The new boss of Tomatin Distillery, near Inverness, is toasting sales success in the USA and Germany, as well as the UK, after achieving double digit annual growth.
The results brought a further cause for celebration after takings at its visitor centre passed the £1million mark for the first time last year.
Figures released by The Tomatin Distillery Company yesterday showed turnover in the year to the end of last December, soared by 24.6%, to £18million, compared to the previous 12 months. Pre-tax profits also rose 14% from £3.5million to £4million over the same period.
Stephen Bremner, who recently took up the position of managing director after more than a decade as the distillery’s sales director, said: “This is a very exciting time for Tomatin. In the past few years, we have gained a solid foothold in the international whisky market, particularly with our branded products.”
Particularly buoyant markets for Tomatin included the UK, the USA and Germany, where the company reported its strongest sales.
Mr Bremner added: “Following a couple years of decline, the whisky market is back on its feet and Tomatin is steadily seducing the new wave of whisky drinkers – not just on Scottish soil, but globally.”
Earlier this year Tomatin announced it had welcomed a record 49,000 people to its visitor centre in 2017, taking turnover in that side of its operation past £1million.
Since 2012, the number of visitors to the distillery, 15 miles south of the Highland capital, has risen by 140%, with the firm putting the growth down to an increased awareness of its brand in the UK and around the world.
The company said that, having grown in line with the brand, the visitor centre has become an “important revenue stream for the business.”
Situated on the Speyside border, Tomatin is one of the largest distillers in the Highlands and employs around 58 people, including 11 visitor centre staff.
In addition to its portfolio of core single malt products, which span four decades, the distillery also producers Cù Bòcan, a lightly peated whisky, and range a range of blended whiskies.
