LOST DISTILLERIES IN SCOTLAND

 THE LOST DISTILLERIES OF SCOTLAND

Ever since the early days of whisky production, distilleries have appeared and disappeared. Some failed, some merged, some literally exploded, and the Scottish landscape is littered with the remains of factual distilling. The Whisky Exchange

In the mid-1800s, there were more than 200 licensed distilleries in Scotland. In the next hundred years, the Pattison Brothers scandal, poor economic and political circumstances of the previous three decades and zero reserves had taken their toll, and around 70 of these had closed. US Prohibition killed off a number of distilleries whose main income came from export to America, and shortly after the UK was stricken by the economic depression of the 1920s and 1930s. After the Second World War around 70 distilleries closed down for good, though as the UK slowly started to build itself back up again the popularity and growth of whisky continued to increase up until the 1980s, when economic difficulties forced the industry to make cut backs. 

At that time, blended Scotch was de rigueur, so when cut backs were made, they were done with blended whisky in mind. Smaller distilleries closed, as did those whose whisky didn’t make much of an impact when used as a blending component. After the war, sales of whisky increased virtually every year until 1980, but for the next few years, sales dropped dramatically, leaving a whisky surplus and, inevitably, this led to the closure of many more distilleries by 1984.

It’s not every day that it’s announced that a closed distillery is to reopen, but two on the same day is unheard of. At the beginning of October 2017, Diageo announced that it was going to reopen Brora and Port Ellen, both closed for more than 30 years. Not to be outdone, the very next day, Ian Macleod, owner of Glenoyne and Tamdhu, announced its news: Rosebank distillery, closed since 1993, was also going to reopen.

DISTILLERIES

NAME	PERIOD	STATUS
Banff (S)	1863-1983	Demolished
Ben Wyvis (H)	1965-1976	Demolished
Brora (H)	1819-1983	Dismantled
Caperdonich (S)	1898-2002	Silent
Coleburn (S)	1897-1985	Dismantled
Convalmore (S)	1893-1985	Dismantled
Dallas Dhu (S)	1898-1983	Silent
Glen Albyn (H)	1846-1983	Demolished
Glenesk (H)	1897-1985	Demolished
Glenlochy (H)	1898-1983	Demolished
Glen Mhor (S)	1892-1983	Demolished
Glenugie (H)	1831-1983	Demolished
Glenury Royal (H)	1825-1985	Demolished
Hillside (H)	1897-1985	Demolished
Imperial (S)	1897-2000	Silent
Inverleven (L)	1938-1991	Silent
Kinclaith (L)	1958-1975	Demolished
Ladyburn (L)	1966-1975	Silent
Linlithgow (L)	1753-1983	Demolished
Littlemill (L)	1772-1994	Demolished
Lochside (H)	1957-1996	Demolished
Malt Mill (I)	1908-1960	Dismantled
Millburn (H)	1805-1985	Demolished
Moffat (L)	1965-1988	Demolished
North Port (H)	1820-1983	Demolished
Pittyvaich (S)	1975-1993	Demolished
Port Ellen (I)	1825-1983	Dismantled
Rosebank (L)	1840-1993	Dismantled
St. Magdalene (L)	1753-1983	Demolished

      Legend:  (S) Speyside;  (H)  Highlands;  (L)  Lowlands;  (I)  Islay;

WHY DO DISTILLERIES CLOSE?

When one looks at the distilleries which closed during the 1980s, the question always arises as to why these particular distilleries were chosen for closure? The answer is a combination of economics and politics.

Until the late 1980s, most of the whisky sold around the world was blended Scotch. Single malts were not really important and were very small in terms of volume sales. Hence, when cuts needed to be made during the slump, distilleries producing whisky which had little flavour impact in blended Scotches were shut down, especially in cases where the size of the distillery was small or where the distillery was located in a remote part of Scotland. In turn, the capacity at the larger, more economical distilleries, was increased.

While whisky lovers often take a more romantic view, distilleries are, in the end, businesses. Unfortunately, this means that business decisions are made and distilleries close. Sometimes, as was more often the case in the more distant past, companies went bankrupt or couldn’t afford to keep distilleries open. However, more recently there have been more pragmatic decisions – when the whisky industry isn’t doing so well, companies that own multiple distilleries have closed some of them.

This is what happened in the case of Port Ellen, Brora and Rosebank. In 1983, the year that Port Ellen and Brora closed, and a decade later in the case of Rosebank, many distilleries across Scotland stopped production. The demand for whisky had fallen and the producers needed to save money. The Distillers Company Ltd, owners of all three distilleries, decided that they were surplus to requirements and closed them all – Caol Ila produced whisky similar to Port Ellen, Clynelish produced enough whisky without the assistance of Brora (which was right next door), and Glenkinchie fulfilled the company’s needs for the light Lowland whisky that Rosebank had become well known for.

