Whisky Galore in Galloway
Written by author on July 29, 2015
An Australian businessman has bought Wigtown’s famous Bladnoch Distillery in near Wigtown in Galloway
Now the famous Lowland malt is likely to produced at the distillery which dates back almost 200 years.
`The distillery went into liquidation more than a year ago but now it is set to reopen and start distilling after six years following it’s acquisition by David Prior.
Mr Prior will head up the new Bladnoch Distillery Ltd, with the board also including non-executive director Gavin Hewitt, former chief executive of
the Scotch Whisky Association, which is the industry’s trade body.
Mr Prior operated the family’s food packaging business Baroda before selling it in 2007.
He founded five-am, an organic yoghurt and granola business in 2009, and sold to PZ Cussons for a reputed £52 million in 2014.
Mr Prior says he is delighted to have purchased a Scotch whisky distillery of such renown as Bladnoch.”
Bladnoch Distillery has an up and down
Established in 1817 by brothers John and Thomas McClelland, Bladnoch enjoyed a reputation as a leading Lowland Scotch malt whisky distillery under several owners, including Arthur Bell and United Distillers. The mothballed distillery was bought by Co-ordinated Development Services (CDS) in 1994, reopening for production in 2000, before stopping distilling again in 2009. CDS went into liquidation in March 2014.
The sale was handled by EY, liquidators to Co-ordinated Development Services Limited which went into liquidation last year.
The distillery is now expected to recruit a number of new staff members and its existing eight warehouse, administrative and visitor centre staff will all be retained.
