Edradour and The Mafia
A Scot on Scotch delves into the story of Edradour – Scotland’s Smallest Distillery, and its surprising links with the criminal underworld of the US.
Edradour Distillery was founded in 1825 by a cooperative of local farmers led by Alexander Forbes. Originally known as Glenforres, the distillery moved to its current site in 1834 and was renamed Edradour, meaning “the land between two rivers”. For many years it was one of the smallest distilleries in the country, but for one so small, it has a long and storied history.
In 1933, Edradour was acquired by William Whiteley, owner of the blended Scotch brand “King’s Ransom“. Whiteley was a shrewd and successful businessman who struck up a healthy working relationship with some unsavoury characters during the years of prohibition in the States. One of his closest associates was Frank Costello, a man known as the Prime Minister of the Underworld. Costello was head of the Luciano crime family and is often cited as the inspiration for The Godfather. Costello provided the supply route for Whiteley’s whiskies and made it his duty as “sales representative” to ensure bars were well stocked with Whiteley brands. It’s best not to think about what might happen if the bar was stocking something else.
William Whiteley decided to retire in 1938. His business (including Edradour Distillery) was bought by American bootlegger Irving Haim, a known associate of Costello. Inevitably, questions would soon be asked regarding Costello’s involvement in the acquisition. In 1950, Costello was grilled by the U.S. Senate about his financial affairs, including any possible link to Whiteley whisky brands. Costello stated that while he tried to buy the Whiteley Company, he was unsuccessful and it went instead to Haim. The small matter of Costello’s “Alliance Distributors” being awarded the exclusive distribution rights for Whiteley brands in the US was, apparently, a complete coincidence…
Ownership of Edradour changed hands in 1976 when it was sold by the descendants of Irving Haim to an American / Australian consortium. It changed hands again in 2002 when it was bought by Signatory Vintage Ltd which has since released a large variety of different expressions and established a Visitor Centre that opens April to October.
Edradour 10 Year Old Review
The standard Edradour 10-year-old malt is bottled at 40%.
Tasting notes: Vanilla and honey, a bit floral, some citrus, and maybe a wee hint of some sherry oak. On the palate, surprisingly weighty for the low ABV. There’s caramel and toffee, biscuit, vanilla, cinnamon, orange… Baked apples, too.
Thoughts: The 10 isn’t the best offering from Edradour, but it’s an affordable introduction to a very interesting wee distillery. The Edradour spirit can do well in sherry casks, and you can feel their presence here, though it is by no means a sherry bomb. It’s a surprisingly complex whisky, set at a low price. I must confess that I find Edradour to be a rather fascinating wee place, and this is probably the best way to start getting to know it.
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