At the time, single malts weren’t as popular as today and the closures didn’t cause much of an outcry. However, years later, whisky from all three distilleries is now held in high regard and changes hands for thousands of pounds a bottle.

Little did anyone know that single malts would become a phenomenon and that a new style of consumer looking for a diversity of tastes and flavours would seek out the different single malts from around Scotland in the hope of finding whisky nirvana.

There is currently stock still available from around 30 lost distilleries, with prices for most of these increasing with every new release. The question to ask is which will disappear first. It is very difficult to know how much stock from each of these distilleries is still out there, and sometimes we only find out when it’s too late. Lochside sold in 2011 for £40 a bottle, but next thing one learned was that Gordon & MacPhail had no stock left. The price for Lochside rose very quickly and even now, a few years down the line, one can still find new releases of Lochside, although, as with other distilleries, they are becoming increasingly rare.

               Brora 33 YO                                 Glenesk 38                                Rosebank31                      St Magdalene 40

The biggest sellers over the past two decades have included the trinity of lost distilleries: Brora, Port Ellen and Rosebank. Supplies of maturing whisky have started to wane and new bottlings have begun to dry up. This led to projects where all three distilleries would be rebuilt, refurbished and reopened. With so much time having passed since the distilleries closed, the nature of the new whiskies is still very much unknown. But we have years to wait before the whisky is ready, and whisky from all three is still available, if increasingly rare.

With bottles from lost distilleries becoming more hard to find, whisky fans have turned to whisky bars and shows to have a chance to try them. At shows like The Whisky Show: Old & Rare in Glasgow, Limburg's Whisky Fair and The WhiskyBase Gathering in Rotterdam, bottles from closed distilleries are readily opened and sold by the dram. Bars like Singapore's Auld Alliance, The Mash Tun in Tokyo and Dornoch Castle in Scotland specialise in whiskies from closed distilleries and are destinations for those seeking out whisky from lost distilleries.

WHY DO WHISKIES FROM CLOSED DISTILLERIES COST SO MUCH?

A simple question with many answers. The easiest is just rarity: the closed distilleries aren’t making whisky any more, and as people drink it, there’s less of it available each day. Whether it’s old bottles, filled years ago, or casks of whisky, there won’t be any more once it’s gone.

Also, the whiskies that are still in casks are getting older. With that, the price is rising thanks to not only the angels taking their share but also the usual year-by-year costs of nurturing a cask to maturity.

Thankfully, while the owners (and former owners) of closed distilleries often don’t have much stock left, the independents are helping to fill the gaps. Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, Douglas Laing and Hunter Laing all have great stocks from lost distilleries. Whether you want a bottle of recently closed Imperial, long-lost Dallas Dhu or super-rare Kinclaith, the independents have you covered.

              Glenlochy 35                               Port Ellen 35                           North Port Brechin 40                           Coleburn 47

MiLTON aka MILTOWN AND MILTONDUFF DISTILLERIES

 MILTON DISTILLERY RENAMED STRATHISLA IN 1951

OLD BARRELS BOUGHT BY GORDON & MaCPHAIL BY 1949

MILTON DISTILLERY

STRATHISLA DISTILLERY KNOWN EARLIER AS MILTON DISTILLERY

In the enthralling story about Chivas Regal, in which the Chivas Brothers James and John Chivas had NO role to play, later sole owner William Mitchell was unable to handle the Company Chivas Brothers by himself in difficult times pre-WWII and sold off the entire holdings to whisky brokers Morrison & Lundie in 1936 on an 'as is' basis. Morrison & Lundie sold the Chivas Brand for just £85,000 to Canadian Samuel Bronfman’s (1889-1971) Seagram Limited Company, Samuel Bronfman was to create history thereafter.

Bronfman was on the lookout for a distillery as a home base. His agent found one in 1950 called the Milton(aka Miltown) Distillery at Strathisla, Keith. The owner, one George (Jay) Pomeroy, a known scoundrel, wanted an astronomical sum, so Bronfman backed off. But the owner was jailed that year for fraud and Milton (aka Miltown) Distillery was put up for auction. Seagram purchased Milton for £71,000 at a public auction in Aberdeen in April 1950. 

This purchase was the second time Milton Distillery had changed hands in a public auction. 

