The Oldest Distilleries In Scotland

The oldest known legal distillery in Scotland was the Ferintosh distillery, which was founded in 1690! Sadly the Ferintosh distillery is long lost to the ebbs and flows of the whisky industry (and the Scottish aristocracy) and closed in 1785. However, when Ferintosh closed at a mere 95-years-old, the two oldest still open distilleries were already producing whisky.

The oldest distillery in Scotland is over 260 years old. So while Macallan are proudly celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2024, that ripe old age gets them nowhere near the top ten. In fact the oldest 30 scotch distilleries are all at least 200 years old.

The Ten Oldest Distilleries In Scotland

We will begin with the oldest ten distilleries in Scotland, which were all established in the late 1700s. I’ve included the top 30 oldest distilleries at the end of this article if you prefer to scan a list. There are a few quirks and qualifications that I’ll discuss. But to be clear, these are the oldest, operational malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. Grain distilleries aren’t included and where distilleries have closed and reopened I have made a note.

The Oldest Distillery In Scotland Is Glenturret, Est. 1763

Established in 1763, the Glenturret distillery was first known as Thurot, later Hosh and finally acquired the Glenturret name in 1875. The name “Glenturret” was inherited from a short lived neighboring distillery that was operational between 1826 and no later than 1852. As you’ll see as we go through this list, name changes were normal for historic distilleries.

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More recently, The Glenturret distillery was bought from Edrington in 2019 and became part of the Lalique Group. The premium orientated group has updated the distillery’s core range and been working on collaborations with other premium brands. In 2022 they became the first distillery restaurant to achieve a Michelin Star, which is probably indicative of the group’s plans for the oldest distillery in Scotland.

The Oldest Distillery On Islay Is Bowmore, Est. 1779

Next up we have the second oldest distillery in Scotland; Bowmore, which is also the oldest distillery in Islay. Bowmore celebrated its bicentenary back in 1979, when most of the market was still focused on blends and the whisky industry was about to collapse in a period known as the “whisky loch”.

The Bowmore bicentenary is a highly rated whisky and has become much sought after by collectors. The replica hand blown decanter of 1964 vintage whisky was matured in their No.1 Vaults. That warehouse also get’s Bowmore another “oldest” title, as it is considered the oldest whisky maturation warehouse in Scotland.

The bicentenary bottling is often overlooked compared to the infamous “Black Bowmore” series, which was first released in 1993. In 1994 Suntory took full ownership of the distillery from Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd and released a second edition of the series. While the RRP for these first two releases were all sub £100, the now six bottle series has become some of the most sought after bottlings in the world, with retail prices for the series ranging from £16,000 up to £140,000.

The Oldest Distillery In Speyside Is Strathisla, Est. 1786

Another dual crown in third place: Strathisla was established in 1786, which makes it the third oldest distillery in Scotland but also the oldest distillery in Speyside.

Like lots of older distilleries it’s had a few name changes, although Strathisla and the ninth oldest may vie for the record of how many times you can switch back and forth between names. Strathisla was established in 1786 and originally went by Milltown then Milton. The distillery didn’t go by Stathisla until 1870 but by 1890 they changed it back to Milton. Then in 1951 they reverted to Strathisla and stuck with it.

Strathisla is one of the most picturesque distilleries in Scotland. In fact, when you think of a “traditional” Scottish whisky distillery it is probably Strathisla that you’re picturing as its iconic twin pagodas and quaint water wheel mean it’s often used in marketing. Strathisla is owned by Chivas Brothers and is the brand home of the Chivas Regal blend, which is the third biggest selling Scotch whisky in the world.

The 4th Oldest Distillery In Scotland is Balblair Est. 1790

Balblair is the fourth oldest functioning distillery in Scotland and also one of the smallest. Their modest capacity of 1.8 million liters is mostly focused on a select number of vintage releases and the internationally promoted blend Hankey Banister.

Its long history means that there are some exceptional vintage whiskies available from Balblair. Their releases include some sought after and highly rated 1949 and 1951 vintage bottlings that encapsulate everything lovely about collecting vintage whiskies.

