Leith-based bespoke whisky specialist Tailored Spirits Co. has been crowned Scotland’s Overall StartUp of the Year 2026 at the UK StartUp Awards. The company also secured the title of Scotland’s Food & Drink StartUp of the Year, marking a milestone in its rise since launching in 2024.
The UK StartUp Awards recognize the country’s most promising emerging businesses. Judges assess innovation, commercial success and growth potential.
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Tailored Spirits impressed the panel with its business model and commercial performance. The judges praised the firm for its “rapid growth and distinctive approach to creating bespoke spirits for clients and brands.”
They highlighted the company’s £2.35 million (US$2.94m) turnover, its team of eight and its early commercial progress.
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“The business has turned a specialist product idea into a serious food and drink operation,” the judging panel said. “We recognised a startup with impressive execution, clear market demand and the capability to build a premium Scottish drinks business with wider growth potential.”
The Edinburgh company was founded by whisky entrepreneurs Adam Harding, Carl Johnstone and Tom Costello. It guides clients through every stage of creating their own whisky, from sourcing single casks to designing labels and bottling finished products.
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READ THE STORYTailored Spirits now works with private clients, luxury brands and hospitality groups around the world.
“We are incredibly honoured to be named Scotland’s Overall StartUp of the Year,” said Carl Johnstone, co-founder of Tailored Spirits Co. “When we founded Tailored Spirits Co., our vision was to create the world’s leading bespoke whisky company.”
Johnstone added: “While we’re honoured by this recognition and proud of what we’ve achieved, we firmly believe this is just the beginning of the Tailored Spirits Co. story.”
Co-founder Tom Costello reflected on the firm’s beginnings. “We started out in the back of my wife’s plant shop, with our newborn son being passed between me and the two co-founders, Adam and Carl, in between feeds and naps,” he said.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, founder of the UK StartUp Awards, praised the winners. “They are building businesses with real purpose, commercial credibility and the potential to scale,” he said.
Tailored Spirits will represent Scotland at the national final in September as part of Ideas Fest in Hertfordshire.
