Springbank
Multi-faceted Campbeltown distillery.
Eaglesome Profile
Eaglesome was a deli and store operating in Campbeltown’s Reform Square. Up until its purchase by J&A Mitchell in the 1960s, it had no real focus on alcohol. Its new owner – which had operated Springbank distillery since 1897 – used Eaglesome as a means of importing cheaper coal for use at its nearby distillery, although it also transformed the business into more of a whisky specialist and independent bottler.
As well as bottling a range of blends, such as Campbeltown Loch and Eaglesome Blended, Eaglesome produced the Burnside single malt using whisky from Springbank – not to be confused with the Burnside Speyside blended malt.
It also bottled a series of vatted malt miniatures under the name Campbeltown Commemoration, which paid tribute to the region’s closed distilleries, including Glengyle, Drumore and Kintyre.
Eaglesome History
Springbank was first granted a distilling licence in 1828, and has been under the operation of J&A Mitchell since 1897.
By the 1960s the coal needed to fire Springbank’s stills needed to be purchased through an agent – it couldn't be bought directly. To avoid inflated agency fees, J&A Mitchell acquired Eaglesome Ltd., a high-end deli in nearby Reform Square, which it used as its own private coal agent.
The store had no real focus on alcohol, but under the ownership of J&A Mitchell this soon changed. During the mid-1960s Eaglesome began bottling and selling its own whiskies with a distinct Campbeltown theme.
In 1972 J&A Mitchell acquired independent bottler Wm Cadenhead, and the Eaglesome shop was eventually rebranded as a secondary Cadenhead outlet in Campbeltown, a stone’s throw from the company’s head office at 9 Bolgam Street.
In 1995 Eaglesome Ltd. was renamed Springbank Distillers Ltd, and became the sales and marketing arm of J&A Mitchell, responsible for selling the company’s whiskies all over the world. Not bad for what was originally a humble Campbeltown deli.
Distilleries & Brands
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Campbeltown Loch Blended Scotch Whisky
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Dunaverty Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Associated companies
Contact
- Address
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Springbank Distillers Limited
9 Bolgam Street
Campbeltown
Argyll
PA28 6HZ
United Kingdom - Phone
- +44 1586 552009
Map
See also
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Distillery & brand