Bronfman changed its name to Strathisla, as its water came from the river Isla, pronounced exactly as the peat haven of Islay. He had unknowingly struck gold as Strathisla distillery housed a vast amount of ageing whiskies underground, both malt and grain, mainly the Strathisla Old Highland Malt Whiskies, and another warehouse beneath the Glasgow railway yard, all between 6 & 10 YO. He was not as thorough as stated, as Gordon & MacPhail (G&M) was able to lay hands on many ancient casks from Milton distillery. These were matured and released as Gordon & MacPhail specials, aged 35 years and above, up to 59 years. Some even carried the name Gordon & MacPhail Strathisla Single Malts. Most of them were bottled at 40% ABV, a downer, if there was any. There are stronger versions no doubt, but that makes the buyer's job more exacting. 

The family owned whisky company announced the release of its last cask laid down in the 1940s from Milton Distillery, which today is known as Strathisla. This is the oldest and last ever single malt to be released by the company to carry the Milton Distillery name.

To celebrate the launch, the Elgin-based bottler and distiller has created a series of videos explaining the significance of the release. 

               

Matured in a cask filled especially for G&M, the 72-Year-Old Gordon & MacPhail 1949 from Milton Distillery is exceptionally rare, with only 180 bottles available worldwide. The title pays homage to the distillery’s original name given by founder George Taylor, and it represents one of very few releases ever to carry the Milton name.

In the mid-1940s, the site was undergoing several changes in ownership which resulted in the eventual name change to Strathisla in 1951. The picturesque distillery, with its distinctive twin pagodas, has been in continuous production since the 1700s.

Despite the varied challenges of the whisky industry including economic depression and war, Milton continued to operate even when the majority of whisky production was halted in the 1940s due to a post-war scarcity of barley. It was thanks to close ties with Milton that the precious spirit was entrusted to Gordon & MacPhail to mature in a first-fill Sherry puncheon, where it would gently slumber for 72 years, finally bottled at a remarkable ABV of 48.6%. It retails at £50,000!

Once again, Gordon & MacPhail has delved into the darkest recesses of their Elgin warehouse and come up with a unique chapter in Scotland’s liquid history. This is the first time people will sample a whisky distilled at Milton Distillery - prior to it becoming known as Strathisla - which illustrates just how truly precious and important this release is.

Milton, or Strathisla as it is known today, has small copper stills with a distinctive shape that helps to give the spirit its rich, fruity and full-bodied character. Decades of experience led G&M to fill the spirit into a first fill Sherry puncheon for long-term maturation. Having carefully assessed its progress down the decades, G&M feel now is finally the right moment to reveal this landmark single malt to enthusiasts and collectors. In terms of rarity, this deserves true ‘icon status. A Gordon & MacPhail whisky of this age bearing the Milton name has never - and will never – be seen again. Its long maturation has seen the cask gift the spirit notes of toffee, spice and a hint of smoke not traditionally found in more modern Speyside releases.

Whether it was produced under the name Milton or Strathisla, greatly aged single malts from the site have always been met with anticipation. Given that so few releases have ever carried the Milton name – and that this bottling represents the oldest and the last - it is expected that the demand for the 180 decanters will be extremely high.

Tasting Notes

Matured in cask 383, a first-fill sherry puncheon, and bottled at 48.6% ABV. Out turn of 180 bottles.

Nose: Sherry influences intertwine with sweet vanilla pod and seville orange. stewed forest fruit aromas give way to vibrant festive spice and soft lemon zest.

Palate: Flavours of butterscotch give way to bright citrus and nutmeg. baked apple notes come to the fore alongside poached pear and honeycomb.

Finish: A long finish with lingering apple, dark toffee and subtle smoke. 

MILTONDUFF DISTILLERY

That name Milton features once again, with Mitonduff distillery. In 1824 Andrew Peary and Robert Bain founded the Miltonduff Distillery located south of Elgin. At that time over 50 illegal distilleries existed in the surrounding area. Miltonduff was among the first distilleries to receive a distilling licence in Scotland. The first distillery on the same spot was operated by Benedictine monks who most likely had an aqua vitae distillery. However, the truth in that statement is somewhat sketchy since there are no documents or proof thereof.

More accurately, Miltonduff distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located six miles south-west of Elgin in the whisky region of Speyside. The distillery site 'Milton' was said to have been chosen because of the good quality of the local water source under the ownership of Pluscarden Abbey; indeed, the distillery is the site of the Abbey's former mill.

In 1866, the distillery was acquired by William Stuart (owner of the Highland Park Distillery who eventually entered business with Thomas Yool and Company in 1890), when the distillery was expanded and reached production of over one million litres of alcohol. Yool and Co. went on to become sole owners of the distillery. In 1960, the distillery was notable as the pioneer of a new method of heating the wash stills (through a series of heat exchanges and a diffuser).

