James Eadie (brewer)
| Company type | Private company (from 1893) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1854 in Burton on Trent, England |
| Founder | James Eadie |
| Defunct | 1933 (acquired by Bass Ratcliffe and Gretton) |
| Fate | Acquired by Bass Ratcliffe and Gretton |
| Headquarters | Burton on Trent , England |
| Products | Beer, Scotch whisky (historical) |
James Eadie (1827–1904) was a Scottish entrepreneur in brewing who established a brewery in Burton on Trent that remained operational for nine decades.
Originating from Blackford, Perthshire, Eadie was one of fourteen offspring of William Eadie and Mary Stewart. His father operated a modest brewhouse within a posting inn in Blackford. In 1842, James relocated to Fazeley, Staffordshire, where his brother John worked as a tea merchant. He started by providing malt to local brewers in Fazeley and subsequently extended his business into Burton on Trent. The establishment of his brewery on Cross Street, Burton, occurred in 1854.[1] By 1891, Eadie lived at Barrow Hall in Barrow-upon-Trent and possessed an estate located at Glenrinnes, Banffshire. He held the position of Deputy Lieutenant of Banffshire beginning in 1900 and commissioned a monument to honor King Edward VII’s coronation in 1902.
His sons, John and William, were both cricketers representing Derbyshire.
James Eadie brewing company
After its inception in 1854, the James Eadie firm experienced consistent growth and was officially incorporated as a private company in 1893. Alfred Barnard visited the Cross Street facility and featured it in his work Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland (1889). Barnard highlighted that James Eadie had inherited a traditional Scotch whisky recipe from his father, which was distributed with discretion. Despite expansion, the business encountered financial difficulties leading to reorganization in 1896. In 1933, the brewery along with its extensive portfolio of several hundred public houses was purchased by Bass Ratcliffe and Gretton.
Beginning in 2015, the "James Eadie" name was revived for bottling Scotch whisky, reintroducing the historic brand into the spirits industry.[2]