James Eadie

OUR HISTORY

James Eadie (1827-1904) was a Scottish brewer who established a significant brewery in 1854. Born near Gleneagles in Scotland, he was one of fourteen children and left school at the age of fourteen to work for his living.

Reported in local papers as a self-made man, Mr Eadie was a quiet individual whose hard work and indomitable perseverance earned him and his family a good living.

Aside from beer, the Eadie family had their own recipe for a Blended Scotch whisky. Only a few bottles of the original James Eadie whisky remain. To our knowledge all of them are in family hands.

The Scotch whisky and British beer writer of the day, Alfred Barnard, visited the Eadie brewery and wrote up his findings in his famous book, “Noted breweries of Great Britain and Ireland”, (Volume 2, 1889).

Barnard reveals how Mr James Eadie had inherited, from his father, a recipe for a Scotch Whisky Blend which he describes as “an ancient Scotch mixture that was dispensed to a favoured few”. In fact, the whisky was dispensed quite widely, being available in over 300 of the James Eadie pubs.

WHO’S BEHIND JAMES EADIE TODAY?

Rupert Patrick is a great-great-grandson of James Eadie.

In 1991 after three years in the wine trade he moved to Edinburgh to become Export Manager for an independent Scotch whisky company.

He worked for Macleod Distillers for fourteen years before moving to Beam Suntory (Laphroaig, Teacher’s, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark) and then to Diageo where he was Commercial Director for Africa, managing Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky and Guinness.

Rupert is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. He’s a Keeper of the Quaich and has extensive knowledge of the Scotch whisky industry.