Three Scottish brothers, Ewan, Jamie, and Lachlan Maclean, who hold world records in rowing, have partnered with their father, Charles Maclean MBE, to establish a new charity, The Maclean Foundation to raise money for clean water projects.
The brothers’ commitment to clean water first arose during a visit to Madagascar, one of Africa’s poorest countries, where they all fell ill after coming into contact with contaminated water. This lead to a row across the Atlantic in 2020 when they became the fastest and youngest trio to row across the Ocean.
In preparation for their Atlantic row, the Maclean brothers rowed 300 miles up the West Coast of Scotland, starting in Arran and finishing on the Isle of Skye, stopping at 16 whisky distilleries, ‘pillaging’ donated bottles as they rowed. The bottles were blended by Charlie to produce a blended Scotch and a blended Malt which raised £55,000 for clean water projects, resulting in the construction of eleven boreholes in Madagascar which serve around 2,750 people. The Atlantic row itself raised over £205,000 for charity and was when they first talked about starting a family foundation.
The brothers now plan to start the new foundations fundraising work by rowing, running, and cycling between all the Scottish malt whisky distilleries that currently sell whisky, visiting 120 distilleries in two weeks to bring attention to their campaign of independently bottling and selling donated casks to support clean water initiatives. The journey between the distilleries starts from Skye this Saturday where the brothers will collectively travel 2,000 miles by bike and 150 nautical miles across some of the most challenging waters in the British Isles. The sale of each bottle from their haul will provide at least one person with clean water for life.
Ewan, summed up their efforts, explaining, “Our Foundation is all about combining our passions for adventure and whisky to support people. We’re excited to get back behind the oars to make an impact. While there are no world records at stake this time, it won’t be easy. It’s a great opportunity to launch the charity while introducing our Foundation to the people of Scotland’s whisky industry. What’s more, as we are planning another ocean row, it will make for perfect training. We want to make a real lasting impact through our work – this is our purpose, our new focus.”
Glasgow-based Lachlan, the youngest brother said, “When we returned from our trip (from Madagascar), the importance of clean water became clear. When we got ill, we had access to a free health service back home – Malagasy people don’t have that luxury. Clean water is something we all need to live. It is an essential building block to bringing communities out of poverty. Waterborne diseases typically kill more people each year than all forms of violence, with most of these deaths being children under the age of five. Through our Foundation, we will help to widen access to the most basic necessities of clean water and sanitation to those who need it.”
Jamie added his thoughts on the mission, saying, “Early on during our row, we realised this would be the start of something much bigger. At sea, we faced 30-foot waves, sleep deprivation, sharks, and complete exhaustion – it made you think about what really mattered. We also realised what was possible when we worked together towards a goal. We thought a lot about our purpose when we were on the water, and since. I think we’ve found it. We were very lucky to have the start in life that we did. Everyone, no matter where you’re from, deserves a fair chance at a happy, healthy life.”
Their father, Charles, adds, “I continue to be so immensely proud of my sons. When they shared their idea, I couldn’t think of anything more perfect; the chance to work together, combining our passions for whisky and adventure to make a real impact on people’s lives. They showed us that anything is possible during their row. We believe we can achieve something very special together, with the help of Scotland’s wonderful whisky industry which I’ve been proud to be part of for decades.”
Visit themacleanfoundation.org to find out more. You can follow the row by following @themacleanbrothers on Instagram.
