Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited was a

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

-based

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

blender and wine merchants established in 1908. The company was known for producing Beneagles blended Scotch whisky. In 1983 the firm was bought by Sir Reo Stakis to complement the Haddows off-licence chain and wholesale business.

History

In 1897, Alexander Thomson & Sons was established as a family grocery and wine merchant business in Perth. In 1911, they were located on the

Old High Street High Street is a street and the primary retail area of the Scottish city of Perth. Established in at least the 15th century, its central section has been both modernised and pedestrianised, while its two ends are mainly Victorian in terms of th ...

.''Leslie's directory for Perth and Kinross'' (1911), p. 12
/ref> A son, Peter, bought one of the stores on the High Street which he had managed since 1906, and established Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited in 1908. Throughout the 1920s the company developed a mail order business selling their own blends of

scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

. The founder, Peter Thomson, died in 1939 and the business was passed to his son,

David Kinnear Thomson David Kinnear Thomson (26 March 1910 – 27 December 1992) was the chairman and president of Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited, whisky blenders and exporters based in Perth, Scotland. He served as Lord Provost of Perth from 1966 to 1972 and cha ...

. Throughout the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, David Thomson was absent from the business as he was serving with the military and subsequently held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. After the war the wholesale and agency side of the business were expanded. Retail grocery and wine trading were also developed but ceased trading in 1973 with the closure of the remaining shop on Perth High Street. In 1983 the company was acquired by Reo Stakis to complement the Haddows off-licence chain and wholesale business. At the time the firm was the agent for a strong portfolio of drinks brands in Scotland including, The Macallan single malt,

Beefeater Gin Beefeater Gin is a brand of gin owned by Pernod Ricard and bottled and distributed in the United Kingdom. Beefeater remained in the Burrough's family control until 1987. It is a 47% or 44% alcohol product (94 proof) in the US, and a 40% alcoh ...

and Bertola sherry. The company also had a strong market for its own blended whiskey called Beneagles. The firm sold its own range of miniature ceramic bottles, containing Beneagles, which depicted Scottish culture; novelty bottle shapes included the

Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

stones and animals. The ceramic miniatures have become collectors items as they were made by some of Britain's finest potteries. In 1985

Scottish and Newcastle Scottish & Newcastle plc was a brewing company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, which expanded from its home base to become an international business with beer volumes growing almost tenfold. The company was listed on the London Stock Exc ...

Breweries acquired Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited and Thomson Haddow from Sir Reo Stakis. The whiskey interest of Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited was incorporated into Charles Mackinlay and Co based in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

, which was the sister company of Waverley Vintners Limited, owned by Scottish and Newcastle. Later that year Charles Mackinlay and Co was acquired by Invergordon Distilleries and in 1993 they were bought by

Whyte & Mackay Whyte & Mackay is a company producing alcoholic beverages based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned by Emperador Inc. (a subsidiary of the Alliance Global Group). History Charles Mackay (1850–1919) and James Whyte founded a company as whisky ...

References

External links

National Archives - Perth and Kinross Council Archive - Peter Thomson (Perth) Ltd, whisky merchants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Thomson (Perth) Limited Wine merchants 1908 establishments in Scotland Retail companies established in 1908 Blended Scotch whisky Food and drink companies established in 1908