LOCH LOMOND WHISKIES AGREES HIGH PROFILE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE OPEN  

Award-winning independent Scotch whisky distiller, Loch Lomond Group, has agreed a prestigious, five-year partnership with The Open, golf’s original championship for its Loch Lomond Whiskies brand.

The partnership with The R&A includes support of the Ricoh Women’s British Open and will showcase globally the full range of Loch Lomond Whiskies. It also means the distiller’s innovative and exciting range of single malts will become “The Spirit of The Open”.

Known as “The One”, The Open is the most international of the major championships with qualifying events across five continents. The Championship is also broadcast to 600 million households in almost 200 countries around the world.

Whisky and golf are recognised as being among Scotland’s most famous products. Studies suggest that there is a close affinity between the two industries with many golf fans also demonstrating a passion for Scotch.

As part of the partnership with The Open, Loch Lomond Whiskies will create a variety of highly covetable limited editions, aimed at both golf fans and whisky aficionados alike.

Founded in 1814, Loch Lomond Whiskies can trace its roots back to the Littlemill distillery, which was established in 1772 and is thought to be one of the oldest in the world. Its current malt and grain distilleries, in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire on the banks of Loch Lomond, were built in the 1960s and are among only a few in the industry to maintain an onsite cooperage. The malt distillery at Alexandria also features a unique combination of traditional swan neck and distinctive straight-necked pot stills, enabling it to produce a diverse range of flavour profiles.

Colin Matthews, CEO of Loch Lomond Group, with the backing of London based Exponent Private Equity took ownership of the business in March 2014 which has since been completely transformed. Over the last four years the group has expanded significantly its product range, made important capital investments in its distilleries, maturation infrastructure and bottling operations and has achieved strong international growth. Its brands are now present in over 125 countries around the world.

Colin Matthews, CEO of Loch Lomond Group, said:

“We are extremely proud to have agreed this prestigious partnership and association with The R&A for The Open and the Ricoh Women’s British Open. There is an incredibly strong alignment between the worlds of whisky and golf, two of Scotland’s most iconic gifts to the world. There is also a great fit between those who follow golf and whisky, with research showing clearly that many golfers across the world enjoy a regular dram. 

“Our partnership with The R&A is the perfect means for Loch Lomond Whiskies to use the fabulous platforms of both championships to grow further, both in the UK and internationally, and it also demonstrates our strong commitment and ambition to becoming a premium global brand.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said:

“Loch Lomond Whiskies has a strong international reputation for achieving the highest standards of excellence and was a natural choice to become a new partner of The Open and the Ricoh Women’s British Open. We will be working closely with Loch Lomond Whiskies over the duration of this partnership to introduce an inspiring range of activities which demonstrate The R&A’s shared desire to offer golf fans the very best experience at our championships.” 

Loch Lomond Whiskies’ partnership with The Open is effective immediately and runs until 2022. The five-year period includes the playing of the landmark 150^th Open in 2021 at St Andrews, the home of golf. The 147^th Open takes place at Carnoustie from 15-22 July 2018.

Muriel Raguenaud, Marketing Director at Loch Lomond Group, said: “Becoming the official ‘Spirit of The Open’ provides us with an unrivalled opportunity to build on our ever-growing international presence and position Loch Lomond Whiskies as a world class distiller producing some of the industry’s finest, most exciting and unique single malts.

“We are looking forward to working with our global partners and distributors to implement a year-round programme of events for whisky and golf fans.”

For further information visit Loch Lomond Whiskies on Twitter: @LochLomondMalts, Instagram @lochlomondmalts and search for Loch Lomond Whiskies on Facebook. To find out more about Loch Lomond Group please visit www.lochlomondgroup.com.

Notes  

Caption information – left to right

5. Colin Matthews, CEO of Loch Lomond Group, and Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive, The R&A
6. Loch Lomond Whiskies’ Loch Lomond range, photographed at the Swilcan Bridge to mark the partnership between Loch Lomond Group and The Open
7. The Claret Jug and the Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
8. The Claret Jug and the Loch Lomond 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, photographed at the 18^th tee at St Andrews as part of the partnership between Loch Lomond Group and The Open 

About the Loch Lomond Group:

• Loch Lomond Group is an independent distiller based in Alexandria and is home to several award-winning spirit brands that are sold in more than 125 countries worldwide.
• Loch Lomond distillery has been producing the finest single malt whiskies since 1814.
• Images and interviews with key staff from the Group are available upon request.
• www.lochlomondgroup.com

About the brands:

Loch Lomond Whiskies:

• Loch Lomond Distillery has one of the oldest heritages in the industry. It was founded by American, Duncan Thomas, the owner of the Littlemill distillery which was licensed in 1772.  In the 1930s Duncan Thomas was at the forefront of innovation within the Scotch whisky industry and his innovative philosophy is ingrained into everything that is done at Loch Lomond to this day.

• Loch Lomond 12 Year Old has been awarded Gold Medal status at 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Other expressions in this collection are Loch Lomond Original; Loch Lomond 18 Year Old; Loch Lomond 50 Year Old, Loch Lomond Classic; Loch Lomond Signature, Loch Lomond Single Grain and the Inchmurrin and Inchmoan collection.
• Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 Year Old has been awarded Best Highland Single Malt 12 Years and Under at the 2018 World Whiskies Awards
• Official social media accounts are Twitter: @LochLomondMalts Instagram: @lochlomondmalts Facebook facebook.com/lochlomondwhiskies