WILLIAM GRANT & SONS DISTILLERS LIMITED
Operating as a family-owned, unlisted spirits producer, the company distils and distributes Scotch whisky and other beverages under major global brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Monkey Shoulder, and Sailor Jerry.
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Cash
£53M
+35.6% vs 2023
Net assets
£685M
+3.9% vs 2023
Employees
1,087
+3.9% vs 2023
Profit before tax
£34M
+28.1% vs 2023
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Consumer Staples median
Accounts
2-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £560,941,000 | £522,100,000 | -6.9% | |
| Operating profit | £25,913,000 | £460,000 | -98.2% | |
| Profit before tax | £26,683,000 | £34,179,000 | +28.1% | |
| Net profit | £20,916,000 | £25,792,000 | +23.3% | |
| Cash | £39,204,000 | £53,170,000 | +35.6% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £730,770,000 | £757,608,000 | +3.7% | |
| Net assets | £658,993,000 | £684,785,000 | +3.9% | |
| Equity | £658,993,000 | £684,785,000 | +3.9% | |
| Average employees | 1,046 | 1,087 | +3.9% | |
| Wages | £54,105,000 | £54,673,000 | +1% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £1,238,000 | £729,000 | -41.1% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 4.6% | 0.1% | |
| Net margin | 3.7% | 4.9% | |
| Return on capital employed | 3.5% | 0.1% | |
| Current ratio | 1.32x | 1.26x | |
| Interest cover | 0.85x | 0.03x |
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
- WILLIAM GRANT & SONS DISTILLERS LIMITED 1991-10-16 → present
- PACIFIC SHELF 411 LIMITED 1991-10-01 → 1991-10-16
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- KPMG LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The directors have prepared the financial statements on the going concern basis as they do not intend to liquidate the company or the company or to cease their operations, and as they have concluded that the company's financial position means that this is realistic. They have also concluded that there are no material uncertainties that could have cast significant doubt over their ability to continue as a going concern for at least a year from the date of approval of the financial statements.”
Significant events
- “Amendment to section 20 Leases (effective 1 January 2026) is expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial statements and is currently being assessed. Other amendments to FRS 102 are not expected to have a material effect.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 71 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRANMER, Craig Hamilton | Director | 2019-01-01 | Feb 1968 | British |
| HENDERSON, Ewan John | Director | 2019-06-01 | Aug 1968 | British |
| LAING, William Douglas | Director | 2019-01-01 | Mar 1972 | British |
| MCKINLAY, Kenneth Strachan | Director | 2019-06-01 | Dec 1964 | British |
Show 71 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| DENHOLM, James Allan | Secretary | 1991-10-30 | 1996-09-27 |
| EVA MARIA, Bishop | Secretary | 2009-08-03 | 2009-11-10 |
| TAIT, George Daniel | Secretary | 1996-09-27 | 2008-05-02 |
| MD SECRETARIES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Secretary | 1991-10-01 | 1991-10-30 |
| BAGLEY, Douglas John | Director | 2018-06-11 | 2026-04-28 |
| BEVERIDGE, James Graham | Director | 1991-10-30 | 1993-01-31 |
| BISSETT, Ian Collins | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2022-01-31 |
| BISSETT, Ian Collins | Director | 2003-10-06 | 2006-01-01 |
| BRANNAN, Robert | Director | 1994-04-05 | 1998-05-15 |
| BROADBRIDGE, John Ricson | Director | 2015-09-17 | 2021-04-16 |
| CHAMBERLAIN, Robert Hugo | Director | 2019-10-29 | 2019-10-29 |
| COCKBURN, Derek Henry | Director | 1991-10-30 | 1996-02-13 |
| COWING, Helen Gaye | Director | 2019-05-13 | 2019-11-20 |
| DAGNAN, Kirsty Rachel | Director | 2020-01-01 | 2022-01-31 |
| DAVID, Stella Julie | Director | 2009-12-10 | 2016-02-29 |
| DAWSON, Mark James | Director | 2021-01-06 | 2022-01-31 |
| DEARDEN, John | Director | 1995-08-29 | 1996-11-05 |
| DENHOLM, James Allan | Director | 1991-10-30 | 1992-12-23 |
| DOHERTY, James Joseph | Director | 2007-09-01 | 2010-11-19 |
| DOLLMAN, Paul Bernard | Director | 2000-08-22 | 2002-12-31 |
| DOYLE, Maurice Gerard | Director | 2009-08-10 | 2014-08-01 |
| DRON, Gordon Norman Alan | Director | 2007-09-01 | 2013-07-31 |
| EVANS, Ian | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2020-03-18 |
| EVANS, Ian | Director | 2004-10-03 | 2006-01-01 |
| FONG, Kevin | Director | 2007-09-01 | 2011-09-30 |
| FOSTER, Tracey Diane | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2022-01-31 |
| GLEN, Ian Arthur Thomas | Director | 2004-05-18 | 2006-01-01 |
