Blair Athol distillery
Whisky distillery in Perthshire, Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blair Athol distillery is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery located on the south edge of Pitlochry in Perthshire, near the River Tummel in Scotland.
| |
| Region: Highland | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pitlochry |
| Owner | Diageo |
| Founded | 1798 |
| Status | Operational |
| Water source | Allt Dour Burn |
| No. of stills | 2 wash stills (13,000 liters) 2 spirit stills (12,000 liters)[1] |
| Capacity | 2,500,000 litres |
| Mothballed | Soon after 1798 to 1825 1932 to 1949 |
| Blair Athol 12 | |
| Type | Single malt |
| Age(s) | 12 Years |
| ABV | 43% |
It is used in Bell's whisky, and is also normally available in a 12-year-old bottling.[2]
History
The distillery was founded in 1798 by John Steward and Robert Robertson.[3] Originally named 'Aldour', after the Allt Dour burn the distillery draws it water from, but closed soon after opening.[4] The distillery opened again and changed ownership to John Robertson in 1825.[3][2]
It was sold several times in the period after, going from John Robertson to Alexander Conacher & Co., then to John Conacher & Co, which was inherited by Elizabeth Conacher in 1860. It was sold again to Peter Fraser & Co, and again to Peter Mackenzie of P. McKenzie & Co Distillers Limited in 1882.[3][4]
The distillery closed down in 1932. The mothballed distillery was bought by Arthur Bell and Sons, but didn't open again until it was rebuilt in 1949.[3] In 1973 the distillery expanded, adding two further stills to the previous two.[3]
In 1987, Guinness combined the businesses of Arthur Bell & Sons and Distillers Company.[5] In 1997, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to create Diageo, the current owner of Blair Athol distillery.[6]
