RCS x Arran Single Malt Prize Winner: Duncan Ritchie
As we celebrate 30 years of whisky-making at Lochranza, we’ve been reflecting on the journey that’s brought us here – one shaped by tradition, creativity, and community. This year, we’re proud to have joined forces with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) to mark a double milestone: the 30th anniversary of both the Conservatoire’s Traditional Music programme and the founding of our Lochranza Distillery.
To honour the occasion, we launched the RCS Trad@30 Arran Single Malt Composition Prize, inviting students from the RCS Traditional Music department to compose a new piece inspired by the theme Worth Reflecting On. We were looking for music that captured the spirit of these shared anniversaries – and we found it in The Road to Lochranza, a beautifully evocative composition by accordionist and composer Duncan Ritchie.
Duncan’s tune stood out for its ability to express not only the scenic beauty of Arran and the journey to our distillery, but also the deeper themes of memory, authenticity and personal growth – all values that have shaped our story over the past three decades.
Speaking about his winning composition, Duncan shared:
“The Road to Lochranza perfectly captures the essence of the journey to the distillery, with all the scenic views that surround Arran, and especially around Lochranza itself. It also encapsulates the journey both the distillery and the RCS Traditional Music programme have taken to reach this 30-year milestone.”
Duncan performed his piece at this year’s Arran Malt & Music Festival in Lochranza on Sunday 29 June, at exactly 2.29pm – the moment we celebrated our very first spirit flowing through the stills back in 1995. It was a very moving performance on a special day for us all.
Lochranza Distillery Manager Stewart Bowman added:
"We’re absolutely delighted to award Duncan as the winner of our composition competition in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His piece truly stood out – it captures the spirit of tradition with a fresh perspective."
The judging panel, including acclaimed musicians Findlay Napier and Gillian Frame – both among the first graduates of the BA Scottish Music course at RCS – praised the originality and emotional depth of Duncan’s work.
To further support the local music community, Isle of Arran Distillers is also donating £500 to Fèis Arainn, the traditional music and Gaelic arts festival co-founded by Gillian and Findlay, which helps young people on Arran explore and celebrate Scotland’s rich cultural heritage.
We’d like to raise a dram to Duncan – and to everyone who took part in this competition – for reminding us of the powerful connection between music, place and people. Here's to the next 30 years of Arran Single Malt.
Want to know more about our 30 years at Lochranza Distillery? Click here to see our 'Worth Reflecting On' digital scrapbook of memories and moments from over the years.
