Our distillery’s past is as colourful as the town’s seafront. A chequered story marked by closures and financial troubles has, on more than one occasion, threatened its very existence. Yet with creativity and dedication, Tobermory has endured its troubles.
In 1797 John Sinclair, a local kelp merchant, applied for a lease of 57 acres of land on the area known as Ledaig in order to build housing and a distillery. However, the application was rejected and he was only granted permission to build a brewery. Not one to give up easily, he remained true to his original plan and a year later, Ledaig Distillery was established.
After making its mark on the island for over a hundred years, the Great Depression and a decade of prohibition in the USA, saw demand for whisky plummet, causing the distillery to stop operating for 41 long years.
Despite the long closure, it seemed the tenacity of its original founder was in the very foundations of the distillery and it took on a new life in 1993 when it was purchased by Burn Stewart Distillers.
The distillery was purchased by Distell in 2013, and after its most recent hiatus in production for much needed maintenance and renovation, we are proud to say Tobermory Distillery has in 2019, re-opened its doors and fired up its stills once more. Under the Tobermory Distillery name this Artisan Hebridean Distiller now produces Tobermory and Ledaig Single Malts and for the first time in its history, Tobermory Gin.
As our distillery and visitor centre enter an exciting epoch, we invite all creative characters, who share in our passion for the art of distillation, to join us at ink. and enjoy our new, exclusive, member only benefits.
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