Edderton, Balblair Distillery

NH78NW 26 centred 70609 85582

Balblair Distillery [NAT]

OS (GIS) MasterMap, July 2009.

(Location cited as NH 706 855). Balblair Distillery, built c. 1872 by Ross and Son. Externally almost unaltered, with rubble buildings, including a large malting kiln, and a neat range of single-storey bonded stores.

J R Hume 1977.

Built adjacent to the Highland Railway in the early 1870s by Andrew Ross & Son, Balblair Distillery is situated on the edge of the village of Edderton. It was closed in 1915 and not re-opened until 1947, when it was refurbished by Robert Cumming. Thereafter, it was bought by the Hiram Walker group of Canada in 1970, who later extended capacity from two to three stills. Hiram Walker merged with Allied Vintners to become Allied Distillers in 1988, and subsequently sold Balblair to Inver House Distillers Ltd of Airdrie in 1996.

Much of the original 1870s fabric remains intact, and Balblair is therefore regarded as being one of the more picturesque operational single-malt distilleries. There has, however, been some change, an example of which is the conversion of the floor-maltings to storage, and the gutting of the kiln to house water tanks and grist hoppers.

Important components include the kiln's pagoda roof, the traditional tun room (with wooden washbacks), and the still house. The latter has two working stills (which use steam coils and condenser colums), the third (riveted) being disconnected and out of use. Other notable features of the complex include the traditional warehousing, the office, and the boilerhouse chimney.

Information from RCAHMS (MKO), 2003.

A Barnard 1887 (reprinted 1969); MS Moss and J R Hume 1981.