Bladnoch Distillery opens to the public

Located in the centre of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, Bladnoch Distillery’s new visitor centre has now opened.

Image: Bladnoch Distillery

Founded in 1817 by the McClelland brothers, Bladnoch Distillery was one of the first to acquire a licence to make Scotch whisky.

One of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland, Bladnoch was purchased by Australian businessman David Prior in 2015, with plans to reinvent the Bladnoch Single Malt and to restore the historic site.

The new visitor centre features a tasting bar serving the entire range of Bladnoch Single Malt Scotch Whiskies and Pure Scot Blended Scotch Whiskies alongside a historical gallery, gift shop and café.

Taking guests on a journey through the distillery’s history and showcasing how Bladnoch Single Malt is created on site, at least two tours of the distillery will be offered daily during high season.

Enlisting the assistance of acclaimed distiller Ian MacMillan, Prior has invested over £5 million to install new equipment including two pairs of copper stills from Forsyths of Rothes and six new wooden wasbacks, with the distillery since launching award-winning expressions from both Bladnoch and Pure Scot.

Prior said: “Over the past four years my team and I have restored and upgraded the distilling operation of Bladnoch and launched our Bladnoch Single Malts into 30 countries.

“The opening of the visitor centre represents the final piece of this exciting and rewarding project. We are delighted to welcome guests from all over the world and deliver Bladnoch back to the local community, as an ongoing source of pride and employment.”

Earlier this year, Bladnoch Distillery announced that former Master Distiller of The Macallan, Dr Nick Savage, would join the team as its newly appointed Master Distiller. Nick Savage played an central role in launching The Macallan Visitor Experience in 2018 and will now lead the team producing whisky in the Lowlands.