Stirling Distillery
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersStirling, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Stirling Distillery does
Stirling Distillery Ltd is a privately held, founder-owned craft spirits producer founded in 2019 and operated from The Old Smiddy, a renovated 1888 blacksmith's workshop at 9 Lower Castlehill beneath Stirling Castle in Scotland. The company positions itself as Scotland's smallest whisky distillery and Stirling's first legal distillery on the Castle Rock in nearly 200 years. Its core production is traditional copper pot still distillation across gin, whisky, rum, and liqueurs, using small-batch methods and hand-foraged Stirlingshire botanicals — most notably wild nettles — that the company states produce a flavour profile not replicable elsewhere. The flagship Stirling Gin (£38/70cl) anchors a range that includes Battle Strength Gin, Pink Gin, Winter Gin, Blue Line Gin (a police charity gin donating 20% of profits to mental health charities for emergency services personnel with PTSD), Spiced Rum, and gin liqueurs priced £31-£33. In November 2023 the business filled its first single malt whisky cask, restarting whisky production in Stirling for the first time since 1852, with a projected first release on 19 June 2027 supported by a cask ownership pre-sale programme (Sons of Scotland and King James Owners members hub).
Stirling Distillery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stirling Distillery
- Legal name
- Stirling Distillery Ltd
- Website
- https://stirlingdistillery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stirling Distillery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Scottish Spirits (Gin, Whisky, Rum & Liqueurs)
- NAICS
- Distilleries (312140), Distilleries (31214)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Craft Distilleries & Microdistilleries (THAFALAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF), Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits/Cocktail Bars Operated by Producers (THAFALAJ), Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE)
Keywords
Where Stirling Distillery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stirling
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stirling Distillery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Spirits Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of gin, whisky, rum, and liqueurs through e-commerce and distillery shop. Products include Stirling Gin (£38), Battle Strength Gin (£35), Pink Gin (£38), Winter Gin (£38), Blue Line Gin (£40), Spiced Rum (£40), and various liqueurs (£31-£33).
- Distillery Experiences: Guided gin and whisky tastings, gin school sessions, and special tours. Gin Experience from £34, Whisky Experience, The Becoming Tour at £105, and walk-in mini tastings from £15. 10% shop discount with every booking.
- Venue Hire: Private hire of the Old Smiddy for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, and hen parties. Up to 70 standing/48 seated guests. Evening venue hire from £275. Private bar service included.
- Trade/Wholesale: Wholesale supply to bars, restaurants, hotels, bottle shops, and retailers. Case pricing with discounts for 6+ bottles. Free UK delivery on 3+ cases.
- Gift Cards & Vouchers: Digital gift cards from £10 to £100, plus experience vouchers for tours, tastings, and gin school sessions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Stirling Gin flagship bottle |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gin Experience tasting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Becoming Tour - intimate whisky evening |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Walk-in Mini Tastings |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Wedding evening venue hire |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Trade wholesale pricing |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Digital gift cards |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Stirling Distillery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stirling Distillery produces and sells small-batch Scottish gin, single malt whisky (new make spirit maturing for 2027 release), spiced rum, and liqueurs, with its flagship Stirling Gin built around hand-foraged Stirlingshire nettles. Beyond spirits, the Old Smiddy site runs a tourism business offering guided tastings (Gin Experience, Whisky Experience, The Becoming Tour, Gin School, walk-in mini tastings), private venue hire for events, and digital gift cards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Stirling Gin Flagship Scottish gin (70cl, £38; smaller sizes from £7) built around hand-foraged Stirlingshire nettles, marketed as a unique flavour that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Sold to individual consumers, trade, and corporate gifting customers.
- Battle Strength Gin 55% navy-strength Scottish gin (50cl, £35) from Stirling Distillery's gin range. Sold across DTC, trade, and retail channels.
- Stirling Winter Gin
Quantifiable outcome
- Approximately £90 profit per 70cl bottle for bars (80% GP on 25ml serve)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Stirling Distillery
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Stirling Distillery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Stirling Distillery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Co-op (Scotland)coreStirling Distillery spirits stocked in Co-op stores across Scotland, providing retail distribution across Scottish communities.
- Edinburgh AirportcoreTravel retail presence at Edinburgh Airport, making Stirling spirits available to air travelers.
