One of many unique founders, Coughlin was liable for resurrecting Bruichladdich Distillery in 2001. Alongside co-founder Mark Reynier, the pair bought and rejuvenated the distillery in 2000, along with grasp distiller, Jim McEwan, growing Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore.
Coughlin stated: “Again in 2000 the trade was in a really completely different place. Distilleries had been being mothballed and even demolished, and alternatives for brand spanking new distilleries to open and thrive had been nearly non-existent.
“A few of these early years had been extraordinarily tough. We had been breaking down lots of the misconceptions within the whisky class and had been dedicated to carving out a extra sincere, clear, and progressive imaginative and prescient for our trade. We’ve all the time believed in terroir, championing flavour, and harnessing our uncooked substances,” Coughlin added.
Bruichladdich Distillery was purchased by Remy Cointreau in 2012, marking the French firm’s return to the one malt Scotch whisky market. Stepping down from Bruichladdich Distillery as CEO in 2017, Coughlin grew to become CEO of the Whisky Division and a member of the Remy Cointreau Govt Committee, heading up the acquisition of single malt companies Westland (Seattle, US) and Domaine des Hautes Glaces (France).
Previous to Bruichladdich, Coughlin spent his total profession within the premium drinks trade, working with numerous wonderful wine retailers in London. In 1995 he was operations director and shareholder of Murray McDavid Restricted, a Scottish unbiased whisky bottler and dealer.
Douglas Taylor, CEO at Bruichladdich Distillery, stated: “Simon leaves an unimaginable long-lasting legacy, following 23 years of devoted dedication to undertaking Bruichladdich.
“Simon has been an inspiration to many inside our enterprise and internationally, inspiring a technology of distillers to embark on their very own entrepreneurial journey. As the ultimate founder to retire, Simon leaves Bruichladdich in an extremely sturdy place and we thank him for the whole lot he has carried out,” Taylor added.
