26-Year-Old Rises From Tour Guide to Events Lead at Scotch Distillery

Zoey Darnbrough, 26, has advanced from tour guide to group tourism and events coordinator at Annandale Distillery near Annan, Scotland, in three and a half years on the job, according to a profile published by BBC News. She was recently nominated for "rising star" recognition at the South of Scotland Thistle Awards, the outlet reported.

Darnbrough grew up near the distillery without knowing it existed. "My first thought was — there's a distillery in Annan? And my second thought was — whisky?" she told the BBC. "I thought I'd give it a chance and see what it was like because there's a lot of heritage when it comes to whisky."

How Did Darnbrough Rise From Tour Guide to Coordinator in 3.5 Years?

Darnbrough did not get the exam results she had hoped for at St Joseph's College in Dumfries, according to the BBC, and went to work in the kitchens at Dumfries Infirmary before a position opened at Annandale Distillery. She took it, then went to Stirling to study heritage and tourism — and, unlike many of her peers, returned to Dumfries and Galloway for work rather than leaving the region.

"I've now been here three-and-a-half years and I've not looked back," she said, per the BBC report.

By the Numbers

• 1919: Year Annandale Distillery closed.
• ~90 years: Length of the closure before the distillery reopened, per BBC News.
• 26: Darnbrough's current age.
• 3.5 years: Time she has spent at the distillery since joining.

What Is the History Behind Annandale Distillery's Reopening?

Annandale Distillery shut in 1919 and reopened roughly 90 years later, according to the BBC. The outlet's archive includes two earlier stories tied to that revival: one on the distillery's first 10-year-old malt, published Nov. 25, 2024, and another from Nov. 15, 2017, headlined "Whisky wait is over after 99 years." Darnbrough joined the operation well after it had resumed production, stepping into a site already rebuilding its reputation in a region with a long distilling history.

Why Was Darnbrough Nominated for a 'Rising Star' Award?

The BBC reported Darnbrough's nomination for the South of Scotland Thistle Awards' rising-star category without detailing the award's judging criteria or a ceremony date. Her trajectory — from a kitchen job to a frontline tourism role to an events-coordination position within a few years — forms the basis of the nomination as described in the BBC's reporting.

"I thought I'd give it a chance and see what it was like because there's a lot of heritage when it comes to whisky. And I've now been here three-and-a-half years and I've not looked back." — Zoey Darnbrough, Annandale Distillery, via BBC News

What Challenges Has She Faced as a Woman in the Whisky Industry?

Darnbrough told the BBC that colleagues have sometimes assumed she lacks the knowledge of older, male counterparts in the trade. "It has been tricky, I'm not going to lie," she said, according to the outlet, without elaborating further in the quoted material provided. She framed her goal as changing perceptions of the whisky world "one woman at a time," the BBC reported.

What Does Darnbrough Want for Young People in South Scotland?

Darnbrough pointed to lower property costs compared with city prices as one reason young people should consider staying in the region, per the BBC. She also argued the area is undersold relative to its attractions.

"We've got so much to offer in terms of castles, in terms of scenery, in terms of attractions, accommodation, it's so vast," she said. "I always like to say that we've got everything that the Highlands have, but just in a much quieter area. But we're going to use that quietness to our strength."

She told the BBC she would like to see representatives return to local schools to describe career paths in heritage and tourism, arguing that more could be done to keep young residents from leaving the south of Scotland. "The south of Scotland has so much heritage and it is a passion of mine," she said. "So I would naturally like to be somewhere where there's a lot of heritage and where I can kind of grow as an individual."

The BBC's reporting did not include figures on distillery staffing, visitor numbers, or the scope of the Thistle Awards program beyond the rising-star nomination itself.

Read the original BBC News report: "I took a chance on the whisky industry and I haven't looked back"