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Dumbarton Distillery

Distillery (20th Century)

Site Name Dumbarton Distillery

Classification Distillery (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Inverleven Distillery; Allied Distillers; Ballantine's Scotch Whiskey Distillery; Castle Street

Canmore ID 90311

Site Number NS37NE 47

NGR NS 3978 7512

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/90311

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Bluesky International Limited 2025. Public Sector Viewing Terms

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Digital Images

Dumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of heating kettles
Dumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of heating kettlesDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of bottom of beer stillDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of No. 1 Distilling ApparatusDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of smapling apparatus for No. 1 Distilling ApparatusGeneral oblique aerial view of Dumbarton looking across the works, football ground, castle, whisky distillery and the River Clyde towards Langbank, taken from the NE.Oblique aerial view of Dumbarton Distillary and Riverside Parish Church, looking N.Dumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of mash tunDumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
View of was heater and base of Lomond stillDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of fermentersOblique aerial view centred on the shipyard and whisky distillery, taken from the SSW.Dumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
View of spirit safeDumbarton Distillery, Yeast Plant; Interior
General ViewDumbarton Distillery, Yeast plant; Interior
General ViewDumbarton Distillery, Dark Grains Plant; Interior
General ViewGeneral oblique aerial view of Dumbarton looking across the works, football ground, castle, whisky distillery and the River Clyde towards Langbank, taken from the NE.General oblique aerial view of Dumbarton looking across the school and whisky distillery towards the River Clyde, Langbank and Port Glasgow, taken from the ENE.General view from W.Dumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of mash tunDumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
General ViewDumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
General ViewDumbarton Distillery, Maize Mill; Interior
General ViewDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of control panel for cookersDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of central panel for No. 1 Distilling ApparatusGeneral view from W showing distillery in backgroundOblique aerial view of Dumbarton Distillary and Riverside Parish Church, looking NW.Oblique aerial view centred on the shipyard and whisky distillery, taken from the SSW.Oblique aerial view centred on the boat yard and whisky distillery, taken from the SSW.View from S of E end of complex.Dumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
View of top of Lomond stillDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of fermentersOblique aerial view of Dumbarton Distillary and Riverside Parish Church, looking NE.Oblique aerial view of Dumbarton Distillary, looking NE.Oblique aerial view of Dumbarton Distillary and Riverside Parish Church, looking NNE.Oblique aerial view of Dumbarton Distillary, Riverside Parish Church, Dumbarton Academy and Burgh Halls, looking NE.View of distillery gates, taken from the south.Oblique aerial view showing the boat yard and whisky distillery, DumbartonDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of No. 1 Distilling ApparatusDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of disc filtersDumbarton, general view, showing shipyard and Riverside Parish Church.  Oblique aerial photograph taken facing north.Oblique aerial view of Dumbarton Distillary and Riverside Parish Church, looking NW.General view from SW.Dumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of washbacks
Dumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
General ViewDumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
View of top of pot stillDumbarton Distillery, Stillhouse; Interior
View of spirit safeDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of fermentersDumbarton Distillery; Interior
View of No. 1 Distilling Apparatus; detail of maker's plateDumbarton Distillery; Dark Grains Plant; Interior
General ViewDumbarton Distillery
General ViewGeneral view of distillery, takne from the south-west.Oblique aerial view centred on the boat yard and whisky distillery, taken from the SSW.General view from W.General view from W.General view from SW.Dumbarton Distillery
View from W showing part of WNW frontGeneral View Greenock, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Oblique aerial photograph taken facing North/West. View of distillery building, taken from the east.

Administrative Areas

  • Council West Dunbartonshire
  • Parish Dumbarton
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Dumbarton
  • Former County Dunbartonshire

Archaeology Notes

NS37NE 47.00 3978 7512

NS37NE 47.01 NS c. 397 750 Dumbarton, Shipyard

This distillery was built by Hiram Walker and Sons (Scotland) Ltd and has one Continuous Distilling Unit designed by a firm in Cincinatti, Ohio in 1938. The Dark Grains plant was the first in Scotland. Inverleven Malt Distillery is in the same complex and is licensed.

M S Moss and J R Hume 1981

NS 398 751 A programme of historic building recording was undertaken in December 2004 and January 2005 in advance of the demolition of the 1930s buildings of Ballantine's Distillery (NS37NE 47.00) in Castle Street. These works were undertaken after the demolition of some of the buildings, and consisted of an external photographic and written record in addition to a brief photographic and written record of the interior of two of the buildings.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: Carvill Group Ltd.

D Sproat 2005

NS 397 751 An archaeological watching brief was carried out between September and November 2005 on the ground-breaking works associated with the redevelopment of the former Ballantine's Distillery at Castle Street, Dumbarton. No significant archaeological features or artefacts were encountered. Most of the area excavated revealed made ground of depths between 2.0m and 4.0m, with only small sporadic areas of natural alluvial material, mainly close to the NW edge of the site at depths of 2.0 m. This is the area of the development site closest to Riverside Parish Church and the historic core of Dumbarton, and the area of the site most likely to have archaeological features. The fact that no archaeological features were encountered here, only natural subsoil directly beneath modern made ground, indicates that any archaeological features that may have once been present have since been removed by modern construction, presumably associated with the former distillery.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: The Carvill Group.

V Clements 2006.

Activities

Watching Brief (September 2005 - November 2005)

NS 397 751 An archaeological watching brief was carried out between September and November 2005 on the ground-breaking works associated with the redevelopment of the former Ballantine's Distillery at Castle Street, Dumbarton. No significant archaeological features or artefacts were encountered. Most of the area excavated revealed made ground of depths between 2.0m and 4.0m, with only small sporadic areas of natural alluvial material, mainly close to the NW edge of the site at depths of 2.0 m. This is the area of the development site closest to Riverside Parish Church and the historic core of Dumbarton, and the area of the site most likely to have archaeological features. The fact that no archaeological features were encountered here, only natural subsoil directly beneath modern made ground, indicates that any archaeological features that may have once been present have since been removed by modern construction, presumably associated with the former distillery.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: The Carvill Group.

V Clements 2006

References

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