Bladnoch

Bladnoch is a Scotch single malt distillery re-born. Until 2015, it had endured a century of intermittent production, closure and regular changes of ownership. But now this Lowlands hidden gem is back thanks to new owner David Prior. He is overseeing a revolution at the distillery and putting one of Scotland's more undiscovered whiskies back on the map.

Bladnoch is known for its classic Lowland style of single malt - light, delicate and grassy with floral hints. This style comes across freshly and vibrantly with notes of honey, vanilla and green apple. It works particularly well when matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. This cask type features heavily within the core range. Most also feature a finish - this is where the whisky is taken from bourbon casks and matured for a shorter time period in a different cask.

The core range features a series of no age statements. These include Adela, Samsara, Talia and Vinaya. There are age statements at 10, 11 and 17 years old plus regular limited edition or single cask releases also. Some feature casks such as rum, red wine and different styles of sherry.

Bladnoch has undergone a complete refurbishment under its new ownership. The only thing to survive was the old mill. Everything else is new. This includes a five-tonne mash tun which feeds six washbacks made of Douglas fir. They operate two fermentation times at 60 and 80 hours. Each batch of wash that goes to the stills features a combination of the two. There are two pairs of stills with an official capacity of 1.5 million litres per year. Bladnoch is currently operating around the one million litre mark.

Bladnoch was founded in 1817 by brothers John and Thomas McClelland. It is located in the hamlet of Bladnoch, which translates from Gaelic as 'place of flowers', in the Lowlands of Scotland. The distillery remained in the McClelland family for almost a century. Production was halted due to financial difficulties in 1905 and that signalled the end to McClelland's tenure.

Various factors, including the distillery's remote location, contributed to a chequered history from that point. Periods of sporadic production and closure were combined with numerous changes of ownership after it reopened in 1911. Ross & Coulter took over in 1936 and stripped the equipment out and sold it to make money. Production would not restart until the Bladnoch Distillery Ltd purchased the buildings and installed new stills in 1956.

The uncertainty continued as a string of companies tried to make Bladnoch a success. First McGown & Cameron in 1964, then Inver House Distillers in 1973, then Arthur Bell & Sons in 1983. Bladnoch became part of United Distillers in 1989 when Arthur Bell & Sons were swallowed up in a merger. However, they closed the distillery in 1993. Raymond Armstrong then purchased the distillery in 1994 but production did not begin until December 2000.

Bladnoch again hit financial issues and was liquidated in 2014. This is where the current owner David Prior took control. He bought the distillery in 2015 and the deal saw him inherit much of the maturing stock. Since then Bladnoch has gone from strength to strength. This includes a total overhaul of the distillery equipment, a new visitor centre and a major revamp of the core range.