Between 1964 and 1981 Miltonduff produced a whisky called Mosstowie along with Miltonduff. The owners at the time, Hiram Walker & Sons, produced large amounts of several types of blends and thus had a huge demand for different kinds of malt. A pair of Lomond stills was installed, which had an additional condenser in the head. The condenser made it possible to alter the reflux action in a controlled manner and thus widen the character and style of its malts. Mosstowie was produced using the Lomond stills starting 1964.

In 1981 production of the Mosstowie ceased when it became apparent that the new stills didn’t work well in the long run; the plates in the column quickly became covered in residue and proved to be very difficult to clean and maintain. Also, the competition with the distillery’s other brand made the demand for Mosstowie dwindle when the demand for Miltonduff increased, so space and resources were used to expand Miltonduff instead. The stills were cannibalised when a new set of traditional stills were built and the annual production ended up at 5.4 million litres. Gordon & MacPhail have bottled a few Mosstowie’s as single malts, very rare to come by, though The Lost Distilleries Company did try their hand at replicating numerous lost distilleries, including Mosstowie as a blended malt.

One wonders what the monks would have made of it. As said, moonshining was commonplace in the surroundings of Pluscarden Abbey in the smuggling era of the late 18th and early 19th century. The original monastery fell into ruin in the early 17th century, but was restored in 1948 and is now the only medieval monastery still inhabited by monks. Distillation certainly took place at Milton Farm where the abbey’s old meal mill once stood.

Miltonduff (the suffix comes from Duff family which owned the estate) went legal in 1824 and by the end of the century was one of the largest producers in Scotland, making in excess of one million litres a year and using triple distillation (an unusual technique for Highland/Speyside distilleries).

Its next landmark came in 1936 when Yool sold to Canadian distiller Hiram Walker which was beginning its Scottish expansion (Ballantine’s, Dumbarton), with three pairs of stills now operating. In 2005 it became part of Chivas Brothers.

A very fresh, floral new make character shows Miltonduff to be a charming, light single malt, perfect for adding top notes to the restrained and elegant Ballantine’s blend. Its palate has a succulent texture.  

Miltonduff was, briefly, part of Allied Distiller’s Caledonian Malts range (alongside Laphroaig, Tormore, Scapa and Glendronach) but other than a limited edition 18-year-old cask strength bottling, no official releases have taken place under Chivas Brothers'  ownership. Licensed bottlings are made under the auspices of Gordon & MacPhail..G&M also specialises in releasing whiskies from distilleries that have vanished, like Mosstowie and St Magdalene, among others. The distillery site was expanded with the construction of Allied Distillers' Malt Technical Centre, laboratory, engineering department and management offices.

In July 2017 Miltonduff was released as a 15-year-old single malt (alongside expressions from Glentauchers and Glenburgie) under the Ballantine’s brand. 

THE EXQUISITE PRIVATE COLLECTION

Itis not yet known if G&M has barrels of Auchnagie, Stratheden, Gerston, Jericho / Benachie, Lossit, Towiemore, Dundashill and Archivist distilleries. which blended malts were made vailable by the Lost Distillery Company in 2021.

MINUTIAE

Whisky Production:

Miltonduff distillery equipment consists of a mash vat with a capacity of 15 tons, eighteen fermenters with a capacity of 5 tons and three pairs of alembics. The distillery now has a production capacity of 5.80 million litres of whisky per year. The water used to make whisky comes from the Black Burn stream. The distillery also has an extensive warehouse complex. For ageing distillates, sherry casks made of American white oak are most often used here.

Lomond Stills

As stated, the Miltonduff distillery houses the research and experimental centre for the whole Scotch whisky industry. One of the best known results of the work of the Miltonduff researchers was the development of the Lomond still, also called Mosstowie still, from the whisky produced in it.

TIMELINE

1824    Established (Andrew Peary & Robert Bain)
1866    Purchased by William Stuart
1890s  Thomas Yool & Co join Stuart and extend the distillery
1936   Taken over by Hiram Walker-Gooderham &Worts Ltd
1937    Hiram Walker & Sons (Scotland) Ltd take control
1964    2 Lomond stills added for production of “Mosstowie”
1974    Rebuilding work adds more wash backs
1981    Mosstowie stills changed to increase production of Miltonduff.
            Mosstowie no longer produced.
1992    Allied Distillers acquire control
2005    Fortune Brands Inc. acquire control. 
2005    Pernod Ricard hands over distillery to Chivas Brothers Holdings