Glen Scotia Distillery

Glen Scotia’s story

The Glen Scotia distillery is one of only three distilleries currently in operation in the once prolific whisky region of Campbeltown. The other two are Springbank and Glengyle. This will change in coming years as several new distilleries have been granted planning permission with some already under construction. During the late-Victorian era there were over 30 distilleries in the town of Campbeltown and the surrounding area but the region was hit harder than most during the difficult times of the last century.

Glen Scotia has had troubled times but has somehow survived in the shadow of its more illustrious neighbour, Springbank. It is a small distillery with a yearly capacity of around 800,000 litres and a small onsite warehouse. Expansion is near impossible as the distillery is located on a small side street and is surrounded by modern buildings on three sides. However, plans are afoot to install further washbacks and another pair of stills in the near future, which will get the capacity to just over one million litres per year.

Glen Scotia currently has just one set of stills but these are unique in Scottish distilling, as they are made from an alloy called Corten steel. Every other distillery uses copper stills and the use of this alloy gives Glen Scotia whisky a uniquely light and fragrant spirit. Glen Scotia’s single malt is lightly smoky and most popular in Central Europe, especially Germany, and America.

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Glen Scotia’s history

Glen Scotia was founded in 1832 by the Galbraith and Stewart families, who were local to the Campbeltown area and wanted to cash in on the Campbeltown whisky boom of the time. However, the distillery was not legally registered until 1835 due to an ‘administration error’. The original name was simply Scotia.

The distillery remained under this ownership until 1895 when Stewart Galbraith bought out the other family members and formed Stewart Galbraith & Co. He continued to run the distillery until 1919 when he sold to a group called West Highland Malt Distillers (WHMD) and retired. Before long WHMD were in financial difficulties and went into liquidation during 1924. Glen Scotia was saved by Duncan MacCallum, who was a former director of WHMD. However, it wasn’t long before MacCallum was also in financial trouble and in 1928 he was declared bankrupt and the distillery was closed.

Production restarted in 1933 but Glen Scotia has been closed and mothballed on two further occasions, between 1984 to 1989 and again 1994 until 1999. In 1999, J. A. Mitchell & Co. the owners of Springbank, the other remaining Campbeltown distillery at the time, decided to step in and rescue their ailing neighbour. They ran distillation at Glen Scotia for short periods with their own staff in an attempt to revitalise the Campbeltown whisky industry.

In 2000, Glen Scotia was purchased by Loch Lomond Distillers who remain the present owners. They initially operated with the help of Springbank staff while they were employing their own workers. Loch Lomond have overseen a huge transformation in Glen Scotia’s fortunes and it now holds a position as multi award-winning single malt of high repute.

• How to pronounce Glen Scotia? glen-sko-shah
• Country: Scotland
• Region: Campbeltown
• Founded: 1832
• Current owners: Loch Lomond Group
• Production capacity per year: 800,000 litres
• Mash tun: 3 ton cast iron
• Washbacks: 9
• Stills: 2
• Visitor centre: Yes

Glen Scotia Distillery
High Street
Campbeltown
PA28 6DS
tel – +44(0)1586 552 288
www.glenscotia.com

Did you know?

The distillery is said to be haunted by the ghost of one of its former owners – Duncan MacCallum. He commited suicide by drowning himself in the nearby Campbeltown Loch in 1930, but he has been seen on numerous occasions since by distillery workers.

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