Islay Distillery Co Ltd (whisky distillers: 1882-1887: Islay, Argyll & Bute, Scotland)

Islay Distillery Co was established to construct a new distillery in the Sound of Islay, Argyll & Bute, Scotland. The partners of this new company were James Ford of William Ford & Sons, tea, wine and spirit merchants of Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland; James Watson Greenlees, a partner in McMurchy & Ralston of Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute, and William A Robertson of Robertson & Baxter, wholesale whisky merchants, Glasgow. Land was purchased in 1880, and construction commenced of the Bunnahabhain distillery the following year with projected production volume of 200,000 gallons a year.

In 1882, the company was incorporated as Islay Distillery Co Ltd with a share capital of £32,000. During 1882, the Bunnahabhain distillery opened, though full production was not achieved until January 1883. The directors of the Islay Distillery Co Ltd decided to sell their whisky wholesale only, principally for blending and Robertson & Baxter were appointed as their agents for its sale. Initially, Islay Distillery Co Ltd was very profitable, however, the success of the first eighteen months was not sustained during 1886-1887 . These years saw a depression of the economy as a whole, which effected the whisky industry and as a consequence the Islay Distillery Co Ltd saw its production slashed and its profits more than halved.

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