Tobermory distillery information
The island of Mull is located north of the island of Islay and the Isle of Jura. Tobermory distillery takes its name from the picturesque, multicoloured harbour town on Mull’s northern coast. It was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair under the name Ledaig, on a site he had originally been told to use for a brewery rather than a distillery, since distilling was banned in the UK at the time to preserve grain during the war with France. The buildings were licensed as a distillery in 1823.The distillery closed in 1837 and changed hands repeatedly over the following decades. It resumed production under Dr Neil Campbell in 1876 and was acquired by John Hopkins and Company in 1888. In 1916 it passed to Distillers Company Limited; falling demand led malting to cease in 1930, and the site was sold off in 1936. It reopened in 1972 as Ledaig Distillery (Tobermory) Ltd.
Bankruptcy loomed, and the distillery changed hands again in 1978, this time to the Kirkleavington Property Company from Yorkshire. It produced until 1981, around which time the warehouses were sold off for conversion into flats, so maturation no longer happens on site. The distillery closed again until 1989, when it was bought by Burn Stewart Distillers (who also own Deanston and Bunnahabhain) for £600,000 plus £200,000 for stock.. Capacity was upgraded to around a million litres of pure alcohol a year in 1990.Ownership has changed again more recently. Distell, which bought Burn Stewart in 2013, was itself acquired by Heineken in 2023, and the Scotch whisky brands, Tobermory included, were spun out into a separate company, CVH Spirits, under the Capevin Holdings group. Campari Group bought a minority stake in Capevin in September 2024.
In 2012 and 2013 production was forced to stop due to a shortage in rain, which dried up the loch that Tobermory uses as its water source.Tobermory Whiskies
The high-necked stills at Tobermory have lyne arms bent at a 90 degree angle, which sends the heavier parts of the spirit back into the still and helps produce a lighter, sweeter result.
Tobermory makes two distinct single malts from the same stills: the unpeated Tobermory, and the heavily peated Ledaig, which keeps the distillery’s original name. Since 2019 it has also produced two gins under the Tobermory Hebridean label, using a 1950s gin still sourced from South Africa.
Current core range:
- Ledaig 10 Year Old, peated
- Tobermory 12 Year Old, unpeated, matured in ex-bourbon casks, now the entry unpeated expression
- Ledaig 18 Year Old, peated
- Tobermory 21 Year Old
- Ledaig Sinclair Series, Rioja Cask Finish, no age statement, heavily peated, finished in Rioja casks, named for founder John Sinclair
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Tobermory |
| Region | Island |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1798 |
| Water source | A private loch near Mishnish |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | CVH Spirits (Capevin Holdings) |
| Address | Tobermory Isle of Mull PA75 6NR |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.tobermorydistillery.com |
| https://www.facebook.com/tobermorydistillery | |
| https://www.instagram.com/tobermorydistillery/ | |
| Community | The community |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 5 tonnes | 1 |
| Washback | 27,000 litres | 4 |
| Wash still | 18,000 litres | 2 |
| Spirit Still | 15,000 litres | 2 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,000,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Tobermory takes its name from the picturesque, multicoloured harbour town on the northern coast of the Isle of Mull, north of Islay and Jura. It was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair under the name Ledaig, on a site he had originally been told to use for a brewery, since distilling was banned in the UK at the time to preserve grain during the war with France. The buildings were finally licensed as a distillery in 1823.
Yes. The distillery closed in 1837 and changed hands repeatedly over the following decades, resuming production under Dr Neil Campbell in 1876 before being acquired by John Hopkins and Company in 1888. It passed to Distillers Company Limited in 1916; falling demand ended malting in 1930, and the site was sold off in 1936, reopening in 1972 as Ledaig Distillery (Tobermory) Ltd.
Bankruptcy loomed again, and the distillery changed hands in 1978 to the Kirkleavington Property Company from Yorkshire. It produced until 1981, around which time the warehouses were sold off for conversion into flats, meaning maturation no longer happens on site. The distillery then closed again until 1989, when it was bought by Burn Stewart Distillers, which also owns Deanston and Bunnahabhain, for 600,000 GBP plus 200,000 GBP for stock. Capacity was upgraded to around a million litres of pure alcohol a year in 1990.
Distell, which bought Burn Stewart in 2013, was itself acquired by Heineken in 2023, and its Scotch whisky brands, including Tobermory, were spun out into a separate company, CVH Spirits, under the Capevin Holdings group. Campari Group bought a minority stake in Capevin in September 2024.
Yes. In 2012 and 2013, production was forced to stop due to a shortage of rain, which dried up the loch Tobermory relies on for its water source.
Tobermory’s high-necked stills have lyne arms bent at a 90 degree angle, sending the heavier parts of the spirit back into the still and producing a lighter, sweeter result. Using these same stills, the distillery makes two distinct single malts: the unpeated Tobermory, and the heavily peated Ledaig, which keeps the distillery’s original name.
Yes. Since 2019, Tobermory has also produced two gins under the Tobermory Hebridean label, using a 1950s gin still sourced from South Africa.
The core range includes the peated Ledaig 10 Year Old, the unpeated Tobermory 12 Year Old matured in ex-bourbon casks, the peated Ledaig 18 Year Old, a Tobermory 21 Year Old, and the Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish, a no-age-statement, heavily peated release finished in Rioja casks and named for founder John Sinclair.
Yes, Tobermory has a visitor centre.