Tobermory Distillery: History, Owner and Visitor Guide
Updated: 24 hours ago
Tobermory is Mull's only whisky distillery and one of the oldest licensed sites in Scotland. It makes two whiskies under two names: unpeated Tobermory and peated Ledaig.
In this guide
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Tobermory at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Location | Tobermory, Isle of Mull |
Region | Islands, Scotland |
Founded / established | 1798 |
Owner | CVH Spirits |
Bottles documented | 5 named expressions in Whisky Clan's bottle database |
Visiting | See visitor information in the original research below. Check official opening and booking details before travelling. |
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Tobermory history, people and production
Where is Tobermory distillery?
The distillery is in Tobermory, the main town of the Isle of Mull in Argyll, postcode PA75 6NR. Whiskypedia lists the region as Islands. It is the island's only Scotch whisky distillery.
Tobermory history
John Sinclair, a local kelp merchant, founded the distillery in 1798 under the name Ledaig. It was officially licensed in 1823 and closed in 1837, staying silent until 1878. John Hopkins & Co ran it from 1890 and Distillers Company Limited took over in 1916. It fell silent again from 1930.
It reopened in 1972 under a joint venture between a Liverpool shipping company, Domecq and Panamanian interests, but went bankrupt in 1975. Kirkleavington Property Co bought it in 1979, reopened it and then closed it in 1982 while the buildings were used as holiday lets and cheese storage. Burn Stewart bought the distillery and its stock in 1993 for £800,000.
CL Financial acquired Burn Stewart in 2002. Ledaig 10 Year Old launched in 2007 and Burn Stewart was sold to the South African group Distell in 2013. In 2017 Distell announced a refurbishment that closed production for two years from 31 March while the visitor centre stayed open.
Who owns Tobermory?
This was an open check from the earlier draft. Whiskypedia lists Distell Group as the parent company since 2013, with Tobermory Distillers, a Burn Stewart subsidiary, as the operator. The official Tobermory site describes the distillery as established in 1798 and does not name the parent company on the page that loaded.
No loaded source confirms any later change of parent, so the Distell and Burn Stewart answer is the one supported by sources, and Filip should confirm the current group before publishing.
How Tobermory is made
Stills: 4, medium-sized with boil bulbs and an S-shaped bend in the lyne arms to increase reflux
Peated malt (Ledaig) at a minimum of 35ppm and unpeated malt (Tobermory) at a maximum of 2ppm
Mash tun: cast iron body with copper dome
Washbacks: 4 wooden
Fermentation: 50 to 100 hours
Water: Gearr Abhainn
Capacity: 0.85 million litres of pure alcohol a year
Whiskypedia says equal amounts of peated and unpeated whisky are currently made, and that the name Ledaig is now used only for the heavily peated style. Single malts are non-chill-filtered at 46.3%.
The Tobermory and Ledaig range
From the official shop at the time of loading, with ABV as listed:
Tobermory 21 Year Old, 46.3%, finished in Oloroso casks
Ledaig 18 Year Old, 46.3%, Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year 2023 according to the distillery
Ledaig Hebridean Moon, 10 Years Old, 58.8%, cask strength
Ledaig Castaway, 61.1%, a limited edition finished in rum and tequila casks
Tobermory Hebridean Gin, 43.3%, a gin made with a splash of the distillery's spirit
Visiting Tobermory
The official site lists a Whisky Tasting at £35 per person for 45 minutes and a Warehouse Tasting Experience at £50 for 1 hour 15 minutes, plus a distillery tour. Whiskypedia lists visitor hours Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm, closed Sundays. Prices and times change, so check before booking.
Official website
Tobermory whisky bottle range and cask comparison
Here are named expressions documented from producer or specialist sources, including the available age and ABV. A missing strength is deliberately left as 'Check bottle' rather than estimated.
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Tobermory 12 Year Old | 12 years | 46.3% | American oak matured unpeated malt |
Tobermory 21 Year Old | 21 years | 46.3% | Oloroso oak influence, unpeated |
Ledaig 10 Year Old | 10 years | 46.3% | Peated malt matured in bourbon casks |
Ledaig 18 Year Old | 18 years | 46.3% | Peated malt in bourbon and sherry casks |
Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish | NAS | 46.3% | Peated, bourbon oak and Rioja wine cask influence |
Featured bottle: Tobermory 12 Year Old
Tobermory makes unpeated malt and the separate peated Ledaig range. The whisky identity is stated explicitly for each bottle.
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Frequently asked questions about Tobermory
Where is Tobermory made?
In the town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
When was Tobermory founded?
1798, as Ledaig, by John Sinclair.
What is the difference between Tobermory and Ledaig?
Tobermory is the unpeated single malt. Ledaig is the heavily peated one.
Who owns Tobermory?
Whiskypedia lists Distell Group as parent since 2013, via Burn Stewart. Later changes were not confirmed.
Can you visit?
Yes. The distillery offers tours and tastings, bookable on the official site.
Sources and photographic credits
Official website: tobermorydistillery.com (home page loaded 20 October 2026). The earlier guess at an official domain failed, this one is correct.
ScotchWhisky.com Whiskypedia: Tobermory distillery entry (loaded 20 October 2026).
Wikipedia was used in the earlier draft. Whisky Advocate, Whiskybase and Whisky Magazine were not loaded for this post.
Cover image: Wikimedia Commons.
Featured photograph: original credited image from the Whisky Clan distillery media library. If you own this image and would like the attribution updated, please contact Whisky Clan.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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