Loch Lomond distillery

Did You Know?

• The bottling plant at Glen Catrine in Ayrshire produces more than 65 million bottles of whisky and other spirits each year.
• A fictional brand of Scotch whisky called 'Loch Lomond' is consumed by Captain Haddock in Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin, but it has no connection to the real distillery.

History

The earliest distillery site at the north end of Loch Lomond near Tarbet dates to 1814. The current business was founded in 1964 by the former owners of Littlemill Distillery in Bowling, with production beginning in 1965. Operations ceased in 1984 until Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouses acquired the business and resumed malt production in 1987. Grain whisky production started in 1993, and two new malt stills were added in 1999. In 2014 a management buy-in led by CEO Colin Matthews and the private equity group Exponent acquired the distillery. A secondary leveraged buyout in June 2019, again led by Matthews and management, was backed by the Asian buyout fund Hillhouse Capital.

Equipment

Duncan Barton, former owner of Littlemill Distillery, developed the current site and brought innovative pot malt stills with cylindrical necks containing distillation trays. These trays increase contact with cooling alcohol vapour, improving efficiency. The stills can produce alcohol up to 90% ABV, compared to around 70% ABV from conventional pot stills, and allow different flavour notes to be captured across a range of alcohol strengths.

Sponsorship

Loch Lomond Whiskies is the official spirit of The Open, with a five-year partnership that has produced golf limited editions. In 2020 a three-year global partnership with the Pro14 made it the Official Spirit of PRO14 Rugby, with whisky showcased at match venues and digitally. From 2021 the distillery has sponsored Wigan Warriors rugby league team in the Super League.