Elixir Distillers

Type: Independent bottler

In 2002, Sukhinder Singh bottled his first cask and launched The Single Malts of Scotland.[1][6] That single cask is the starting point for Elixir Distillers’ whisky story: a business whose ranges now span individual Scottish malts, Islay single malts and blended malts from across Islay.[1][6]

The London-based independent bottler was co-founded and is owned by brothers Sukhinder Singh and Rajbir Singh, according to the producer’s account. Its principal whisky names are The Single Malts of Scotland, Elements of Islay and Port Askaig, while its distilling interests bring together Tormore in Speyside and the Portintruan project on Islay.[1][2][5]

What Elixir Distillers is known for

Three whisky names give Elixir much of its identity. The Single Malts of Scotland began with Sukhinder’s first cask bottling in 2002. Port Askaig presents Islay single malts, while Elements of Islay brings together blended malts from across the island.[1][6]

Those are the ranges. Tormore and Portintruan are the distillery interests: an established Speyside producer and a new distillery being built just outside Port Ellen on Islay’s south coast.[2][4]

For the broader picture, start with what an independent bottler does. Elixir shows how that role can expand: selecting whisky remains central, but the business also produces spirit and develops places where future whisky will be made.[1][2][5]

From the family shop to the first cask

The brothers’ drinks story begins in their parents’ shop. Elixir says they started in the trade aged two and four.[1] Accounts differ over the parents’ first licence: one gives 1971 and describes them as the first Asians in the UK granted a liquor licence; another gives 1972 and describes them as the first Indian family.[1][8]

Story verdict: Disputed

The year and the wording of the claimed first differ between accounts. The supplied record resolves neither the date nor the priority claim, and the earliest known source remains unestablished. Sources: Elixir Distillers and Vinexposium, checked November 2026.[1][8]

Collecting grew alongside the family business. According to Elixir, Sukhinder began collecting miniatures in the mid-1980s and was among the world’s largest whisky collectors by the mid-1990s.[1] That ranking is the producer’s assessment, not an independently established one.

The family shop was sold in 1998. In 1999, the brothers founded online retailer The Whisky Exchange and on-trade business Speciality Drinks.[1][8] Sukhinder’s first cask bottling followed in 2002, launching The Single Malts of Scotland. In 2017, the independent bottling arm, Speciality Drinks, took the name Elixir Distillers.[1][6]

Each date marks a different beginning: retail, bottling and the current name. Accounts give both 2015 and 2017 as the business founding year; the documented 2017 renaming does not settle that disagreement.[3][8]

The whisky ranges

The Single Malts of Scotland comes first in the producer’s whisky chronology, beginning in 2002.[1] It is a natural starting point for understanding how Elixir developed through independent bottling before taking on distillery production.

Port Askaig followed in 2009, offering a range of Islay single malts.[1][6] Its source distillery is undisclosed in the supplied record. The name belongs to the range, rather than identifying a Port Askaig production site.

Elements of Islay brings together blended malts from across the island.[1][6] Its launch year is disputed, with accounts giving 2006 or 2008. A core range of Cask Edit, Bourbon Cask and Sherry Cask arrived in 2022.[1]

Story verdict: Disputed

The supplied sources give different launch years for Elements of Islay and do not resolve the conflict. Sources: Elixir Distillers and Whisky Magazine, checked November 2026.[1][6]

The portfolio reaches beyond whisky bottlings. The producer records Black Tot Last Consignment in 2011, Black Tot Finest Caribbean in 2019 and Highland Nectar whisky liqueur in 2021.[1] Black Tot’s releases are rum, and Highland Nectar is a liqueur: neither belongs in a list of single malt whiskies.

In 2026, the Elixir Trails series included whiskies from White Peak, Thy, Chichibu and Westland.[5] The series adds another strand alongside the established Scotch ranges, without making those producers Elixir-owned distilleries.

The Whisky Exchange and the Tormore agreement

Two transactions ran in opposite directions. Pernod Ricard bought The Whisky Exchange in 2021, together with Speciality Drinks; it did not buy Elixir Distillers.[3][5][8] On 20 June 2022, Pernod Ricard announced an agreement to sell the Tormore brand and distillery to Elixir.[3]

That dates the agreement, not documented completion. Production under Elixir began in January 2023, with Polly Logan as Distillery Manager.[2]

“We are humbled to be the new custodians of Tormore”, Sukhinder said in the statement accompanying the agreement.[3] For a business built around selecting and bottling whisky, the deal brought a different responsibility: an established distillery and its future production.

