Bladnoch Distillery announces partnership with Wigtown Book …

Here’s something that caught my eye – Bladnoch has just announced they’re partnering with the Wigtown Book Festival, and it’s actually a pretty smart move that goes beyond the usual corporate sponsorship playbook.

So we’ve got Scotland’s oldest privately-owned distillery teaming up with what’s become one of the UK’s most significant literary festivals. The timing works perfectly since both operations are literally neighbors in Wigtown – the distillery’s been there since 1817, while the festival has been running for 27 years now.

What’s interesting is how they’re approaching this partnership. Rather than just slapping their name on a marquee, Bladnoch is specifically sponsoring the festival’s volunteer workforce – over 100 people who essentially make the whole thing happen. It’s a clever bit of community investment that acknowledges how these events actually function at grassroots level.

The festival itself runs from September 26 to October 5, attracting more than 11,000 visitors annually with over 200 events spanning literature, music, theatre, and food. That’s serious cultural tourism for a rural area.

There’s also a whisky angle here that’ll interest collectors. They’re using the partnership to launch “Loch Maberry: Stories of Bladnoch, Chapter 2” – the second release in what sounds like a limited-edition series. Master Distiller Dr Nick Savage will be unveiling it during a storytelling event at the distillery on October 2, hosted by Graeme Johncock from @scotlands_stories.

What I find compelling is the regeneration narrative both organizations share. Bladnoch was rescued from closure in 2015 by David Prior, while the book festival was originally founded to revitalize the area during economic decline. Now they’re both major drivers of local tourism and employment.

It’s refreshing to see a distillery partnership that feels genuinely rooted in place rather than just marketing convenience. Both operations understand they’re part of the same ecosystem, and this collaboration seems to recognize that reality.