Diageo’s Oldest Distillery is Oban, Est. 1794

Oban is the fifth oldest distillery in Scotland and the oldest in the portfolio of global drinks giant Diageo, who currently own 29 malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. Oban is situated at the heart of the town of the same name, which formed with and around the distillery.

Oban’s visitor center is Diageo’s third most popular, sitting just behind Talisker and Edinburgh’s Johnnie Walker experience. Despite its popularity, Oban’s location in the heart of the town means that the distillery is also one of Diageo’s smallest with a capacity of just 800,000 liters a year. That ties it at second smallest of Diageo’s distilleries alongside the newly reopened Brora and Port Ellen distilleries. 

Despite its modest output Oban has been at the heart of many of Diageo’s special releases. It has an enviable selection of collectable vintage malts including its bicentenary Managers Dram amongst more recent bottlings. It has also been favored by independent bottlers including a renowned Moon Import bottling.

Scotland’s 6th Oldest Distillery Is Glen Garioch, Est. 1797

Glen Garioch has survived since 1797 to become the sixth oldest distillery in Scotland. The distillery has survived style changes as well as multiple closures, first between 1968 and 1973 and then again between 1995 and 1997. The latter reopening marked a big shift for the distillery.

Most of Glen Garioch’s vintage bottlings are highly rated peated whiskies, however in 1994 Suntory took ownership. As Suntory already owned Bowmore, who are renowned for their peated Islay style they decided to change Glen Garioch’s style. So when Glen Garioch reopened in 1997 it was to produced whisky in an unpeated style. Suntory Holdings have continued to make significant changes and investments into the Glen Garioch brand, including a £22 million pound overhaul that was completed in 2022.

Is Rosebank the 7th Oldest Distillery In Scotland?

In seventh place, and the first of our somewhat contentious results, is the Rosebank distillery.

Let’s start with some dates, a distillery at the Rosebank site was first established in 1798, which puts it firmly in seventh place. The Rosebank name wasn’t used until 1840 but we’ve already seen plenty of distilleries do the same, so a name change isn’t enough to discount it from the list. However, in 1993 the Rosebank distillery was closed by its then owners Diageo. It was one of a wave of distilleries closed around this time, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because the market was still recovering from the 1980s “whisky loch” and there were other distilleries that could be expanded more efficiently.

Rosebank remained inactive until the “reopening” was announced under new owners in 2017. It took until 2023 for the distillery to start producing whisky again. Part of the reason we feel its inclusion in the list of oldest is borderline is because of the length of the closure. In addition most of the original distilling equipment was stolen during those 24 years, meaning that the equipment is all replicas as well. In Rosebank’s defense, I’m certain all the distilleries so far have changed their equipment, replaced stills etc. since they opened. So then you have the influence of specific distillers and teams (from distillation methods, coopers, casks and even down to grain type and yeast choices) on the finished whisky.

The question then arises as to what is it that makes a distillery or whisky one of a specific name? Rosebank isn’t alone in bringing this question to the fore of scotch whisky. It’s one of four such in the oldest 30 list out of more than 140 open malt distilleries in Scotland at the moment.  But it is perhaps a discussion for another day.

The 8th Oldest Distillery In Scotland Is Blair Athol, Est. 1798

There were three distilleries officially established in 1798 and Blair Athol is reputedly the oldest of these. It’s another distillery that opened under a different name; Blair Athol has been used since 1825.

Blair Athol is the home of Bell’s blended whisky, which is the second most popular blended scotch in the UK market. With just over 80,000 visitors in 2023 it is one of the most visited visitor centers in Scotland and also Diageo’s fourth most visited distillery. In terms of numbers the actual Bell’s whisky has seen a dip in domestic popularity over the last few years. While Bells remains number two in the UK, it does raise questions as to what Diageo may have planned for the brand and its spiritual home.

The 9th Oldest Distillery In Scotland Is Tobermory, Est. 1798

Tobermory’s position as the ninth oldest distillery in Scotland is another one that requires some unpicking. Its history is marked by numerous extended closures and a couple of name changes.

