Benromach sales blossom as Gordon & MacPhail invests for future growth.

Benromach, Speyside’s smallest distillery, experienced exceptional sales growth in 2012 and its rise is set to continue with investment in a new bottling line in 2013.

Benromach’s overall sales were up by 40% in 2012 and exports increased by 55%. The handmade single malt, which includes Benromach 10 Years Old as part it its portfolio, experienced particularly strong growth in sales to China, Sweden, the USA and France. Sales in the UK increased by 13%.

Handcrafted by just two men, Keith Cruickshank and Mike Ross, it is no small feat for such a small distillery to increase its market share so much in one year.

Michael Urquhart, Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, the family-run company which owns Benromach, commented: “As the smallest distillery in Speyside, Benromach is punching above its weight in terms of sales growth.

“Benromach’s single malts are becoming increasingly popular with people who want a whisky with a distinctive traditional Speyside style. We worked very hard to promote ourselves throughout the UK this year, resulting in a 13 percent increase in sales.

“Internationally, our importers in the USA have been letting more people in on the secret of Benromach, while in Sweden and France, new listings of Benromach with large drinks distributors have made an impact.

“China is our biggest success story of 2012. The Benromach 10 Years Old has really taken off over there, spurred on by success in the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition, where Benromach 10 Years Old gained a top award.”

To support the continued growth of Benromach, parent company Gordon & MacPhail has invested £540,000 in a new bottling line in Elgin and building works to improve production efficiencies. Gordon & MacPhail has been an independent bottler of single malt whiskies for over 100 years and the installation of the new line will free up the existing main line to deal with greater volumes of Benromach.

Notes:

About Gordon & MacPhail:
Gordon & MacPhail is an independent, family-owned spirit and wine merchant which has been based in Elgin, Moray, since 1895. Four generations of the Urquhart family have continued the tradition of seeking out the best and rarest Scotch whiskies.

Now one of the world’s leading malt whisky specialists, Gordon & MacPhail exports to more than 55 countries. It offers more than 450 presentations of own-bottled single malts and has a stock-holding of more than 700 whiskies. In 2009, Gordon & MacPhail was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

About Benromach
Established in 1898, Benromach distillery changed hands many times and was virtually derelict when bought by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Drawing on generations of whisky expertise, the company carried out a painstaking refurbishment, and the distillery was officially re-opened by Prince Charles in 1998.

The Benromach portfolio includes the award-winning Benromach 10 Years Old and the first fully certified organic single malt – Benromach Organic.