Lynxy · The Keeper
Keeper
- First record
- November 2020
- Photographs
- 31 originals
- Early films
- Three chapters
12–15 November 2020
Why the story begins with a cat.
At whisky distilleries, cats are revered almost as much as the cobwebs and dents in the copper stills. They have been there since the earliest days of illicit distilling. Whisky begins with barley; where there is grain, there are mice, and where there are mice, cats are needed to keep the balance. Even though many modern distilleries no longer store grain on site, cats have never quite disappeared. They remain an inseparable part of the image—and the spirit—of a traditional Scotch whisky distillery.
That history is why Lynxy belongs at the beginning of this archive. Her first surviving photograph is a very young portrait made on 12 November 2020, before she grew into the graceful presence seen throughout the later chapters.
The grain-room tableau below returns to the practical origin of the distillery cat; the three silent films then follow Lynxy through her first days, in chronological file order.
01 · Barley, yeast and miceA balance older than the archive. Malted barley and living yeast begin the whisky-making process. Grain also attracts rodents—the practical reason cats became working inhabitants of distilleries long before they became mascots.
- 02 · Film
The first day
On 6 October 2020, a black female cat gave birth to five wonderful kittens. Blind, helpless and unable to walk, they depended entirely on their mother. This rare film records the first day of my pet’s life—that is where it all began for both of us.
- 03 · Film
Growing fast
One of the earliest feeding records. These kittens were eager to eat at every possible—and seemingly impossible—moment, which helped them grow fast.
- 04 · Film
Sweet dreaming...
There’s nothing better than taking a nap after dinner.
A chronological portrait
From kitten to Keeper.
The sequence lets posture, repetition and proximity tell the story.
2020
The early photographs are small and close.
November 2020 A first encounter with the camera.
November 2020 Cheerful and endlessly playful, Lynxy could turn even a quiet afternoon into a small adventure.
November 2020 Curiosity reaches the keyboard.
November 2020 An upright portrait from the first fortnight.
November 2020 The same week, asleep without ceremony.
December 2020 Learning the best seat in the room.
December 2020 A green hiding place, observed at eye level.
December 2020 A Christmas Eve portrait.
2021
Over the following year the scale changes. Lynxy grows into the furniture, then begins to occupy desks, windows and the edges of the collection itself.
January 2021 Standing tall enough to inspect the room.
January 2021 January, reaching towards the lens.
February 2021 A February pause, eyes closed in the early light.
February 2021 February, folded into a chair.
April 2021 The star-shaped bed becomes a recurring stage.
August 2021 A long afternoon on the scratcher.
September 2021 A darker chair, a quieter composition.
September 2021 The windowsill photograph that became this page’s opening portrait.
November 2021 At the edge of a still-life arrangement.
November 2021 Back in the star, fully grown.
December 2021 A late-night desk inspection.
2023
By 2023 the photographs read less like kitten records and more like a visual signature: eye contact, long paws and an unhurried claim on every useful surface.
January 2023 A small figure seen from directly above.
March 2023 The classic loaf, perfectly composed.
March 2023 One paw extended from the chair.
September 2023 September, curled almost into a circle.
October 2023 Low to the floor and ready to move.
November 2023 The basket portrait: direct, bright-eyed and unmistakable.
2025
The latest files are quieter studies of expression and texture. The kitten has become the familiar presence that gives the archive its human scale.
June 2025 Asleep in woven willow.
June 2025 Awake in the same basket, watching the room.
June 2025 A profile made in window light.
August 2025 Front paws together on a soft grey blanket.
October 2025 The most recent record: eyes closed, still keeping watch.
Keeper and collector · As of today
The relationship behind the record.
Lynxy remains what she has been throughout the chronology: not a prop beside the bottles, but a familiar presence through which the collection becomes personal.
She is far more than a cat, and far more than the patient model beside the whisky. She is close emotional support in the truest, everyday sense: a steady companion through difficult hours, the familiar welcome at the end of the day, and the living presence that makes a room feel like home.