Callander based distiller, McQueen Gin, attributed the surge in business turnover to successful product listings in three major retailers.
Off the back of the growth, the company, which is run by husband and wife team Dale and Vicky McQueen, has decided to bring forward plans to expand the distillery, aiming to increase capacity by 1000 per cent.
Mirroring the success of the overall Scottish gin industry, the craft distiller has secured major retail listings including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Aldi, and is set to launch in Asda this month (September).
The McQueens added that the exclusive product launch of its Forrest Fruits Colour Changing Gin in Aldi outperformed initial sales targets by 480 per cent and has resulted in the demand for national supply of the product across the UK.
The pair cited that performance in all areas of the business is on an upward spiral, including in export markets with McQueen Gin now available in Japan, Canada, Dubai, Denmark, Spain, Singapore and Germany, with plans to launch in the USA at the beginning of next year.
Speaking about the brand’s success, co-founder and managing director, Dale McQueen, said: “This year has been a bit of a whirlwind for us here at McQueen. We knew there was nothing quite like our product on the market but the demand for McQueen has far surpassed our expectations. It’s been exciting to see our products make it on to more supermarket shelves and behind more of the country’s best bars, but more than anything, to hear the fantastic feedback from our customers. That is what really gets us out of bed.”
In line with the increase in demand, the business has had to accelerate expansion plans for its new distillery, increasing capacity from 200,000 bottles per year to over 2 million, an increase of 1000 per cent. The new purpose-built 6,200²ft facility is already underway and is due to open in March 2019.
