Tullibardine Distillery

Three Years On

Business Perthshire Magazine interviewed Doug Ross when he bought over and re-opened Tullibardine Distillery bringing it out of mothballs after some ten years. For this edition we were delighted to invite Tullibardine Distillery to tell us their update story so far…

Previously only recognisable as a decommissioned distillery by the locals of Perthshire, three years on, Tullibardine Distillery is a profitable and award winning independent distillery. The company has grown from a mere one employee to 27 full time members of staff and is now selling its fine single malt whisky all over the world.

At the end of 1994, Tullibardine was mothballed by whisky giant Whyte and Mackay, due to an excess of distillation capacity in their company. Having sat unused for over eight years, in 2003 the distillery was bought by an enthusiastic consortium of Scottish businessmen with a soft spot for whisky and the stills were rekindled for the first time in nine years in 2003.

In addition, the group created the ten million pound Tullibardine Retail Centre. Home to iconic Scottish brands, the centre has provided over 100 jobs and has a variety of retail outlets including Baxter’s and Tiso which sell a variety of food and outdoor sporting products as well as local products, arts and crafts. The distillery also opened its Café 1488 and 1488 Gift Shop, which in addition to the distillery’s fine malt whisky range, stocks a selection of the finest Scottish products, locally made art and jewellery.

“Before we recommissioned the distillery, Blackford was in decline with the distillery closed and as a consequence of being bypassed with the development of the new A9. We developed the retail centre in the hope that it would bring a renewed sense of identity and also create employment and prosperity, which it has done. We believe that this growth will continue in the future,” says Michael Beamish, Director of Tullibardine.

The company embarked on a UK wide Public Relations and rebranding campaign to slowly build awareness of the premium product, placing particular focus on the consumer market. In an unprecedented move, the distillery decided to change their traditional green bottles to a transparent clean cut glass, to showcase their 14 different expressions with their natural, rich hues. Considerable time was spent developing the brand values, taking into consideration the distillery’s history, with its site, that of an old brewery, dating back to 12th Century. With its heritage and provenance playing a large role in establishing Tullibardine’s credibility, the company overcame the challenge of launching a new premium product while also communicating the history and tradition of the brand. The ventures paid off and Tullibardine can now be found in 30 countries worldwide, acclaimed for its distinctive expressions and renowned as an ‘eminently quaffable’ drop.