Work by 95 Year-Old Glasgow Artist McGoran to be Immortalised on Bottles of a Single Cask Malt

He has become an East Side sensation after his last-ever exhibition at the Forge Shopping Centre in Glasgow has proved so popular that its run has been extended by a week (now closing 5th March 2023).

Now, Thomas McGoran, the 95 year-old artist from Glasgow who only started painting in his retirement, will see one of his paintings immortalised on bottles of a rare single cask of Auchentoshan 33 Year-Old being sold and bottled by Caskshare.

Commenting on the project, Thomas said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that the exhibition would be the success that it has become and to have been asked to put one of my paintings on a whisky bottle is really just the icing on the cake.”

The painting chosen for the special release is ‘Going to the Pictures’, which depicts a couple on their way to the cinema, an industry which played a big part in Thomas’ childhood – he was a projectionist (spoolboy) in 1941 – and in Glasgow culture.  In the 1930s, Glasgow was known as the ‘Cinema City’ as it had the highest ratio of cinemas per head of population anywhere in the world.

John Robertson, MD of Caskshare, said: “We chose this painting as it reminded us of nights drawing in, the warmth of whisky, company and sharing memories. The ABC Cinema was a Glasgow institution for many generations, so it’s a perfect fit.”

Born in 1928, Thomas McGoran has spent a lifetime contributing to his beloved East End of Glasgow. After retiring in 1988, McGoran painted at pace and mostly from memory, creating tableaux that illustrate colourful Glasgow life in the 1930’s.

While not a big whisky drinker, Thomas has enjoyed a daily dram with soda water for the last few years saying it ‘makes him feel good’.

John Robertson added: “Pairing our 1990 Auchentoshan with a burgeoning artist from that time felt uniquely special to us. Both Thomas and this whisky were developing and defining their style during the 90s while taking inspiration from Scotland’s largest city.”

One hundred sixty-five bottles of the Auchentoshan 33 Year-Old (47% ABV) are now on sale at £575 each, available to buy via registration until Thursday 2nd March. The cask will be bottled in November 2023. Further details can be found here: https://www.caskshare.com/ballot/auchentoshan-gb