Vodka tycoon buys a £25million slice of whisky country
BOASTING eight miles of the best salmon fishing in the world, grouse moors and an Edwardian shooting lodge, it’s a Highland paradise fit for royalty and statesmen.
Tulchan Estate’s famous guests have included King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, ex-president Theodore Roosevelt and the railway financier William Vanderbilt.
Situated in the whisky heartland of Strathspey, it has become one of the most expensive sporting estates sold in Scotland after being bought by Russian vodka billionaire Yuri Shefler.
The 21,000-acre property had an asking price of more than £25million.
A spokesman for Savills would not reveal the amount paid for the estate, but confirmed: ‘It is one of the most expensive properties ever to be sold on the open market in Scotland.’
Mr Shefler, who has been a regular guest at Tulchan, is reportedly worth £1.34billion and owns the popular Stolichnaya vodka brand.
Tulchan was sold by the Litchfield family, who welcomed the fact Mr Shefler plans to continue running it as a commercial sporting estate.
A spokesman said: ‘This was an important factor to the sellers, as the estate makes a valuable contribution to the local economy, employing 20 full-time and a further 20 seasonal staff.’
The estate includes eight miles of prized Spey fishing, an ‘exceptional’ pheasant shoot, two driven grouse moors and a lodge that sleeps 26. At its core are the eight miles of double bank fishing on the river revered by fly fishermen the world over as one of the greatest of all salmon runs.
Tulchan is not the first estate in the area to be snapped up by a Russian.
Sergey Fedotov bought Castle Grant in Moray, home of former Rangers owner Craig Whyte, for £1million in 2014. Last August he was arrested in Moscow, accused of a multi-millionpound fraud to fund his lavish lifestyle.
‘Most expensive properties sold’