- Tatties and TipplescorePreferred catering partner for weddings and events at the distillery. Known locally as the team behind Fletchers restaurant.
- DJ Don RobertsonminorRecommended entertainment provider for wedding receptions and events.
- White VinesminorRecommended wine supplier for wedding receptions and events.
- FareharborcoreBooking platform used for online experience bookings including Gin Experience, Whisky Experience, and The Becoming Tour.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Stirling Distillery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bruichladdich Distillery: Established Islay distillery producing whisky, gin, and other spirits with strong tourism and DTC channels. Comparable as a Scottish craft distillery at larger scale, overlapping in craft spirits portfolio and visitor experience model.
Direct peers
- Eden Mill: St Andrews-based Scottish craft distillery producing gin and whisky with visitor centre and tours. Closely comparable given similar Scottish craft distillery positioning, multiple spirit categories, and tourism-led DTC model.
- Nc'nean Distillery: Small organic Scottish distillery producing single malt whisky and botanical spirits. Directly comparable as a small-batch craft producer with sustainability positioning and DTC focus.
- Isle of Harris Distillery: Scottish single malt whisky and gin producer with a strong visitor centre, tourism-led positioning, and small-batch craft ethos. Most comparable peer given combined distillery + tasting room + tourism model in a Scottish heritage location.
- Lindores Abbey Distillery: Lowland Scottish single malt whisky distillery with heritage positioning and visitor centre. Directly comparable given single malt focus, first-of-kind heritage narrative, and tourism-led business model.
- Arbikie Distillery: Angus-based farm-to-bottle Scottish distillery producing gin, vodka, and whisky. Comparable as a small craft Scottish producer with field-to-glass botanical story and visitor experiences.
- Edinburgh Gin: Edinburgh-based craft gin distillery producing a portfolio of Scottish gins with on-site tasting rooms and distillery tours. Closest direct competitor given overlapping Scottish craft gin offering, tourism-led experience model, and DTC retail presence.
- Glasgow Distillery: Urban Scottish distillery producing single malt whisky, gin, and other spirits with tours and tastings. Comparable as a small-to-mid Scottish craft distillery with multi-SKU spirits portfolio and DTC e-commerce.
- Borders Distillery: Small Scottish craft distillery producing gin and single malt whisky with visitor experiences. Comparable scale and operational model to Stirling Distillery, both small-batch Scottish producers with tourism offerings.
Emerging players
- Dunphail Distillery: New Scottish distillery producing single malt whisky with cask ownership program. Comparable as a small emerging Scottish distillery with similar cask sales and maturation-driven revenue model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stirling Distillery social profiles
Digital presenceStirling Distillery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stirling Distillery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Stirling Distillery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stirling Distillery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stirling Distillery
What does Stirling Distillery do?
Stirling Distillery produces and sells small-batch Scottish gin, single malt whisky (new make spirit maturing for 2027 release), spiced rum, and liqueurs, with its flagship Stirling Gin built around hand-foraged Stirlingshire nettles. Beyond spirits, the Old Smiddy site runs a tourism business offering guided tastings (Gin Experience, Whisky Experience, The Becoming Tour, Gin School, walk-in mini tastings), private venue hire for events, and digital gift cards.
Is Stirling Distillery a public or private company?
Stirling Distillery is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Stirling Distillery founded?
Stirling Distillery was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stirling Distillery based?
Stirling Distillery is headquartered in Stirling, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Stirling Distillery make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Spirits Sales are the primary driver. The others are distillery Experiences, venue Hire, trade/Wholesale and gift Cards & Vouchers.
Who are Stirling Distillery's main competitors?
Bruichladdich Distillery is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Eden Mill, Nc'nean Distillery, Isle of Harris Distillery, Lindores Abbey Distillery, Arbikie Distillery, Edinburgh Gin, Glasgow Distillery and Borders Distillery. Dunphail Distillery is listed as an emerging player.
Does Stirling Distillery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stirling Distillery.
What industry is Stirling Distillery in?
Stirling Distillery's product category is Craft Scottish Spirits (Gin, Whisky, Rum & Liqueurs). Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFALAH, Craft Distilleries & Microdistilleries, with a secondary code of CRADAIAC, Spirits Distilling & Brands. Its NAICS code is 312140 and its SIC code is 5180.