It lies in the northern highlands on the shores of the dornoch firth in the village of edderton, which incidentally tales its name from the ancient settlement of eadar dun, meaning between the forts. Having spent its entire maturation in a single sherry butt, it is rather heavy on the sherry, which is right in the wheelhouse of blair athol. And the workforce that they have there, they take good pride in what they do. Balblair distillery is off station road, edderton, which is in turn off the a836 from tain to ardgay, about 6 miles from tain. Balblair distillery edderton 2020 all you need to know.
Balblair whisky buy balblair whiskies online master of. In 1790 the first legal whisky distillery in edderton was established at balblair farm next to what is now a836. It is often combined with the freshness and taste of grass or hay. Balblair comes from a unique place where the pace of life is easy. These are all determining factors in how a whisky tastes.
We have books about the craft distilling industry as well as how to bottle and label your products. Following john rosss death in 1836, the distillery was passed down to his son, andrew ross. To this day, the balblair distillery continues to use this original water source. Learn about the history of making spirits and the trials distillers went through in the earlier days. Speyburn distillery draws its water from two local sources. Buy blair athol 22 year old 1995 vintage highland single malt scotch whisky. The entry is dated january 25, 1800, and is written by john ross himself. The balblairs distillery character is best described as a very fruity and sweet. I genuinely look forward to going to the distillery to start a days work at such a beautiful location, a fantastic location. Balblair is what you imagine a distillery should be.
The first urban microdistillery located in the heart of a cosmopolitan city. The distillery was in the ross family for three generations, and the business was passed down from grandfather to. The balblair distillery was founded in 1790 by john ross but there are unofficial records of distilling dating back to 1749. It is the second oldest distillery still producing whisky in scotland. We capture the intense esters at the start of the spirit cut to give our whisky the core. Balblair history the first balblair distillery was built by the ross family near edderton in 1790, but in 1872 production was shifted to a new site next to the then new railway line which linked wick to inverness. In 1825, he expanded and renamed the facilities blair athol. Balblair has one of the oldest set of records in whisky history. This really makes me look on whisky so differently.
The best distillery tour in all of scotland, for free. However, so good was the original water source that the rebuilt distillery chose to ignore a nearby burn in favour of the original ault dearg burn. You can even purchase the rarest release of them all. Distillery manager john macdonald tastes casks each year to decide when that. The present distillery buildings date from the 1890s. We stumbled upon balblair distillery on an adventure with our 4 kids to explore inverness. During the second world war, balblair distillery was used by the army commandeers and the army built a concrete floor in warehouse 4, and used it as a kitchen. All the other warehouses, except cellar 3 have beatenearth floors. Matured in 2nd fill american oak exbourbon casks and 1st fill spanish oak exsherry butts. Balblair distillery comments one of the oldest working distilleries in the industry. In 1894 production was moved half a mile northwards to a new build next to the railway line. The tour began with a very interesting video with commentary available in multiple languages, which told the history of the distillery. My husband was wager to visit as wed promised he could sample a few or the highlands finest whiskeys whilst we were away. Blair athol distillery pitlochry 2020 all you need to.
A detailed history of the north british distillery company ltd. We visited the oldest distillery in scotland and had a chat with master distiller, john macdonald. In whiskey burn, the distilleries of ireland by vespa, ben sets out again on another 1,600km trip from. A history of distilleries in kentucky chester zoeller on. Book a tour of the highland park whisky distillery on orkney to meet the. White mule press, niche books for lovers of spirits.
At balblair we only ever release our whisky when it is ready. Its here, since we rolled out our first barrels in 1790, that weve been producing awardwinning highland single malt scotch whisky. Founders and awardwinning distillers of kings county distillery colin spoelman and david haskell follow up their successful guide to urban moonshining with an extensive history of the figures who distilled american spirits. We are the most comprehensive resource directory for craft distillers. The balblair distillery visitor tour is intimate and personal an insight into our pursuit of producing the finest quality malt whisky, discover more by visiting balblair. Microdistilleries understand that, and their atmosphere provides you with an experience as unique as their spirits. Blair athol distillery stands at the gateway to the scottish highlands in the picturesque town of pitlochry, perthshire. See how our spirits are made, learn the history behind toms town and sample our awardwinning spirits. Blair athol distillery is a distillery in scotland that distills blair athol single malt whisky. Find uptodate information for over 725 productservice providers. The third such book in the series, they also released books for their 50th and 75th anniversaries. Given the fastmoving coronavirus covid19 outbreak, as a precautionary measure, blair athol distillery visitor centre is closed until further notice.
As you can see photographs are allowed and unlike dalmore, which we had visited earlier, cameras and phones were allowed and not confined to the car. Vikre distillery makes handmade spirits in duluth, minnesota using ingredients from the lake superior watershed. One of scotlands oldest distilleries, balblair was founded in 1790 by john ross. Balblair highland whisky single malt scotch whisky. Buy online, single malt scotch whisky from blair athol distillery, situated on the outskirts of pitlochy in perthshire and is a popular tourist attraction being conveniently placed on the fringes of the highlands. Blair athol is a diageo distillery their only nonclassic malt distillery that is open to the public.
