The Story

Reams of column inches have reported on the botched Nant investment scheme. A few hundred investors poured over $21 million into Keith Batt’s barrel program, which was, on the surface of it, designed to grow the Nant business and reward investors with a solid return. But it turned into a total fiasco, and investors tangled up in the mess were told their whisky casks were either worth a fraction of what was promised or might not even exist.

Peter Bignell, founder of Belgrove Distillery, was one of the earliest investors. Luckily, he got out early, back in 2014, when he sensed things weren’t quite right. ‘I knew things were a bit off, and thought it might have been a sort of Ponzy scheme,’ Bignell says.

But the award-winning distiller has always had a talent for transformation. So Bignell, his son Tom, and several other investors got together, formed The Remnant Whisky Company and managed to purchase 300 of the Nant whisky barrels from investors. The company is now looking to turn the tarnished remnants of a bad situation into a positive we can all sit back and drink.

The barrels acquired are a mixture of ex-Bourbon, tawny and apera, and Bignell and the team will monitor their progress and bottle them in vattings when ready.

Whiskies Reviewed:

The Remnant Whisky Company ‘The Scoundrel’

The Remnant Whisky Company ‘The Golden Fleece’