| GORDON, Alexander Grant | Director | 1991-10-30 | 1992-12-23 |
| GORDON, Grant Glenn | Director | 1991-10-31 | 2000-08-08 |
| GORDON, Peter Grant | Director | 1994-09-01 | 1999-10-01 |
| HARTLESS, Patrick Charles Martin | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2020-03-23 |
| HENDERSON, Ewan John | Director | 2018-12-11 | 2019-05-31 |
| HENDERSON, John Alexander | Director | 1998-06-02 | 2003-10-06 |
| HIGHET, Brian James | Director | 2003-10-06 | 2006-01-01 |
| HOPKINS, Andrew Peter | Director | 2013-11-18 | 2016-10-31 |
| HORSFIELD, Gary | Director | 2017-06-15 | 2019-11-18 |
| HOWARD, Niall Mcleod | Director | 2003-01-06 | 2003-08-05 |
| HUNT, Anthony Leonard | Director | 2006-01-01 | 2006-02-09 |
| HUNT, Simon John | Director | 2007-10-15 | 2020-11-30 |
| JACKSON, Veronica Lesley, Ms. | Director | 2008-08-04 | 2011-02-25 |
| KELLY, Colin Thomas | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2020-02-28 |
| LAMBERT, Richard Arthur | Director | 1993-04-01 | 1994-02-07 |
| LAMONT, Michael | Director | 2019-11-20 | 2020-09-04 |
| LAMONT, Michael | Director | 2013-04-15 | 2019-09-01 |
| MACDONALD, Simon Peter | Director | 2006-01-01 | 2006-09-29 |
| MAHARAJ, Jayshree | Director | 2021-02-03 | 2022-01-31 |
| MCGINNESS, Rosemary Anne | Director | 2006-01-01 | 2017-07-30 |
| MCKINLAY, Kenneth Strachan | Director | 2000-10-03 | 2006-01-01 |
| NELLIST, David Atherton | Director | 1993-01-04 | 1996-05-31 |
| NICKERSON, Stuart | Director | 1996-02-13 | 2004-11-12 |
| PHELAN, Kieran Gerard | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2022-01-31 |
| PIJOHN, Alan | Director | 2021-01-06 | 2021-12-23 |
| SHOEL, Graham Howard | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2022-01-31 |
| SHORT, Alexander Brian Cooper | Director | 1999-05-18 | 2008-05-26 |
| SOLER GOMEZ, Geoffrey | Director | 2003-01-03 | 2006-01-01 |
| SOMMERVILLE, Judith Anne | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2021-12-31 |
| STRAIN, Dermid Martin | Director | 2011-09-09 | 2013-04-30 |
| STURGEON, Steven Paul | Director | 2006-01-01 | 2009-03-31 |
| TAIT, George Daniel | Director | 2005-12-09 | 2008-05-02 |
| THOMAS, Patrick Marie Charles | Director | 2000-08-09 | 2003-04-16 |
| THOMSON, Bryan Traill | Director | 2012-03-01 | 2018-06-11 |
| VAN BOMMEL, Roland | Director | 2006-01-01 | 2009-09-18 |
| WATTS, Stuart Henry, Dr | Director | 2019-01-01 | 2022-01-31 |
| WELCH, Gerard Vincent | Director | 1998-06-02 | 2000-03-12 |
| WHITE, William Burnfield | Director | 1998-06-02 | 2014-05-16 |
| WILMOT, John Kerr | Director | 1996-08-27 | 1998-10-02 |
| WILSON, Giles Robert Bryant | Director | 2020-09-04 | 2024-05-10 |
| WOLSTENHOLME, Alan Gordon | Director | 1991-10-30 | 1996-02-13 |
| WOOD, William Brian | Director | 1993-07-25 | 2000-01-31 |
| MD DIRECTORS LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 1991-10-01 | 1991-10-30 |
| MD SECRETARIES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 1991-10-30 | 1991-10-30 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Grant & Sons Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 256 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2024-09-10 MA Memorandum articles
- 2024-09-10 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2024-09-10 CC04 Statement of companys objects
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-12 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2026-04-28 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-09-29 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-09-03 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-01-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-09-10 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-09-10 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2024-09-10 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2024-09-10 | CC04 | change-of-constitution | Statement of companys objects | |
| 2024-05-10 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-11-10 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-10-10 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-10-10 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2022-09-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-09-01 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2022-08-16 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2022-03-30 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-03-30 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-03-30 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-03-30 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 1
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.