THE NORTH BRITISH DISTILLERY COMPANY LIMITED
Operating as a joint venture between Diageo and Edrington Group, the company runs a grain whisky distillery in Edinburgh that produces spirit for blended Scotch whiskies including Johnnie Walker and Famous Grouse.
Get an alert when THE NORTH BRITISH DISTILLERY COMPANY LIMITED files next
Leroy will email you the moment a new filing lands at Companies House — one short note per filing, nothing else.
Cash
£19m
+85.6% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£68m
+5.9% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
243
-2% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£8.1m
+34.8% vs 2024
Watch the reel
Our short-form breakdown of THE NORTH BRITISH DISTILLERY COMPANY LIMITED's latest filing
Sales and profits take a hit at North British Distillery — and the recent sale of the Famous Grouse brand means more headwinds are on the way. 🥃📉
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Staples median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £115,519,000 | £96,196,000 | £89,332,000 | -7.1% | |
| Operating profit | £10,691,000 | £5,970,000 | £7,801,000 | +30.7% | |
| Profit before tax | £10,551,000 | £6,023,000 | £8,116,000 | +34.8% | |
| Net profit | £7,774,000 | £4,526,000 | £5,509,000 | +21.7% | |
| Cash | £555,000 | £10,208,000 | £18,951,000 | +85.6% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £69,838,000 | £72,793,000 | £76,994,000 | +5.8% | |
| Net assets | £62,398,000 | £64,212,000 | £68,004,000 | +5.9% | |
| Equity | £62,398,000 | £64,212,000 | £68,004,000 | +5.9% | |
| Average employees | 239 | 248 | 243 | -2% | |
| Wages | £14,836,000 | £16,204,000 | £15,473,000 | -4.5% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £226,000 | £329,000 | £260,000 | -21% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | £31,000 | £33,000 | £32,000 | -3% | |
| Highest paid director | £257,000 | £329,000 | £133,000 | -59.6% |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 9.3% | 6.2% | 8.7% | |
| Net margin | 6.7% | 4.7% | 6.2% | |
| Return on capital employed | 15.3% | 8.2% | 10.1% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 26.2% | 26.3% | 26.5% | |
| Current ratio | 3.52x | 3.64x | 3.52x | |
| Interest cover | 68.97x | — | — |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- THE NORTH BRITISH DISTILLERY COMPANY LIMITED 2016-08-24 → present
- NORTH BRITISH DISTILLERY COMPANY LIMITED 1885-10-24 → 2016-08-24
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Azets Audit Services
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“These financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. ... The Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future; that is for the period to 30th June 2027.”
Significant events
- “as a result of the policies to mitigate the risks noted above and a robust process of financial planning, the Board are able to conclude that it remains appropriate to prepare the Company's financial statements on a going concern basis despite the planned sale of the Famous Grouse Brand.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 40 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MACDONALD, Fraser William | Secretary | 2010-06-01 | — | — |
| BROGAN, Gavin James | Director | 2025-04-01 | Oct 1976 | British |
| CAMPBELL, Lindsay Margaret | Director | 2025-06-11 | Feb 1970 | British |
| GARRIDO, Luis Gaston | Director | 2021-06-30 | Oct 1969 | British |
| MAIR, Adam William Frederick | Director | 2025-07-01 | Jul 1971 | British |
| ULMAN, Kedar Vivekanand | Director | 2021-12-08 | Feb 1974 | Indian |
Show 40 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| FORD, John Robert | Secretary | — | 2010-05-31 |
| ARCHIBALD, Michael | Director | 1995-10-01 | 1998-12-31 |
| ASHWORTH, John Brian | Director | 1992-08-01 | 1993-10-28 |
| BATES, Peter Joseph | Director | — | 1998-03-26 |
| BEDFORD, Richard William | Director | 2019-12-31 | 2021-12-08 |
| BEDFORD, Richard William | Director | 2005-07-01 | 2018-04-23 |
| BRUXNER, James | Director | — | 1994-12-31 |
| BURNS, Allan | Director | 2004-10-13 | 2006-06-01 |
| CURLE, Ian Barrett, Mr. | Director | 1994-02-18 | 2019-03-29 |
| CUTTER, David Andrew | Director | 2013-05-14 | 2019-12-31 |
| DONAGHEY, Bryan Harold | Director | 2006-09-01 | 2013-05-14 |
| FILLINGHAM, Derrick John | Director | — | 1990-01-12 |
| GOOD, John James Griffen, Sir | Director | 1991-03-23 | 2002-05-31 |
| GRAHAM, Jane Louise, Mrs. | Director | 2019-03-29 | 2025-06-11 |
| HALL, Derek Richardson | Director | 1994-02-18 | 1995-03-31 |
| HALL, John | Director | 1996-09-16 | 1998-12-31 |
| HARDIE, David Anthony | Director | 1999-01-01 | 1999-12-01 |
| HUTCHEON, Graham Robert, Mr. | Director | 2002-06-01 | 2021-06-30 |
| HUTTON, Turnbull | Director | 1999-01-01 | 2001-10-05 |
| KILPATRICK, Alan John Stewart | Director | 2015-09-01 | 2025-06-30 |
| KYDD, Michael William | Director | 2021-10-28 | 2025-06-30 |
| LEIGH, Thomas Alan | Director | 2004-06-08 | 2016-12-31 |
| MACDONALD, David William Alexander | Director | — | 1993-10-29 |
| MACKENZIE, Ian Douglas | Director | — | 1996-01-31 |
| MACPHAIL, John Alexander Rose | Director | — | 1991-03-22 |
| MAXWELL SCOTT, David Darragh | Director | 1995-01-01 | 1996-09-13 |
| MEAKINS, Ian Keith | Director | 2000-02-11 | 2002-05-31 |
| MILLER, Thomas Morrison Honeyman | Director | — | 1993-11-02 |
| MILLIKEN, Jeffrey | Director | 2002-06-01 | 2005-05-16 |
| MUNRO, Alistair Ian | Director | 1998-03-01 | 2004-06-07 |
| NESS, Thomas | Director | 2001-11-26 | 2004-09-30 |
| RAE, William David | Director | 1995-10-01 | 2015-12-31 |
| RUSSELL, Peter James Sidney | Director | — | 1993-10-29 |
| SCOTT, Pamela Elizabeth | Director | 2018-04-23 | 2019-12-31 |
| SHAW, James Neil | Director | — | 1992-07-31 |
| STEVENSON, Alistair James Graham | Director | 1990-11-15 | 1994-06-03 |
| SULLY ÉP. HUTT, Gaëlle Jeanne Dominique | Director | 2019-12-31 | 2020-10-29 |
| THOMSON, William Spalding | Director | — | 2001-10-22 |
| WALKEY, Roger John | Director | 1995-04-01 | 1995-09-30 |
| WALTON, Sarah Jeanne | Director | 2020-10-29 | 2021-10-28 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lothian Distillers Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 198 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-04-08 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-09-08 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-07-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-07-01 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-07-01 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-06-17 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-06-17 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-04-07 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-04-01 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-09-09 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-04-08 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-12-09 | 466(Scot) | mortgage | Mortgage alter floating charge with number | |
| 2023-12-09 | 466(Scot) | mortgage | Mortgage alter floating charge with number | |
| 2023-12-08 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2023-09-08 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-04-06 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-09-06 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-04-06 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2021-12-08 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 2
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 0
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.