John Crabbie
John Crabbie never ran his family’s business of upholsterers: it seems John had more ambitious plans for his venture, trading in a range of drinks products, including ginger cordial, and four years later he went into partnership with William Cree and bought properties at Tolbooth Wynd in Leith. In 1840, the company was renamed John Crabbie & Co, and he established bonded warehouses and a distillery.
Perhaps John Crabbie’s biggest contribution to the burgeoning success story of Scotch whisky came in 1885, when he teamed up with whisky icon Andrew Usher and William Sanderson and founded the North British Distilling Company. The business went from strength to strength, and in time his sons and grandsons would join the company and eventually run it. He died in 1891, and leaving his business and assets to his family.
The Future of Crabbie
After decades, Crabbie Whisky, one of Scotland’s most enduring and celebrated whisky brands, re-launched a range of superior single malt Scotch whiskies, reflective of John Crabbie’s passion for producing only the finest spirits.
Just like John Crabbie himself, who from the middle of the 19th century procured stocks of Scottish single malt whisky from some of the finest distilleries in Scotland, the company has again sourced excellent stock from very highly regarded distilleries to put them under the Crabbie name.
But this is not all, Halewood are demonstrating their commitment to the brand and are planning to bring John Crabbie Whisky back into Edinburgh with its very own distillery.