Loch & Union's story began while Colin Baker was studying for his Master's Degree in Brewing & Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. His interest in distilling eventually became an obsession, which led to the idea of opening a distillery of his own. The distillery was built in Napa Valley, where there is easy access to seasoned barrels from some of the best wineries in the world, as well as new oak barrels from some of the best cooperages in the world. Napa is a wonderful place to live, and it's in the Bay Area, which is one of the most vibrant and creative distilling/spirit scenes in the world. Colin teamed up with his longtime friend, Matt Meyer, to run the business end of the operation. The two met in 2008 while studying at the London School of Economics, Matt's head for business proved a perfect complement (and sometimes balance) to Colin's creative and technical focus. From then on the pair worked through all the challenges of opening a distillery from permits and licensing, dealing with local governments, construction, fire suppression, etc. etc. etc. It was a lot of work to get the distillery up and running, but the dream was finally realized in 2017!