Strathearn first launched onto the scene in 2016 with their inaugural single cask expression. Since then however little has been forthcoming from the Perthshire distillery; a management disagreement in 2019 saw the founder departing the business, with the director electing to sell their interests later that year to Glaswegian independent bottler Douglas Laing.
Douglas Laing seized the chance to get their hands on a functioning distillery as plans for their Clutha distillery continued to gather dust awaiting approval. Best known for their extensive independent bottling catalogue as well as their Remarkable Regional Malts range, Strathearn was the firm's first foray into distilling.
Of course, Douglas Laing are not the first independent bottlers to move into the distilling game with Signatory Vintage (Edradour) and Gordon & MacPhail (Benromach) kicking things off, followed by such notables as Adelphi and Hunter Laing building Ardnamurchan and Ardnahoe respectively. Indeed, June 2022 also saw Elixir Distillers acquiring Tormore distillery in Speyside from Pernod Ricard.
After undertaking significant works to upgrade the site, Douglas Laing have now released their first bottling of spirit distilled under the new ownership, drawing a line under what was before and making a statement of intent for what is to come.
