 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Drink industry |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Guinness |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Products | Scotch whisky |
| Parent | Diageo  |
The Distillers Company plc was a leading Scotch whisky company and, at one time, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was taken over in 1986 by Guinness & Co. and is now part of Diageo.
The Distillers Company origins lie in a trade association known as the Scotch Distillers' Association formed by Menzies, Barnard & Craig, John Bald & Co., John Haig & Co., MacNab Bros, Robert Mowbray and Macfarlane & Co. in 1865. [1]
It was incorporated in 1877 as The Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL) and in 1894 DCL was listed on the Edinburgh and Glasgow stock exchanges. [1]
During the early part of the 1900s DCL embarked in programme of distilleries acquisitions at low prices in the wake of the Pattisons crash of 1898. [2]
In 1914 DCL claimed to be the ‘largest whisky distiller in the world and set up a subsidiary, Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd., [2]
In 1919 DCL purchased the totality of John Haig & Co. and in 1925 combined with John Walker & Son and Buchanan-Dewar on a share exchange basis. [1] [2]
In 1929 DCL take over White Horse Distillers Ltd.. [2]
in 1985 James Gulliver’s Argyle group, which operated the Glen Scotia distillery, launched a hostile bid for DCL.The offer was rejected and The Distillers Company was finally acquired by Guinness in 1986. The transaction was shadowed by controversy because involved fraudulent activity, becoming known as the Guinness share-trading fraud. [3]
DLC was renamed as United Distillers in 1987. [4] In 1998 United Distillers was merged with International Distillers & Vintners to create United Distillers & Vintners, forming the spirits division of Diageo plc. The company still exists today as Diageo Scotland Ltd. [5] [6]
Many malt distilleries were operated by DCL and most are still open under new owners: [7] [5]
| Distillery | Location | Year closed |
|---|---|---|
| Caledonian | 1855 | Closed 1988; Demolished |
| Cambus | 1806 | Closed 1993; Converted into a cooperage site |
| Cameronbridge | 1824 | Diageo |
| Carsebridge | 1799 | Closed 1983; Demolished |
| Port Dundas | 1811 | Closed 2011; Demolished |
The Distillers Company owned several blended whisky brands: [5]
Since 1915, during the World War I, Distillers supplied industrial alcohol for making explosives. In 1922, it started to manufacture Discol-branded motor fuel made from alcohol. [8] In 1928, it formed together with Turner and Newall the Carbon Dioxide Co Ltd to for sale of gas, a byproduct of their operations. In 1930, Distillers formed the British Industrial Solvents for production of acids and other solvents from industrial alcohol. In 1933, it formed Gyproc Products which was sold to British Plaster Board in 1944. [9] In 1937, Distillers acquired British Resin Products. [9] [10] In 1939, it acquired a controlling stake in Commercial Solvents and 50% interest in BX Plastics, which full control was acquired in 1961. It followed by getting 48% shareholding in F. A. Hughes and Co. in 1941 and taking the full control in 1947. [9] In 1947, F. A. Hughes and Co. was merged into British Resin. [9] [10]
In 1947, British Petroleum Chemicals was incorporated as a joint venture of AIOC and Distillers Company. In 1956, the company was renamed British Hydrocarbon Chemicals. [11]
In 1945, Distillers formed a joint venture British Geon with B. F. Goodrich to produce polyvinyl chloride and in 1954 it started a partnership named Distrene with Dow Chemicals to produce polystyrene. [10] In 1955, it took full control of Magnesium Elektron. [9] In 1967, BP acquired chemical and plastic assets of The Distillers Company which were merged with British Hydrocarbon Chemicals to form BP Chemicals. [12]
From 1942, Distillers Biochemicals (DCBL) operated an Agency Factory of the British Ministry of Supply manufacturing penicillin in Speke. The plant was one of the first two factories in Europe to produce penicillin. [13] Following World War II, DCBL purchased the facility from the UK Government. [14]
Distillers was also responsible for the manufacture of the drug Thalidomide in the United Kingdom. [15] Thalidomide had been developed by Grunenthal with whom, in July 1957, DCBL signed a sixteen-year contract to market the drug. DCBL ordered 6,000 tablets for clinical trial and 500 grammes of pure substance for animal experiments and formulation. Thalidomide was marketed in the United Kingdom under the name Distaval, beginning on 14 April 1958. Advertisements emphasised the drug's complete safety, using phrases such as non-toxic and no known toxicity. Later, Thalidomide was marketed under the names Asmaval, Tensival, Valgis, and Valgraine and found to cause nerve damage and malformations in births. [16]
The Speke site, also known as Speke Operations, was eventually sold to Eli Lilly and Company in 1963. [17] In February 2022 it was acquired by TriRX. [18]
Diageo plc is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits. Distilleries owned by Diageo produce 40 percent of all Scotch whisky with over 24 brands, such as Johnnie Walker, J&B and Old Parr.
