PRESS
ROLLING
STONES GUITARIST BUYS SCOTTISH DISTILLERY
Edinburgh,
April 2007 - On March 30, well-known guitar hero Keith
Richards acquired Brora Distillery, Brora, Sutherland. The acquisition
of Brora Distillery fulfils Mr Richards’ strategic objective
to become a fully integrated distiller, bottler and boozer.
The distillery and limited stocks were purchased from Diageo plc,
with whom Mr Richards has an excellent ongoing relationship as a
customer. This will allow Diageo to increase its focus on its numerous
core brands: Lagavulin, Cragganmore, Talisker, Caol Ila and the
nearby Clynelish to name but a few.
Brora Distillery, situated at Brora on the north-eastern coast of
the Highlands, has been distilling whisky since 1819 but was closed
in 1983. The single malt it produced was of award winning quality.
The small town of Brora also has an excellent golf course, attracting
many visitors each year. The Brora single malt portfolio consists
of only a 30 years old whisky that was voted top of the Highland
malt category several times in the famous Malt Maniacs’ annual
Awards. Brora is a well-known and long established brand among connoisseurs.
Mr Richards, born 1943 in Kent, has always had strong interests
in Scotch single malt whisky. The acquisition of Brora Distillery
secures a future for Mr Richards’ private stocks.
Mr Richards commented: "As I have demonstrated, with my recent
purchases of 2,357 cases of Ardbeg and 1,312 cases of Laphroaig,
I have the commitment, the experience and the resources to represent
a major market for Brora. Furthermore, as an integrated distiller,
bottler and boozer, I shall be a stronger party partner for all
fellow rock and roll musicians in the UK and overseas."
Keith Richards also announced that he won’t continue to work
with the existing distributors around the world, the limited stocks
being just sufficient for his own consumption. It is still unknown
whether Mr Richards is planning to restart distilling or not, but
the local community has deep hopes. – Trisha McPeehar
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