The Edrington Group


Edrington, formerly known as The Edrington Group, is a privately owned international spirits company based in Scotland. It produces single malts The Macallan, Highland Park and The Glenrothes, and The Famous Grouse blended Scotch whisky. The spirits portfolio also includes Noble Oak Bourbon of Independence, Kentucky, Brugal, the leading golden rum in the Caribbean and Snow Leopard vodka. It is a stakeholder in Tequila Partida, a tequila based in the Tequila Valley, Mexico, and in Wyoming Whiskey, an American whiskey made in Kirby, Wyoming.
Based in Glasgow, it employs approximately 3,000 people in its wholly owned and joint venture businesses around the world. Approximately 900 employees are based in Scotland. Approximately 70% of the workforce is outside Scotland.

History

William A. Robertson began in business in the city of Glasgow in 1850, forming Robertson & Baxter in 1860. In 1885 the company took a share holding in the North British Distillery Company.
The Robertson sisters inherited the Scotch whisky interests founded and developed by their grandfather and father. Keen to ensure the independence of the company, the welfare of its employees and to continue their tradition of supporting good causes in Scotland, in 1961 the sisters created The Edrington Group to hold their business interests.
They also established The Robertson Trust in 1961, a registered charity under Scottish law, which owns all voting shares in the company. The Robertson Trust is Scotland's largest independent grant-making charitable trust, and is funded by the dividend income of its shares in Edrington. Since 1961 the Trust has donated more than £152 million to charities in Scotland and given financial support to young people from deprived backgrounds who are attending higher education.
In the New Year Honours 2008, former chairman, John James Griffin Good, was made a Knight Bachelor "for services to Scotland".
Over the past ten years Edrington has increased the international nature of its business through the acquisition of brands and sales and distribution companies in key markets. Its brands are distributed across the world by a network of wholly owned companies, joint venture companies and third party distributors.

Brands