Scottish companies were well represented at the Empire Exhibition in 1938, several of them having their own pavilions. This photograph shows the Distillers Co's Pavilion, designed by Thomas Tait, with his famous Tower of Empire in the background.
The circular entrance hall was decorated with murals depicting the company's various activities. Half of the main hall was devoted to displays relating to the company's business as distillers and bottlers of Scotch whisky and other spirits, the other half to related activities. There were demonstrations of bottling and labelling of miniatures, diagrams and posters, illustrating the processes involved in whisky production over the years, and there was a display of all the company's whiskies and gins.
The industrial section displayed some of the many by-products derived from the main process. Plastics, resins, adhesives, building materials and methylated spirits were among the products on show.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC ef606.4 (1938)
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Distillers Co, Empire Exhibition, Empire Tower, exhibitions, Scotch whisky, spirits, Tait's Tower, Tower of Empire