Tullibardine Distillery

(continued)

In yet another innovative move, Tullibardine introduced a selection of ales to their established whisky portfolio. The range was suitably named 1488, to commemorate the year in which King James celebrated his coronation at Scone by purchasing beer from the brewery that once stood on Tullibardine’s current site. To date, an assortment of ales have been developed, including the 1488 Blonde Ale, 1488 Strong Ale, 1488 Traditional Ale and the Blackford 1488 Whisky Ale, which is matured in used whisky casks.

However, it is the overall growth of the Scotch whisky industry that has heralded the biggest gains for Tullibardine. The emergence of the aspirational middle class in BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India and China has resulted in whisky drinking being perceived as a symbol of status. In just ten years, growth in China has risen from 700, 000 to 5.7 million litres, fuelled by those who have developed a taste for Scotch Whisky. Industry experts have described this as the “Golden Era” for the industry. In the last year, Tullibardine has seen their capacity increase by 25% from 2 million to 2.7 million litres per annum with the distillery now operating at full capacity 24 hours a day.

It seems that the boom will continue to thrive. In late October, a spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association said that they expect to release figures in the coming weeks which will show that exports have risen by nine percent to more than £1 billion for the first six months of 2007. Total export volumes of both single malt and blended Scotch are expected to be up by 17 percent on 2006 with an additional 71 million bottles with a £92 million in shipment value. In addition, the lowering of import taxes in India is set to further fuel the demand for Scotch whisky.

“This certainly is a very buoyant time for the whisky industry and we have definitely benefitted from the increased demand in Asia. We have worked very hard over the last three years to reposition Tullibardine. We are now seeing the rewards and Tullibardine is now established and respected not only as a superior single malt but also an excellent malt for blending,” says Douglas Ross, Director of Tullibardine.

This success of their whisky is also due to the skilful hand of John Black, Distillery Manager. Literally born in a distillery, John draws his knowledge and passion from 50 years of distilling. Widely respected, he has worked and overseen production at many prestigious distilleries since the age of 15 including Cardhu, Ardbeg, Tormore, Ardmore, and now Tullibardine.

“John is an integral part of everything that Tullibardine stands for and his skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm have been invaluable in both reinstating the distillery to its former glory and ensuring the future of our distillery and our whiskies,” says Beamish.

Given its extreme growth in three years, it is hard to predict where this independent distillery will be in five years. One thing is for certain though; that with the ever increasing worldwide popularity of whisky and the drive and determination of the Tullibardine group, it will continue to thrive and expand in what is perhaps the most interesting time for Scotch Whisky industry to date.