Edrington’s Planning Evolution, Powered by Spitfire Analytics
Edrington is a global leader in premium spirits, home to iconic brands like The Macallan, Highland Park, and Glenrothes. With over 3,500 employees, most of them based outside the UK, Edrington needed a faster, more flexible approach to planning and reporting, especially as demand grew in the US market.

The Challenge
Edrington’s US finance team had outgrown its depletion-based planning system. It was:
-
Slow and error-prone, with processes dragging on for hours
-
Overly complex, with too much detail and not enough value
-
Unable to scale, struggling to handle growing data volumes and evolving business questions
And when the system wasn’t crashing, it was freezing mid-report. Not ideal.
The Solution
Spitfire Analytics rebuilt the planning environment from the ground up, without interrupting day-to-day operations.
Here’s how we delivered:
-
Stripped back unnecessary SQL steps to dramatically reduce data load times
-
Built and tested a brand-new solution in parallel, so teams could keep working
-
Upgraded to IBM® Planning Analytics Cloud, unlocking better performance and flexibility
-
Added overhead analysis and open order tracking, expanding visibility across the board
-
Introduced IBM® PAX and PAW for a smoother, more intuitive user experience
The Result
-
<10-second data loads (down from over an hour)
-
20-second financial calcs, without the wait
-
No more crashes, freezes, or lockouts
-
Live, flexible reporting when and where it’s needed
-
Tailored planning tools that fit real-world finance workflows
Client Testimonial

Spitfire Analytics have partnered with us for over three years, complementing our internal teams. They’ve provided consultancy, support, development, and turn-key solutions.
What sets them apart is not just technical expertise, but deep subject matter knowledge in financial accounting, budgeting, and process improvement. This combination has driven a truly innovative and transformational evolution in our systems and capabilities.
Peter Smith, Head of Solution Delivery – Edrington
Tell us how we can help
Book in a chat with our team

Case Studies
Don’t just listen to us, our clients always say it better than we do. We’re just too humble.