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Malt Whisky Distilleries
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Blair Athol Distillery
PH16 5LY
Pitlochry
Perthshire
Scotland
Phone: +44 (0) 1796 482003
Situated in the picturesque town of Pitlochry (not in
small town Blair Atholl a few miles up the road). Pitlochry is the gateway of the Scottish highlands and Blair Athol is one of
the oldest working distilleries in Scotland. The buildings reflect old Scottish architecture. Today most of the production goes
into the Bell’s Blend, the most popular blended whisky in the U.K. In 1798 John
Stewart and Robert Robertson named their destillery "Aldour" - after
the Allt Dour - the "burn of the otter" – the watersource for the
destillery. Soon after, the destillery shut, probably due to heavy excise
duties. When new excise acts was undtaken Alexander Connacher reopened the
distillery in 1826 and run it until it was taken over by Peter Mackenzie &
Co in the middle of the 19th century. Mackenzie enlarged it to a capacity of
over 1,500 gallons (6,800 litres) per week which made it a large distillery in
those days. This has increased to 38,000 litres per week in 2003. Bells came
inte the picture in 1933 when they rebuilt the destillery and later started
production in 1949. Diageo bught the distillery in 1985. A visitor centre was
built in 1987.
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Information about the tour at Blair Athol Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery
Tour in short: A tour that reflects tradition; covering the stages of distilling logically and in an familiar way.
Information for visiting Blair Athol Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery
Travel Directions: The distillery is not in the town Blair Atholl (notice the different spelling) but a few miles south in Pitlochry on the main road through the town at the south end. If you come from the south the distillery is just on the right side after leaving the A9 bypass.
Opening Hours: Large visitor centre open: Jan-Easter, Mon-Fri, 13-16; Easter-Sep, Mon-Sat, 09.30-17; Jun-Sep, Sun, 12-17; Oct, Mon-Fri, 10-16; Nov-Dec, Mon-Fri, 1-16. Closed during Xmas and New Year.
Tour Times: 20 minutes. Last tour 1 hour before closing time.
Price admission: Guided tours for £4. Redeemable in shop.
Shop: Small shop with whisky and more. Also Bells blended.
Restaurant: Café. Catering in the Ceilidh Room for larger parties by appiointment.
Parking: Free parking just next to distillery.
Groups: By appointment.
Photography in distillery: No
Foreign visitor support: Some guides speak foreign languages.
Disabled access: Not really. Stairs.
Things of interest regarding Blair Athol Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery
Restaurants nearby:
Things of interest: The town of Pitlochry with it's rural setting by the river. Fish-ladder close by.
Bed & breakfast and hotels nearby:
The whisky from Blair Athol Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery
Tasting notes: Blair Athol (12 years 43%) Light smoke,
lemon, honey, sherry and malt.
The production at Blair Athol Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery
Malt and malting: Central maltings lightly peated.
Distilling and the stills: Washstills: 2. Spiritstills: 2, straight necks.
Watersource: Allt Dour next to the
distillery.
Barrels and casks: Sherry and Bourbon.
Bond and Warehousing: Warehousing on site.
Mashing and fermentation: Mashtun: Stainless steel, 8 ton. Washbacks: 8, larch and stainless steel.
Production: 2 million litres a year (most used in Bells blend).
Distillery manager: G. Donoghue.
Owner: Diageo
The history of Blair Athol Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery
History of the distillery: Founded: 1798
by John Stewart and Robert Robertson.
Read more about Blair Athol Single Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery in these books:
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