New wine expert role created at oldest Leith merchant

Scotland’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, Cockburns of Leith, has appointed Malcolm Ogilvie to a new role as Wine Ambassador.

Ogilvie has been brought on board to expand the Edinburgh company’s wine tasting offering and brings a wealth of industry experience to the newly created role.

Cockburns of Leith – which counted Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, and King George IV among its customers – was established in 1796 by brothers Robert and John Cockburn. The incredible growth the city experienced during the Enlightenment era inspired the brothers to set up the business, which sought to supply the best of global wine and spirits to Edinburgh’s upwardly mobile social classes. 

The company and its famous brand were rescued from administration by Murray Capital in 2010, with a new bottle shop and tasting facility launched from premises in the capital’s Frederick Street last year. Cockburns has experienced widespread demand for corporate and private tastings since then and hopes to capitalise on that trend with this appointment. 

Having trained with and earned a diploma from the globally recognised Wine and Spirits Education Trust, Ogilvie has been brought on board to meet that demand for bespoke tasting events. He brings to the team more than 40 years of experience in the wine and spirit industry and will carry out tasting events all over Scotland. These sessions can be entertaining, educational, or specifically themed and will cater to groups of all sizes.  

Keith Murray, director of Cockburns of Leith, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Malcolm to Cockburns of Leith as a Wine Ambassador. His invaluable knowledge and experience of the industry will be a true asset. We want to provide our customers with the best possible service, and Malcolm’s appointment will ensure we can offer an exceptional level of quality in our tastings and events. We are also looking at the possibility of appointing more ambassadors later this year, to further expand this offering.”

Malcolm Ogilvie said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Cockburns’ first Wine Ambassador. In this role I will be conducting wine tastings on behalf of Cockburns of Leith, using their fantastic range of cutting-edge wines. Having joined the wine trade before the deluge of southern hemisphere wines hit these shores, I have helped the modern world of wine evolve. I am looking forward to bringing this experience to bear with my work for Cockburns of Leith and I hope to offer customers a unique set of insights into this fascinating subject.”