Testing labs in Fife

Tatlock & Thomson Ltd is one of the oldest and most respected analytical laboratories serving the Scotch whisky industry, with a heritage stretching back to 1891. Based in Leven, Fife, Scotland, the laboratory has spent well over a century developing deep expertise in alcoholic beverage analysis, supporting distillers at every stage of production from new make spirit assessment through to finished product certification. Their core mission is to provide rapid, accurate analytical services that underpin the integrity and international reputation of Scotch whisky and other spirits. The laboratory's primary offering is Certificates of Analysis (COA) required for the worldwide export of whisky and other alcoholic beverages. A standard COA from Tatlock & Thomson covers alcohol by volume, total solids, fixed and volatile acidity, methanol, higher alcohols, furfural, total aldehydes, and total esters — the internationally accepted suite of parameters. For specific export destinations the laboratory extends these analyses to meet local regulatory requirements: exports to Brazil require additional testing for total sugar, coefficient of congeners, and the sum of furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural; shipments to Turkey require certificates presenting value ranges with measurement uncertainty taken into account. Tatlock & Thomson also holds accreditation from the Brazilian government itself, making them a recognised partner for one of whisky's most administratively complex regulatory markets. Additional export-specific parameters are available for India, Japan, China, and other destinations. Beyond COA testing, the laboratory offers a comprehensive suite of analyses aligned with BS 8636, the British Standard governing the use of analytical parameters and methods for whisky. Analytes routinely measured include specific gravity, density, sulphur dioxide, beta-phenyl ethyl alcohol, and ash content. Plasticiser testing covers DBP (dibutyl phthalate), DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), DINP (diisononyl phthalate), and other compounds — an increasingly critical area as spirits are bottled and transported through diverse global supply chains. The laboratory also conducts research-oriented analyses covering maturation congeners, lactones in whisky, sulphur compounds, and phenol content in both malt and finished whisky, services of particular value to distillers conducting product development or maturation studies. The analytical capability at Tatlock & Thomson is built on a modern and diverse instrumentation platform. The laboratory operates ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) for trace metal detection in beverages and water at parts-per-billion levels, GC-MS (gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) and GC-FID (gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection) for volatile compound profiling including higher alcohols and esters, HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) for sugar and other non-volatile analyte determination, and IC (ion chromatography) for ionic species. This multi-technique platform enables the laboratory to serve as a one-stop analytical partner for distilleries requiring a broad range of tests without the complexity of managing multiple supplier relationships. Quality and accreditation are central to Tatlock & Thomson's service proposition. The laboratory is UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, the internationally recognised standard for testing and calibration laboratories. This is reinforced through ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) membership, which ensures mutual recognition of results across participating countries worldwide. In addition to these international frameworks, the laboratory holds specific recognition from the Brazilian government — a significant distinction given Brazil's stringent and independently administered certification requirements for imported spirits. Certificates of analysis are issued in English or other languages to meet the documentary requirements of different import authorities. Tatlock & Thomson operates from Tatlock House, a purpose-built laboratory facility opened in 2013 in The Teuchats, Leven, Fife (postcode KY8 5PF, Scotland). The facility was designed to accommodate the latest generation of analytical instrumentation and provides dedicated space for the laboratory's sensory panel work. The site also includes small-scale distilling facilities, supporting research and product development activities such as comparative yeast and barley trials. The sensory panel capability allows the team to assess new make spirit for off-notes — including sulphur compounds and other defects — enabling distillers to detect quality issues at the earliest possible stage of production and to identify the highest-quality batches for maturation. The team at Tatlock & Thomson combines long-standing industry knowledge with advanced academic qualifications. Staff hold doctoral degrees, MChem, MEng, and BSc qualifications, supplemented by continuous professional development (CPD) delivered in-house. The laboratory's mentor and trainer brings over 30 years of industry experience. Leadership includes Jack Smeaton as Deputy Technical Manager and Jireh Gordon as Quality Manager. The laboratory's deep heritage and highly qualified team make it a trusted analytical partner not merely for routine compliance testing, but for collaborative research into raw materials, fermentation processes, maturation chemistry, and spirit quality consistency. In addition to spirits analysis, Tatlock & Thomson provides water testing services compliant with the Private Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2017, serving distilleries and other businesses that depend on private water sources. Malt predicted spirit yield analysis is also available, giving distillers a forward-looking quality metric for incoming raw materials. This breadth of service — from raw material and process research through to finished product certification and international export compliance across multiple regulatory jurisdictions — positions Tatlock & Thomson as a genuinely comprehensive analytical partner for the Scotch whisky industry and the wider alcoholic beverage sector.