Spirits

We understand the unique blend of tradition, craftsmanship, and innovation that defines the whisky and spirits market.

choose intelligent recruitment send us a message

Mission accomplishment: International Malt Specialist for Whyte & Mackay

"From heritage distilleries to emerging brands, the drinks industry thrives on story, craft and connection. Denholm helps spirits businesses hire people who understand the art and the business of brand building."

Steph Buckley, Head of International Spirits

Specialist deployment.

Accountancy & finance

Fiona Ashcroft, Head of Accountancy & finance

AI, data & insights

Message us to find out how to access top-tier AI, data, and insights talent.

Digital change & transformation

Andy MacEwan, Head of Digital change & transformation

Marketing, communications & creative

Steph Buckley, Head of FMCG

People, HR & learning

Andy Brady, Head of People, HR & learning

Sales & business development

Paul McKernan, Senior Business Manager for Food & Drink

Supply chain, operations & engineering

Libby Noble, Business Manager in Supply chain, operations & engineering

Honest endorsement.

I cannot recommend Fiona highly enough. From the very beginning of the recruitment process, she was fantastic, keeping me fully up to date at every stage, always encouraging, supportive, and genuinely invested in finding the right role for me. The position she placed me in was perfect: highly specific, local, and well suited to my abilities, with clear room for growth. Since joining the business, I have actually been promoted to Finance Director, which speaks volumes about how well matched the role was, and Fiona played a crucial part in making that happen. Even after placement, Fiona has remained in regular contact, checking in to see how things are going and continuing to offer her support. She even took the time to visit us during our Open Day, which really demonstrates her commitment to building lasting relationships, not just filling roles. Fiona is professional, personable, and incredibly dedicated. She has been instrumental in my career progression, and I am truly grateful for her support throughout and beyond the recruitment process.

Ardgowan Distillery, Finance Director

Having spent many years in the drinks industry, Denholm Associates was my natural first choice for a recent hire. The team provided an excellent and well-curated selection of candidates that were expertly filtered according to the specific profile I was seeking. If a recruitment process could ever be enjoyable, this was it, as the team struck a perfect balance between a professional and friendly approach.

Cincoro Tequila, Managing Director - International

We have partnered with Denholm Associates for years and through regular agency reviews they have always remained with us. They work as true partners, understanding our business and our culture. They have evolved with us as our business has changed over the years ensuring that they consistently place the highest quality of candidates with us. When we measure our successful hires through to potential ratings, Denholm candidates are the people who are consistently measuring as “high potential”. I am sure I could ask one of the Denholm team to share our values and leadership standards with you and they could.

Edrington, Former Head of HR

Paul McKernan at Denholm is always the go to – very personable, gets to know us and is a great business partner. Incredibly well connected and someone who is trusted.

Holyrood Distillery, Managing Director

Paul recently supported with a hire and provided a first class service with a high calibre candidates. The communication and updates were first class. Highly recommend!

International Beverage, Senior National Account Manager

We were advised to reach out to Denholm and after having dealt with them now myself, it is clear why they came with such a positive reference. The particular role wasn’t an easy position to fill, that said, Douglas did an absolutely outstanding job. He understood our needs and I can honestly say that after the initial interview, we could have taken on any one of the three candidates.

Ultimately, we could only take on one person and we are absolutely delighted with everything, from the candidate, the process and the service that Denholm Associates provided was brilliant. We would highly recommend using them and we certainly will be again.

Isla Barra Distillers, Co-Founder

Denholm took time to get to know our business and the types of candidate who would thrive and be successful. They undertook an extensive search of the UK market and presented strong shortlists across all roles with behavioural profiling for two of the senior hires. I found the behavioural profiles advantageous and insightful to help confirm my findings in initial interviews, which subsequently led to a more detailed 2nd stage where I could use some of the suggested questioning in the behavioural reports.

Loch Lomond Group, Chief Marketing Officer

I’ve worked with Paul on a number of roles for our UK business and would highly recommend him. From the outset, he explored the detail of what I was looking for in terms of candidate profile, ‘fit’, expertise – and as a result he has been able to present strong shortlist of candidates.

Loch Lomond Group, Group Sales Director

Mission accomplishment: Sales Director with Holyrood Distillery

Intelligent recruitment.

You’re building teams that need to keep pace with demand, deliver commercially, and stay close to the customer.

That might be across stores, channels, categories, or markets. The detail matters. How the team is set up, where the pressure sits, and what kind of person will strengthen both performance and brand.

Once that’s clear, we go to market.

BrandBox brings the opportunity to life in a way that reflects how your business actually operates. The product, the channels, the pace, and what success looks like in role.

From there, a focused search brings in people who’ve worked in similar environments and know how to deliver. We guide the process through to offer and onboarding.

So when someone joins, they’re able to contribute quickly and add value where it counts.

Tell us what you need (or let us help you figure it out).

choose intelligent recruitment

One size never fits all

Tell us what you need (or let us help you figure it out).

we need a contractor

Sometimes demand spikes. Other times, you need experience to shape growth, expand into new markets, or strengthen leadership.

We offer both.

Denholm Shorts for fast, contract and interim support, and Game Changers for fractional leaders.

When there’s an immediate need, Denholm Shorts connects you with people who can step into fast-moving, commercial environments and keep things on track.

Some moments call for a different level of input.

Game Changers brings in senior leaders on a fractional basis. People who’ve scaled brands, built distribution, and understand how to balance brand, product, and commercial performance.

Solutions made to measure

Talent strategy & delivery models

Growth doesn't always come from headcount. Sometimes it’s how teams are structured across channels. How responsibilities are split between brand, product, and commercial. Or how the business has evolved over time.

We step back and look at it properly. Where is growth coming from? Where are the pressure points? What capability is missing to support what comes next?

From there, we shape a hiring approach that fits.

That might mean redefining roles, building capability in ecommerce or international markets, or changing how talent is brought into the business.

The result is a more deliberate way of building teams that can support growth and perform consistently.

We adapt the model to your business. Not the other way around.

We adapt the model to your context. Not the other way around.

we need a better way to hire

No stone left unturned

we need a leader

Executive search

At this level, you’re choosing between people who can all do the job. The difference sits in how they’ve built brands, grown markets, and delivered results over time.

We take the time to understand what this role needs to deliver. The commercial priorities, the brand position, and the expectations around growth.

From there, the focus is on individuals who’ve already operated at that level. People known for what they’ve built, the results they’ve delivered, and how they’ve led teams through change and growth.

We look closely at how they think about markets, customers, and performance. McQuaig adds a structured view of behaviours, leadership style, and how someone is likely to operate within your team.

You’re left with a clear view of who will add value, strengthen the leadership group, and take the business forward.

Initiate engagement.