Lagavulin distillery is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the village of Lagavulin on the south of the island of Islay, Scotland.
The Dalwhinnie distillery, situated in the Highland village of Dalwhinnie in Scotland, produces single malt Scotch whisky. The Dalwhinnie distillery is located in the Badenoch and Strathspey ward of the Highland Council and therefore is in the Speyside region. Under SWA regulations the full Speyside region falls within the boundaries of the Highlands and so can be labelled as such. The distillery is owned by Diageo.
United Distillers was a Scottish company formed in 1987 from combining the businesses of Distillers Company and Arthur Bell & Sons, both owned by Guinness. The company owned six single malt Scotch brands, which were relaunched as the Classic Malts range. It also owned the Bernheim distillery and the Stitzel-Weller distillery, both in Louisville, Kentucky in the United States.
Oban distillery is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the Scottish west coast port of Oban. Established in 1794, it was built before the town of the same name, which sprang up later in the surrounding craggy harbour.
Rosebank Distillery is a Lowland single malt Scotch whisky distillery situated in Camelon on the banks of the Forth and Clyde canal between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Inchgower distillery is a whisky distillery producing a single malt of the same name located on the outskirts of Buckie, Moray, Scotland.
As of 2006 most distilled spirits labelled as "whisky" in India were a form of Indian-made foreign liquor, commonly blends based on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion consisting of traditional malt whisky, usually about 10 to 12 percent. Outside India, such a drink would more likely be labelled a rum. According to the Scotch Whisky Association's 2013 annual report, unlike in the European Union (EU), "there is no compulsory definition of whisky in India, and the Indian voluntary standard does not require whisky to be distilled from cereals or to be matured. Very little Indian 'whisky' qualifies as whisky in the EU owing to the use of molasses or neutral alcohol, limited maturation and the use of flavourings. Such spirits are, of course, considerably cheaper to produce than genuine whisky." Such molasses-based blends made up 90 percent of the spirits consumed as "whisky" in India in 2004, although whisky wholly distilled from malt and other grains, was also manufactured and sold. By 2004 shortages of wheat had been overcome and India was one of the largest producers. Amrut, the first single malt whisky produced in India, was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004. After expanding in Europe it was launched in India in 2010.
Knockando distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery, located in Knockando, Moray, in the Strathspey whisky-producing area of Scotland.
Glendullan distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland in the Speyside region. Glendullan is owned by Diageo.
Glen Ord distillery is a whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands and is the only remaining single malt scotch whisky distillery on the Black Isle.
Haig is a brand of Scotch whisky, produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was originally manufactured by John Haig & Co Ltd. since the early 1720s.
Bell's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was originally produced by Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd and is one of the best selling whiskies in the UK, only slightly behind The Famous Grouse which is the best selling Scotch whisky on the island.
Millburn distillery was a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Inverness Scotland. It operated between 1807 and 1985. Its whisky was an important component of the "Mill Burn" vatted malt.
TheNorth British distillery is a grain whisky distillery located in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Strathmill distillery is one of three distilleries within the Moray town of Keith at the heart of "Malt Whisky Country".
United Spirits Limited, abbreviated to USL, is an Indian alcoholic beverages company, and the world's second-largest spirits company by volume. It is a subsidiary of Diageo, and headquartered at UB Tower in Bangalore, Karnataka. USL exports its products to over 37 countries.
Glen Spey distillery is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Rothes, Moray at the centre of the Speyside whisky producing area of Scotland.
Cameronbridge distillery Is a grain whisky distillery located in Cameron Bridge, Scotland.
Coleburn distillery is a inactive Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Longmorn, Elgin in Scotland.
 Original companies of FT 30 in the United Kingdom | |
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As of 1 July 1935
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