Rocco sniffs out top job at whisky firm
Boss Mr Wooff employs full-time pooch
A top whisky distillery has employed a fourlegged friend as its ace new employee.
Rocco, a one-year-old cocker spaniel, has landed the dream job as a sniffer dog at the Grant’s factory in Girvan.
And the pooch is even reporting back to an appropriately-named boss - associate global brand director Chris Wooff.
Rocco’s task is to sniff out any imperfections in wood used to make the casks at the Girvan Grain and Ailsa Bay single malt whisky distilleries.
He’ll then report back to Mr Wooff, should he detect any issues with the barrels at the cooperage.
Mr Wooff said: “Wood is a natural material, and the distilling of whisky is an organic process, so our job for Grant’s Whisky is to make sure that everything is perfect as the whisky ages in the oak casks.
“The sense of smell of a dog like Rocco is 40 times stronger than a human’s,
“And we’ve specially selected and trained Rocco to pick up the scent of anything that’s not quite right as the whisky matures.
“Mechanical ‘noses’ are widely used in the wine-making industry, but we wanted to maintain the tradition of our craft skills by using a dog’s natural super-sense of smell in our quality control process.
Rocco’s ability to ‘nose’ a very large number of casks in a short space of time means he is a fantastic addition to our team of craftsmen.”
The pup underwent six months of intensive training with dog training expert Stuart Phillips in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to hone his natural skills.
Stuart used a number of cask samples from the Grant’s distillery to build a training ground for Rocco.
He said: “A dog like Rocco has such a powerful natural sense of smell that my job was to help him focus on identifying specific scents in the wood, and then communicating what he’s found to the Grant’s team.”
Grant’s craftsmen have even built him a kennel right outside the distillery and he is cared for by team leader Lianne Noble, who prepares his daily work schedule and keeps him fed and exercised.
She said: “Word spread very quickly around the distillery about Rocco’s arrival in the team and it has been amazing to see the impact he has on everyone around him.
“The atmosphere lifts wherever Rocco is working, and people can’t help but smile in his presence.
“He’s a working dog rather than a workplace pet, so we have guidelines in place to make sure he doesn’t get disturbed when he’s taking a break between shifts, but the boost in morale has been a joy to see.”