The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Future of whisky shop uncertain after owner loses alcohol licences
A aCrieff whisky shop boss has had his alcohol licences removed following drink-driving conviction. Andrew Cuthbert, who runs JL Gill specialist whisky store on Crieff High Street, crashed his car into a wall on a remote country road in March.
Perth Sheriff Court heard the collision on the A822 Crieff to Muthill Road happened following a heated argument with his wife.
Police subsequently found him sitting in the driver’s seat slurring his words.
He was then breathalysed, and was found to be fiveand-a-half times the legal limit.
He was fined £400 and was disqualified from driving for two years.
Now, Perth and Kinross Council’s licensing board has revoked both his personal and premises licences.
At a meeting of the board on Thursday, councillors heard the conviction meant Mr Cuthbert no longer passes the test of being a fit and proper person to hold a licence to sell alcohol.
Mr Cuthbert did not attend the hearing.
While his personal licence has been removed immediately, his premises licences will remain for 28 days.
It is not yet clear what this will mean for the future of the shop.
A council spokesperson said: “Both the premises licence for JL Gill in Crieff, held by Andrew Steuart Cuthbert, and Mr Cuthbert’s personal licence, have been revoked after the licensing board determined he was not a fit and proper person to hold a personal or premises licence.
“Revocation on the personal licence has immediate effect.
“For legal reasons, the premises licence continues to have effect for 28 days until the revocation applies.”
JL Gill has been a Crieff institution for the last 30 years.
Before evolving into a whisky specialist store, it was a grocery shop.
Cuthbert has run the store since he was 19 years old.
The store also has a replica branch in Hong Kong.
This was initially opened in 2019, and brought Scottish whisky to the Asian markets.
Mr Cuthbert has been approached for comment.