Balblair distillery

Balblair distillery is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky located in Edderton, Ross-shire, Scotland.

Balblair distillery

Region: Highland
Location	Edderton
Owner	Inver House Distillers
Founded	1790
Status	Operational
Water source	The Allt Dearg
No. of stills	1 wash still (20,000l) 1 spirit still (8,500l)[1]
Capacity	1,800,000 litres of alcohol

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 Ross-shire Railway line. 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. To this day, the Balblair Distillery continues to use this original water source.^[2]

History

The Balblair Distillery was established in 1790 by John Ross. He ran Balblair as a thriving business and in 1824 he was joined by his son, Andrew. The distillery stayed in the Ross family until 1894, when the tenancy was taken over by Alexander Cowan.^[2] The distillery was rebuilt in 1895 by the designer Charles C Doig to be closer to the Edderton Railway Station on the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway line. 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. To this day, the Balblair Distillery continues to use this original water source.^[3]

In 1948 the freehold was bought by Robert Cumming, who promptly expanded the distillery and increased production.^[3] Cumming ran the distillery until he retired in 1970 when he sold it to Hiram Walker.^[3]

In 1996 Balblair Distillery was purchased by Inver House Distillers Limited, whose other distilleries include the Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery, Knockdhu Distillery, Old Pulteney Distillery and Balmenach Distillery.^[4]

Balblair has one of the oldest archives in distilling, with the first ledger entry dated 25 January 1800. John Ross himself penned that entry, which read: “Sale to David Kirkcaldy at Ardmore, one gallon of whisky at £1.8.0d”.^[5]

Balblair used to release their whisky by vintage, but in April 2019 they started to release a core range of age statement whiskies. This includes but is not limited to a 12, 15, 18, 21 and 25 year old.^[6]

Following its appearance in several scenes in the Ken Loach 2012 film The Angels' Share, Balblair opened a visitor centre in its former malting building. As well as containing a shop, the visitor centre is the starting point for regular tours of the distillery.^[7]

Whisky

Balblair current range:^[8]

• Balblair 12 Year Old
• Balblair 15 Year Old
• Balblair 18 Year Old
• Balblair 21 Year Old
• Balblair 25 Year Old

See also

• Whisky
• List of whisky brands

References

1. "Balblair". 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015.
2. "Balblair Distillery". The List. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
3. MacLean, Charles (2017). Spirit of Place - Whisky Distilleries of Scotland. Frances Lincoln.
4. Littler, Mark (27 April 2020). "The History Of Inver House | Value Advise Sell | Mark Littler Ltd". Mark Littler. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
5. "The Sale of Whisky". The Lancet. 163 (4203): 816–817. ISSN 0140-6736.
6. Ireland, Kapila (7 November 2019). "Landmark listing for Balblair with Le Clos in Dubai". DFNI. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
7. Reporter (2 August 2018). "Visitors to Balblair distillery up by more than 35% in first half of the year". Press and Journal. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
8. "Home | Balblair Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky". www.balblair.com. Retrieved 10 July 2024.

External links

• Balblair Website

57°50′25.7″N 4°10′49.5″W