Make the whiskey drinkers in your life happy by giving them these books. The capacity of the distillery stands at 1 million liters a year, and charles doig, the famed distillery architect, designed the distillerys buildings. Glenfiddich distillery stands just to the north of dufftown, on the western side of the valley of the river fiddich. Our home sits on an ancient pictish gathering place, tucked away near the banks of the dornoch firth. Balblair distillery is purchased by inver house distillers and so begins the newest chapter in the history of this timeless distillery.
Blair athol whisky buy blair athol whiskies online. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience whilst viewing our website. Back then the distilling in the highlands was illegal, so it was typical to distil off the record. In the earlier years the balblair distillery didnt do their own distillery. A 19 year old blair athol, bottled by hunter laing as part of their first edition range. It is used in bells whisky, and is also normally available in a 12yearold bottling. We create our whisky with pride and a dedication to excellence. Royal brackla was founded by william fraser of brackla house, on property that previously held cawdor castle. The first balblair distillery was built by the ross family near edderton in 1790, but in 1872 production was shifted to a new site next to. The distillery stops production in 1911 and closed in 1915.
Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Tour guide georgia was so informative, passionate and made it such a good experience. Blair athol distillery scotch whisky distillery malts. Our timeintensive methods make for more flavourintensive malts. Alexander cowan, who had built the new distillery, was forced to close the distillery in 1911, after which time it remained silent until 194849, when it reopened under new management. Leave tain on the a9, past glenmorangie distillery, and carry straight on at the roundabout where the a9 heads across the dornoch firth bridge. Visitors do like the opportunity to take pictures and these sell scotland and. The views and opinions expressed in the following book chapters are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the distilled spirits council or its.
Balblair distillery balblair single malt scotch whisky. Balblair distillery is a scotch whisky distillery located in edderton, rossshire, scotland. That is why we only create vintages timed to perfection. The distillery entrance is opposite the edderton inn. Sale to david kirkcaldy at ardmore, one gallon of whisky at. Records suggest, however, that a balblair distillery was in existence in the 1740s. Ive been to a number of distilleries in scotland and ireland, so i like to think i have a decent grasp on what an exceptional distillery is like. From the visitor car park you cross the road and approach the attractively laid out distillery, passing bonded warehouses and one of the. Royal brackla distillery sits at the bottom of the northern highlands, in the town of nairn, not far from the famous loch ness. Blair athol distillery malt scotch whisky abbey whisky. Balblair 1990 vintage 2nd edition highland single malt scotch whiskey. Our malt is crafted slowly and is matured at the distillery in traditional dunnage warehouses on earthen floors. Founded in 1790 by john ross, balblair is the second oldest working distillery in scotland.
Distillation may result in essentially complete separation nearly pure components, or it may be a partial separation that increases the concentration of selected components in the mixture. Distillation is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation. Glenfiddich distillery feature page on undiscovered scotland. A few of the malts were matured in a way to balance this out with spiciness or oak flavours. A presentation gives you the necessary history of the distillery before you head out. The last whisky is taken from the balblair warehouses in 1932. We have a great selection of distilling books to choose from. It is the year when the first distillery was established in quebec. Upon entering the car park we were blown away by the sheer size.
Welcome to the idyllic coast of the dornoch firth, the home of balblair distillery. The health and wellbeing of our employees, visitors and onsite partners is our highest priority. The distillery has had a long association with bells blended scotch their roots were entwined as far back as the mid nineteenth century. Founded in 1790, the distillery was rebuilt in 1895 by the designer charles c doig to be closer to the edderton railway station on the inverness and rossshire railway line. Bottles arent stamped with an age expression, rather adhering to the balblair exclusively vintage philosophy. In the old days, as many as 14 men made whisky at balblair distillery in the scottish highlands. The central perthshire town of pitlochry sits on the banks of the river tay and has had a distillery since 1798, making its plant one.
Set in open moorland south of the town, in the foothills of the grampian mountains, blair athols ancient source of water the allt dour flows through the grounds from the slopes of ben vrackie, contributing to the whiskys, mellow quality and smooth finish. Founded in 1790, balblair is among scotlands oldest distilleries. In the words of our distillery manager, john macdonald, making whisky. We welcome visitors to buy a bottle from a handselected cask which you can fill, cork, seal and label yourself. A journey of discovery into the worlds noblest spirit brucegardyne, tom on. Enjoying fine spirits is an experience to be savored. From its location and water source, to its still shape and wood policy. Its just what youd imagine a distillery to look like if you hadnt already visited one and its steeped in history.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The distillery is located on the south edge of pitlochry in perthshire, near the river tummel. Spirits and wine writer noah rothbaum felt that it was time that american whiskey labels had their day in the spotlight. Buy craft of whiskey distilling by bill owens isbn. Join us on a daily tour through the woodford reserve distillery and explore the history of bourbon, our five sources of flavor, and our historic barrelhouse. I looking for any pre 1900 books that describe how to set up and run a distillery. Learn about our true highland spirit balblair single. Balblairs history balblair distillery is the oldest working distillery in the highlands, and one of scotlands oldest distilleries with production starting in 1790 only glenturret, bowmore and strathisla have been operating longer. A freshwater pond reflects the two story stillhouse, giving brackla a pastoral charm, worth the visit. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. In our distillery shop, youll discover a wealth of balblair merchandise and whisky. The distillery lies in edderton in the northern highlands, surrounded by rugged mountains, from whence the allt dearg balblairs water source springs. Balblair single malt scotch whisky is intriguingly complex and satisfying.