Wigtown Book Festival and Bladnoch Distillery came together in a partnership rooted in shared values of resilience, regeneration and pride of place. Supported by the Fund, the collaboration celebrated volunteers as the backbone of the festival while positioning Bladnoch at the heart of one of Scotland’s most distinctive cultural events. Through storytelling, sponsorship of key venues and events, and meaningful audience engagement, the partnership strengthened community connections, boosted regional visibility and demonstrated how culture and business can work together to support rural regeneration.
Founded to revitalise Galloway during a period of economic hardship, Wigtown Book Festival has grown into a nationally recognised literary event, attracting over 8,000 visitors annually and supported by more than 100 volunteers. Bladnoch Distillery, Scotland’s oldest privately owned distillery, shares a parallel story of renewal. Rescued from closure in 2015, it has become a major local employer and cultural destination, welcoming visitors from across Scotland and beyond. The partnership aims to:
Fund investment enabled the partnership to scale its ambition, particularly through enhanced venue sponsorship and volunteer-focused activity.
• A programme of Bladnoch-supported events across Wigtown Book Festival 2025 • Bold Spirit: Tales of Galloway at Bladnoch Distillery • Whisky tastings and author readings • Volunteer recognition and celebration activity • Festival reach of 21,000 audience interactions across the event period, with 8,300 participants engaging directly in sponsored activity
• Bladnoch exclusively sponsored the festival’s 100+ volunteers, recognising them as the living embodiment of the “Bold Galloway Spirit”. • Volunteers wore Bladnoch-branded lanyards throughout the festival, reinforcing visibility while fostering pride and identity. • A volunteer training event hosted at the distillery offered behind-the-scenes access and strengthened relationships between the business and local community.
• Joint press releases and coordinated PR activity generated widespread regional and national media coverage, including features in The Sunday Post, The Herald, Scotland on Sunday, DG Standard and Galloway News. • Bladnoch-sponsored events attracted whisky enthusiasts, culturally engaged audiences and first-time distillery visitors. • Social media content featuring volunteer stories, interviews and behind-the-scenes activity achieved strong engagement, with individual posts reaching tens of thousands of views. • Bladnoch served as venue sponsor for the County Buildings, hosting over 30 events and anchoring the distillery’s presence at the heart of the festival.
“Bladnoch Distillery’s ethos of ‘Bold Galloway Spirit’ captures the character of our volunteer community perfectly. Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do — Wigtown Book Festival simply wouldn’t happen without them. Having a dedicated sponsor allowed us to offer enhanced training and gave our volunteers a stronger sense of identity, pride and value. With support from Culture & Business Scotland, we were also able to place Bladnoch’s brand and story at the very centre of the festival.”
Isla Rosser-Owen, CEO, Wigtown Book Festival
“Rooted in over 200 years of whisky-making heritage, Bladnoch’s three collections each tell a part of our story.
The Bold Collection showcases our taste-first approach through vibrant, approachable whiskies. The Galloway Collection honours our home and heritage through exceptional cask maturation and depth of flavour.
And finally, the Spirited Collection celebrates rarity and innovation, with limited releases crafted by our Master Distiller.”
Why did Bladnoch Distillery choose to partner with Wigtown Book Festival?
At Bladnoch, community and storytelling are woven into our DNA. Our history and revival are rooted in the resilience of Galloway, and partnering with Wigtown Book Festival allowed us to support an event that reflects the same bold spirit — one that celebrates local culture, brings people together, and champions the volunteers at the heart of the festival experience.
What value did the partnership bring to your organisation?
This partnership enabled us to deepen our connection with the local community and showcase how culture and enterprise can combine to enrich rural life. Sponsoring the team of more than 100 volunteers not only demonstrated our commitment to grassroots engagement, but placed Bladnoch front and centre of one of Scotland’s most significant cultural moments.
How did storytelling and community feature in the collaboration?
Our collaboration was built around shared narratives — of place, of resilience and of people. By highlighting volunteer stories and hosting events like Bold Spirit: Tales of Galloway at the distillery, we were able to bring storytelling to life in ways that resonated with visitors, locals, whisky lovers and literature fans alike.
What impact did the partnership have beyond the festival itself?
Supporting the volunteers strengthened the festival’s core infrastructure and helped amplify the bold Galloway spirit — both culturally and economically. Hosting storytelling events at the distillery extended the reach of festival activity, encouraged cultural tourism, and reinforced Bladnoch’s role as a place where community and creativity intersect.
Would you recommend cultural partnerships to other businesses?
Yes. Partnerships like this demonstrate how cultural collaboration can celebrate shared values, support community activity and connect businesses to audiences in ways that feel genuine, meaningful and rooted in place.
• Volunteers reported increased confidence, pride and sense of value through visible recognition and enhanced training opportunities. • Authors and speakers benefited from distinctive venues and increased media exposure, contributing to more engaged audiences. • The partnership strengthened Wigtown’s reputation as a place where literature, heritage and community intersect.
• Bladnoch deepened its association with culture, storytelling and place-based identity. • Distillery-hosted events introduced new audiences to the brand, many visiting the site for the first time. • On-site sampling and storytelling generated longer-term interest in tours, retail purchases and return visits. • Professionally produced video content now provides LWP with a long-term asset.
• The collaboration reinforced pride of place and highlighted the value of volunteering in sustaining rural cultural life. • Festival activity supported the equivalent of 54 full-time jobs, driving footfall and spend across the local economy. • International reach through digital content and media extended Dumfries & Galloway’s cultural profile globally.