Tormore: changing an established distillery

Tormore has four pairs of stills and a reported capacity of just under 5 million litres of alcohol a year.[5] That figure describes capacity rather than actual annual output. The distillery was built in 1960 and became a listed building in 1986, according to the producer’s account.[2]

Under Elixir, reported production changes include distillers’ and spent brewers’ yeast, Laureate and Sassy barley, slower distillation and adjusted cut points.[5] These are specific choices about how the spirit is made, not a basis for inventing tasting notes.

Tormore’s first permanent single malt collection arrived in 2026 with 12 Years Old, Timeless and 16 Years Old.[2][5] Two further expressions, 18 Years Old and 21 Years Old, were planned rather than confirmed releases in the supplied record.

Plans also include refurbishing Tormore and building a visitor centre.[2] Anyone arranging a visit should check the producer’s current information: the plans do not establish that a visitor centre is already operating.

Portintruan: building for flavour creation

Direct-fired wash stills and on-site floor maltings are part of the planned design for Portintruan, Elixir’s new distillery outside Port Ellen.[4][6][7] Ground was first broken at the end of 2020, and the name was announced in May 2022.[2][4] Pronounced “port-nah-truan”, Portintruan means “place of the stream”, taking its name from the historic farm estate on the site.[2][4]

The planned wash stills are by Forsyths, while the team consulted Stauning and Glen Garioch on the maltings.[4][6][7] A pilot distillery is also planned, including a column still and twin retorts for rum, alongside rye and malt production.[6]

Sukhinder called his aim “a distillery for flavour creation”.[5] The proposed combination of floor maltings and different distillation arrangements gives that ambition a practical shape, though commissioning of the planned equipment is not confirmed.

Portintruan’s Distillery Manager is Georgie Crawford, whose previous experience includes Lagavulin and Port Ellen Maltings.[5][6] The wider site plans reach beyond whisky production: 14 homes for Islay families, a visitor centre, a bar and restaurant, and an education facility for apprentices are all included.[4]

Construction has taken longer than first intended. Opening targets moved from early 2024 to spring 2025.[3][4][6] Contractor ISG entered administration in September 2024, delaying the project. Morris & Spottiswood took over completion and fit-out in February 2025.[7]

As of February 2026, formal distillation was intended to begin towards the end of that year. A provisional premises licence followed in April 2026, but no first spirit had been publicly confirmed in the supplied November 2026 record.[5][7]

Common mistakes

Treating Elixir as part of Pernod Ricard: Keep the two transactions separate. Pernod bought The Whisky Exchange in 2021, then agreed to sell Tormore to Elixir in 2022.[3]

Treating Port Askaig as a distillery: It is a range of Islay single malts, not an identified production site. Its source distillery is undisclosed in the supplied record.[1][6]

Treating a Portintruan opening target as first distillation: An intended opening is not a first spirit date. The later licensing and construction record does not establish one.[7]

Assuming Elixir always used its current name: The independent bottling arm was called Speciality Drinks before becoming Elixir Distillers in 2017.[1][6]

Where to go next

• Gordon & MacPhail: explore another independent bottler’s history and identity.
• Signatory Vintage: compare a separate bottler’s story.
• Independent Bottler Code Names Explained: understand names that do not directly identify a distillery.

Sources

1. Elixir Distillers. About Elixir Distillers. Undated producer’s account, checked November 2026. https://elixirdistillers.com/about
2. Elixir Distillers. Our Distilleries: Tormore and Portintruan. Undated producer’s account, checked November 2026. https://elixirdistillers.com/distilleries
3. Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard to sell Tormore Scotch Whisky brand and distillery to Elixir Distillers. 20 June 2022, checked November 2026. https://www.pernod-ricard.com/en/media/pernod-ricard-sell-tormore-scotch-whisky-brand-and-distillery-elixir-distillers
4. The Spirits Business. Elixir Distillers names Islay distillery. May 2022, checked November 2026. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2022/05/elixir-distillers-names-islay-distillery/
5. The Drinks Business. ‘Liquid, liquid, liquid’: Elixir Distillers’ flavour focus. February 2026, checked November 2026. https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/02/liquid-liquid-liquid-elixir-distillers-flavour-focus/
6. Whisky Magazine. Discovering the elements of Islay with Elixir Distillers. Undated in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://whiskymag.com/articles/discovering-the-elements-of-islay-with-elixir-distillers/
7. Islay Whisky Guide. Portintruan Distillery. Undated in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://islaywhiskys.com/distillery/portintruan
8. Vinexposium. Sukhinder Singh: A spirited life. Undated in the supplied record, checked November 2026. https://www.vinexposium.com/en/actus/faces/sukhinder-singh-a-spirited-life/

This desk-researched article uses fact sheet TOP-A394, distinguishing producer histories, the transaction announcement and trade reporting.

Last checked: November 2026