OUR HOUSE
Independent by nature
House of Five Stills grew from an ambition to build a small craft whisky business around character, cask influence and shared tasting experiences.
HOW IT BEGAN
From distillery ambition to independent whisky house
Founder Kenneth Crawford returned to the UK after more than three decades working overseas with the original intention of establishing a craft single malt distillery and tasting facility in the Deeside, Aberdeenshire area.
The economics and timescale of distilling from scratch presented an obvious challenge: Scotch whisky needs years of maturation before release. Rather than abandon the idea, the model changed. Gallow Hill Distillery Ltd was established to acquire selected aged Scotch whisky casks, manage maturation and re-racking, and work with specialist bonded storage and bottling partners.
House of Five Stills Ltd was then created as the customer-facing side of the business, responsible for bottled releases, sales, tastings, events, membership and relationships with customers and trade partners.
THE DIVIDED CASK
One cask. Divided four ways. Four distinct expressions
The Divided Cask is the principal whisky label of House of Five Stills and the clearest expression of what we set out to explore: how the character of a mature Scotch whisky can be changed by the cask in which it is finished.
For Series 1, a 13-year-old Linkwood single malt was selected and divided into four separate finishing casks — New American Oak, Cognac, Port and Oloroso Sherry. Each began from the same mature whisky, but each finishing cask took it in a different direction.
That idea of division is carried directly into the design of the label. Rather than giving the bottle a conventional straight-edged presentation, The Divided Cask label has a deliberately torn edge. The tear represents the moment the original cask is divided: one whisky separated into different paths, each developing its own colour, aroma, texture and flavour.
The result is not simply four different bottles. Together, they form a comparative whisky story — four interpretations of the same starting spirit.
The Divided Cask will continue with Series 2, allowing House of Five Stills to explore a new set of cask influences while retaining the same underlying philosophy of comparison, experimentation and small-scale release.
The Divided Cask is the main House of Five Stills label today, but it will not be the only one. Further individual House of Five Stills labels are planned following Series 2, each with its own identity and story while remaining part of the wider House.
The tear is not a flaw in the label. It is the story of the whisky.
TRIPLE HEATHER
A personal selection
Triple Heather developed from the same Series 1 casks but brings selected finishing influences together. Director Heather Hobden was instrumental in its development and selection. Series 1 is limited to 60 bottles.
WHAT COMES NEXT
Small releases with a clear story
House of Five Stills is not built around high-volume production. The focus is on understandable provenance, cask experimentation, small-batch blends and limited projects that give people something to compare, discuss and remember.
Work is already under way on The Divided Cask Series 2, currently expected around February 2027. A dedicated Coming Soon page now follows the project and gives visitors the option to register for a release notification.
Carefully selected whisky, shaped by the cask, and made more interesting by the way it is shared.
FROM CASK TO BOTTLE
Follow the whisky through the House
See the journey from cask selection and sampling through re-racking, small-batch bottling, packaging and age-verified dispatch.
OUR PARTNERS
A specialist network around the whisky
House of Five Stills works with a small group of businesses across whisky supply, bonded warehousing, bottling, creative development and specialist print.
Gallow Hill Distillery Ltd
Our sister company, responsible for whisky stock ownership, maturation and supply. GHD operates behind the scenes rather than as a consumer-facing retail brand.
Skene Scotch Whisky Ltd
An independent Scotch whisky partner supporting selected stock, bottlings and wider commercial opportunities. Skene works across single malts, blended malts, grain whisky and selected other spirits, with an emphasis on cask selection, maturation and wood influence.
Finzean Whisky Ltd
Bonded warehousing, cask management and small-batch bottling.
Based in Finzean, Aberdeenshire, Finzean provides specialist whisky warehousing, cask handling and bottling services. Its operation is particularly well suited to independent bottlers and limited releases, with flexibility for small batches, short runs and hand bottling, alongside cask storage, sampling, re-gauging and re-racking.
Its expertise in cask management and smaller-scale capability make it a strong fit for the House of Five Stills approach.
Siobhan Creative
Specialist print for whisky brands, bottlers and distilleries.
A Scotland-based specialist print business with more than 18 years of experience. Services include short-run and limited-edition labels, custom shapes, sequential numbering, colour matching, foil, matte varnish and gloss, together with artwork amendments and design support.