Glencairn Crystal finalist for 2025 Exporter of the Year

Here’s a story that’ll warm the cockles of any whisky lover’s heart – Glencairn Crystal, the East Kilbride outfit behind that iconic tulip-shaped glass we all know and love, has just landed a finalist spot in the Department for Business and Trade Exporter of the Year Award at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2025.

Now, if you’re serious about your drams, you’ll already be familiar with the Glencairn Glass – it’s officially recognised as the world’s whisky glass, and this year marks its 25th anniversary. What might surprise you is just how massive this operation has become: they’re shifting over 5 million units internationally each year. That’s a lot of proper whisky nosing going on around the globe.

The company itself has been grafting away for over four decades since Raymond Davidson founded it. They’ve carved out quite the reputation as crystal specialists, focusing on ultra-premium spirit containers and pioneering some clever metalware applications on glass and crystal. It’s proper Scottish craftsmanship meeting global ambition.

What’s particularly impressive is their export game – nearly 60% of their business comes from direct exports, but when you factor in distilleries shipping Glencairn glasses overseas and their decanters finding homes abroad, that figure jumps to around 80%. For a family business based in Scotland, that’s serious international reach.

This nomination comes hot on the heels of them bagging the King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation, which really does mark them out as world-class operators in their field. They made the shortlist back in 2018, so reaching the finals this time around shows they’re not standing still.

Scott Davidson, who’s the New Product Development Director and son of founder Raymond, seems pretty chuffed about the recognition – and rightly so. The winners get announced at the ceremony in November, so we’ll have to wait and see if they take the top prize.