPEAN SALES
Next up in our Meet the Team series is Ben Stewart, our Director of UK and European Sales.
"I started off as a silver service waiter 21 years ago and I haven’t looked back. My Grandma owned the Cambo Arms Hotel (now The Inn at Kingsbarns) in Kingsbarns for most of my childhood, so I got to know the hospitality industry fairly early on. I loved how it felt like one big family.
From the age of 18 I spent almost 5 years learning more about the industry, working in a few bars and doing my best Tom Cruise impressions in Tonic in Edinburgh, before taking the leap into sales with a role at Diageo. I knew early on that I wanted to learn as much about this industry as I could and experience as many of the categories as possible. From the ages of 23 to 34 I held various roles at Diageo, Red Bull, BrewDog and Chapel Down, before finally ending up where I always wanted to - in Scotch Whisky.
I feel that the independently owned and operated businesses are where I can really be myself and really feel like I play a part in the bigger picture. Wemyss Family Spirits is the perfect match for that.
We are a small independent family-owned business which means you have to roll your sleeves up and get stuck into parts of the business you might not normally get to experience in a larger company. I am excited for the challenges and opportunities that come up every day and I always make sure I go to bed a little bit smarter.
Today I've gone for my favourite drink, a Spice King Old Fashioned. I love the classic cocktails. A few brilliant ingredients with all the focus being on the spirit. Simple and perfect.”
Follow along with Ben’s journey on Instagram at @mrbenstewart