In a more unusual start for distilleries with name changes, the distillery was known as Tobermory when it opened in 1798. It then closed in 1837 until 1878. Tobermory reopened in 1878 but closed again in 1930. Following another long closure the distillery was refurbished and opened again in 1972, this time as the Ledaig distillery (pronounced led-chig). However the new owners filed for bankruptcy after three years.

In 1979 new owners took control and they changed the name back to Tobermory. Today the distillery is still known as Tobermory but they produce both Tobermory whisky and a peated expression under the Ledaig name.

Highland Park Is The Tenth Oldest Distillery In Scotland, Est. 1798

Rounding out the top ten oldest still functioning Scottish malt whisky distilleries is Highland Park. It’s an apt end to the top ten as it was the last distillery to be legally established in the 18th century. That being said, records suggest that illicit distilling almost certainly took place at the Highland Park site before 1798. (As is likely the case for a few of our top ten).

Highland Park was one of the forerunners of the single malt revival, marketing themselves as a single malt and promoting themselves globally as early as 1979. Their proactive stance meant that despite their remote location in Orkney they were able to open a visitor center in 1986. This is doubly impressive if you consider that the 1980s was a period of contraction for the scotch industry. In total 33 distilleries closed between 1980 and 1986!

There Are 29 Scottish Distilleries Over 200 Years Old

Positions 11 through to 20th oldests distilleries in Scotland are all distilleries over 200 years old. In 11th and 12th place we’ve got Jura, followed by Glenburgie, both opened in 1810. For our international readership these are probably two lesser known distilleries but Jura is big in the UK market and Glenburgie is a significant contributor to the much more well-known Ballantine’s blend.

It’s a similar story with the 13th oldest distillery, Royal Brackla established in 1812. Royal Brackla is owned by Bacardi as part of the Dewar’s package they purchased from Diageo in 1997. However Royal Brackla is being pushed by their brand owners and is becoming much more well known as a single malt, especially in the Asian market.

For the 14th, 15th and 16th oldest distilleries we nip back across to Islay for Arbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin. All three distilleries opened within a year of one another across 1815 and 1816. Islay’s remote location created ideal conditions for avoiding taxes so it is another region where illicit distilling had been rife. So while those are the official records, there was certainly distilling at those locations before 1815.

We got from position nine to 17 without any more points for dispute, but Bladnoch, Teaninich and Brora in 17th, 18th and 19th positions respectively marks a good point to discuss what defines a distillery.

The Case For Continuous Production

We’ll start with Bladnoch, which was originally established in 1817. After a couple of closures and periods of intermittent production in 1936 the distillery was closed and the equipment was dismantled and shipped to Sweden. A basically new distillery was then built in 1956 and that changed hands a lot until 1993, when it closed again. Production restarted in 2000 then from 2014 I lost track again (get the Malt Whisky Yearbook if you want to see exactly who owned it when). The point is that once we start seeing extended closures and new equipment and multiple changes in management, it raises the question of how you decide how old a distillery is. 

It’s a similar picture to Brora in position 19, which started out as the Clynelish distillery before a new Clynelish was built and the old one closed before being reopened as Brora. So is it Brora or Clynelish that can claim the founding date? Regardless, Brora was actually closed in 1983, the same year as Port Ellen. The pair of distilleries were part of a wave of 21 distilleries closed by Diageo between 1980 and 1986. They have since reopened, Brora in 2021 and Port Ellen earlier in 2024. Once again that’s a break

As for Teaninich, a glance at the sleek new distillery makes it pretty obvious this is a far cry from the stone buildings built by a blind man in 1817. Dare I say it, even the likes of Macallan’s sparkly new distillery could probably be included in this discussion…

What discussion? Well, how much of a distillery is down to location, equipment, people, casks, barley, water (I can go on but I hope you get the point) and how much is a distillery name just a brand? And does it matter?

Certainly I don’t know the answer,  but if you do, feel free to comment.