Directors at Perthshire’s Tullibardine Distillery have toasted a major rebranding of its products as the company booked a 73% hike in pre-tax profits last year.
The Picard family used annual accounts for the year to the end of 2013 to reveal their “satisfaction” with trading following a year in which the Blackford plant operated “at close to its maximum capacity”.
They said a successful period, which included a 16.5% increase in turnover, was helped by the “continued dedication and commitment of the company’s employees”.
Overall sales rose to £17.75m, while earnings before taxation lifted to £1.78m.
“The directors consider the results for the year and the company’s financial position to be satisfactory, particularly in the current economic climate,” the company said.
“The rebranded products have been well received by customers, and this has led to brand growth both in volume and margin.”
The Tullibardine Ltd directors’ report also revealed how the distillery is expected to continue to operate nears its maximum capacity this year, given the continued health of global malt whisky markets.
Tullibardine, which employed a monthly average of 24 people last year, was revived by a consortium of businessmen around a decade ago after being mothballed by Whyte & Mackay in 1994.
The company claims its site is one of the oldest recorded locations for brewing and distilling in Scotland, citing the 1488 purchase of beer by James IV on his way to be crowned at Scone as evidence.
It was bought by the Picard family, who also control one of the biggest wine-making businesses in the famed Burgundy region of France, in late 2011 for an undisclosed sum.