EXCLUSIVE
By Scott Wright
A PROMINENT Scottish business family has moved to unify its various spirits brands and operations under a single parent company, as it revealed it has seen a “huge uplift” in online sales amid the ongoing pandemic.
Wemyss Malts, the whisky blending and bottling company, Kingsbarns Distillery and Darnley’s Gin have been rolled into a new holding firm, Wemyss Family Spirits.
The move is not expected to bring any “direct immediate financial” gain but rather a “cultural benefit” to staff, with the new name designed to “better reflect the ethos of producing premium quality Scottish spirits with family at is heart.”
Wemyss Malts, which is based in Edinburgh, was established by brother and sister William and Isabella Wemyss in 2005, and now sells its luxury blends in more than 28 overseas markets.
The family broadened its portfolio with the launch of Darnley’s Gin, a London-style product, in 2010, before opening the Kingsbarns Distillery in 2014. Kingsbarns fulfilled the family’s long-held ambition to build a whisky distillery in its East Neuk of Fife heartland. A distillery for Darnley’s was then built next to Kingsbarns in 2017, a move which involved relocating production to Fife.
The family’s connections with the whisky industry can be traced back to the turn of the 19th century when John Haig – founder of Haig’s – built his first distillery on Wemyss land in Fife.
Mr Wemyss said: “When I started the company back in 2005 our business was more about vintage whiskies so the name seemed appropriate. However, as the business has evolved the family element has come to the fore and we now also have a presence in the premium gin category through Darnley’s Gin.
“We felt this change better reflected what we do and who we are. Our commitment to crafting interesting spirits is absolute and we are excited about what the future holds.”
He added: “Wemyss Family Spirits Limited is now the parent company for all the family’s spirits business.”
Mr Wemyss said online sales have “grown dramatically” amid the coronavirus crisis, with advances made both through its own website and intermediaries such as Amazon. This has helped offset the fact many of its customers had been forced to close, he said.
The 25 per cent import tariff that has been to applied to single malt exports to the US by Washington, enforced since last October, led the company to postpone plans to launch its debut Kingsbarns malt, Dream to Dram, in the country “until we get a level playing field”. Mr Wemyss said the firm has found other markets to “suck up those cases”, and added that the tariff has not affected sales of its blended malt portfolio, which includes brands such as The Hive, Spice King and Peat Chimney.
On the prospect of the US tariff being lifted, Mr Wemyss said: “It is not going to happen this side of Christmas, certainly. I think the industry understands that. It is a long-term industry, so if it takes another year in the great scheme of things… it is not going to be the end of the world.”
The export situation is more optimistic in Asia, where the Covid crisis seems to be more under control, he added, noting that the company is placing more emphasis on Europe and Asia while the US tariffs remain in force.
Asked if he was concerned about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, Mr Wemyss replied: “It’s not ideal. We are still working through exactly how it will impact us. We live in hope a deal will be done.”
Closer to home, the company said visitor numbers have been “better than expected” since it restarted distillery tours at Kingsbarns and Darnley’s in July, boosted by the staycation market. However, numbers are down on last year because of the absence of foreign tourists who would normally flock to the area to play golf. The number of people who can attend tours at any one time has also been reduced from 15 to eight to allow for social distancing.
The business employs 25 full-time equivalent staff. Mr Wemyss said it has used the furlough scheme, and believes the new job support scheme will provide some “flexibility”.
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