Highland whisky distillery blends tradition with transformat…

Here’s a fascinating example of how tradition and technology can work hand in hand in our industry. Tomatin Distillery, which has been crafting Highland single malt since 1897, has just completed a major digital transformation that’s worth paying attention to – not because it changes how they make whisky, but because it shows how smart operational upgrades can support growth without compromising heritage.

The distillery partnered with East Kilbride-based Eureka Solutions to overhaul their finance and reporting systems, moving from what sounds like a patchwork of outdated software to a unified, cloud-based Oracle NetSuite platform. What caught my attention is how they’ve approached this – the copper stills and traditional processes remain exactly as they were, but the back-office operations have been dragged into the 21st century.

Kitty Davis, Tomatin’s Financial Controller, put it perfectly: their old systems simply weren’t keeping pace with the distillery’s growth. Tasks like stock reconciliation and month-end reporting were eating up valuable time and creating inefficiencies that no growing business can afford. Now they’re getting their monthly reports wrapped up in just 10 working days, with real-time financial visibility that was impossible before.

What I particularly appreciate about this story is the cultural fit between the two Scottish companies. David Lindores from Eureka Solutions clearly understood that this wasn’t just about implementing new software – it was about respecting Tomatin’s 127-year legacy while giving them the tools to thrive in a competitive market.

This feels like a template for how distilleries should approach modernisation. Keep the craft sacred, but don’t let outdated admin systems hold you back from reaching new markets and scaling sustainably. Smart move from Tomatin.