north port distillery
history - north port distillery (a. k. a. townhead / brechin )
the distillery was situated just north of junction 16 of the m8 in glasgow on north canal bank street .
also known as brechin, north port was a family - owned distillery bought out and closed by dcl .
3) whisky production at the north port distillery was ceased during world war ii. in those years the distillery buildings were used to house polish soldiers .
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north port / brechin
pronounced in au or wav format search dr. do' g' s index for the history of north port / brechin there just might be some news about north port / brechin in the
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brechin (now known as north port) distillery is acquired by dcl and w. h. holt, and transferred to smd
1839 - renamed the distillery name was again changed in 1839 from brechin distillery to north port distillery, named after a former gate in the city walls (a port is the old scottish word for a town gate and the distillery was located close to where this gate had once stood). this second change of name was partly due to confusion with glencadam distillery, built just a few hundred yards from north port in 1825 .
david, john & alexander guthrie found brechin distillery under the company townhead distillery co .
north port single malt scotch whisky 20 year old 1979 - 61. 2% vol 70cl
the distillery was renamed brechin in 1823 and two years later the distillery was being operated by a partnership guthrie, martin & co. the name was changed to north port in 1839 .
north port - brechin 20yo 1979 / 1999 (61. 2% , rare malts) - 301007
the distillery was badly damaged by fire in 1903 however the distillery was rebuilt and reopened in 1913 .
a lesser known distillery that disappeared in the great distillery cull of 1983, north port or brechin, as it went by either name, is hard to find but often worth the search. discover more »
1970s - modernised north port was partly modernised in the 1970s but only ever had one pair of stills .
the north port distillery was a single malt whisky distillery in the scottish town of brechin. officially named north port, but often referred to as brechin distillery, both names were used interchangeably on distillery bottlings. its output was almost entirely used for filling (blending). the town of brechin lies just off the a90 between dundee and aberdeen on the eastern coast of scotland in the east highlands malt whisky region. the former site of north port distillery is now occupied by a supermarket. of the single malt whisky distilleries originally in the area, only old fettercairn and glencadam remain active .
2005 - a 28 years old official bottling of north port / brechin is released. according to the malt maniacs monitor, the brechin 28yo 1977 / 2005 (53. 3% , ob, 2040 bts .) was the first ever (official) bottling of north port on record. 2008 - stocks of north port / brechin whisky are diminishing. the two most recent independent bottlings of north port we know of are released; the north port 27yo 1981 / 2008 (56. 5% , duncan taylor rarest of the rare, c # 779) and the north port - brechin 1982 / 2008 (43% , g & m connoisseurs choice) .
north port brechin 23 yo 1971 / 1995 (54. 7% , ob, rare malts) - 020616
north port was one of the distilleries that didn' t survive the 1983 - 85 period, the market at the time was suffering from over capacity and around a dozen single malt distilleries were closed. north port was mothballed in 1983
north port - brechin 17 yo 1976 / 1994 (64. 1% , cadenhead’s, dist december) - 170105
bunnahabhain distillery - pronounce boon - a - havn, is situated in the north of islay, around eight miles north of port askaig on the shore of the sound of islay. the name bunnahabhain is gaelic and means river mouth. a visit to the distillery will reveal the river running just north of the distillery, which also happens to be a great spot for a wee walk, for different views of the distillery itself, and it offers a nice view towards the paps of jura .
also sometimes known as brechin, north port was founded in 1820 in the angus area of the eastern highlands under the name townhead .
north port (brechin) 14 yo 1974 / 1988 (66. 2% , intertrade, 75cl, 177 bottles) - 040106
north port 25 yo 1981 / 2006 (56. 1% , the whisky fair, sherry wood, 120 bottles) - 260406
north port 1980 / 1996 (57. 3% , scotch malt whisky society, # 74. 3) - by angus - 140418
north port 27 yo 1981 / 2008 (56. 5% , duncan taylor rarest of the rare, cask # 779) - 171108
north port (brechin) 14yo 1974 / 1989' very rare' (66. 1% , sestante import, 75cl) - 301007
north port 26 yo 1981 / 2007 (52. 9% , duncan taylor, rarest of the rare, cask # 775) - 301007
smd closed north port in 1928 and aside from a brief airing it remained silent after the second world war. north port gained a second wind in the mid - 1900s but became one of the nine dcl distilleries to close in 1983 as a response to widespread excess stocks in the market .
north port brechin 1980 / 1996 (57. 3% , scotch malt whisky society, 74. 3) - 110605 - by angus - 140418
1) north port / brechin could very well be the scotch whisky distillery that created the most confusion about its name. very few sources seem to agree exactly when the name was changed exactly - and why ...
north port (brechin) 38 yo 1977 / 2015 (48. 4% , cadenhead, single cask, bourbon hogshead, 174 bottles) - 020616
north port brechin 26 yo 1975 / 2001 (55. 6% , signatory vintage, silent stills, cask # 2960, 211 bottles) - 220514
still, brechin distillery prevailed and remained in family ownership for around 100 years. at some point during the 19th century the family changed the distillery’s name to north port, referencing a nearby gate in the wall that once surrounded the town (brechin is still a town, despite having a cathedral) .
north port 25yo 1981 / 2006 (56, 1% , the whisky fair, sherry butt, 120 bottles) nose: rich and polished. sherry, fruits and spices. strawberry. highly enjoyable - best north port ever? taste: fruity and very hot at cask strength. a splash of water works beautifully here. hint of perfume. score: 89 points - my sixth north port ever, and the best (although a 25yo cadenhead' s came close) .
1825 - holding company renamed the company that owned the distillery was originally the townhead distillery company but in 1825 this was renamed guthrie, martin & company .
1887 - alfred barnard recounts his visit to the distillery in his epic 1887 book, the whisky distilleries of the united kingdom, alfred barnard describes his visit to brechin distillery. this is the 98th distillery of the 150 detailed in the book. the following account uses the' brechin' rather than' north port' name, so casting doubt as to the 1839 date for the second name change .
port dundas grain scotch whisky 30 year old 59. 5% directors cut 70cl
the distillery was closed during wwi and sold to dcl and w. h. holt & co in 1922. who at some point (1928 ?) passed the distillery to smd. they operated the distillery under a licence by mitchell brothers of glasgow .
the north port (a. k. a. brechin, a. k. a. townhead) distillery lies in brechin, on the eastern coast of scotland. it was built in 1820 as' townhead' by david, john & alexander guthrie. however, strictly speaking it was still sort of an illegal distillery - if i understand various history books correctly, legal whisky production didn' t start until 1823 when the excise act was passed. 1823 was also the year that townhead was renamed to brechin - before the name changed to north port .
north port’s whisky was never officially bottled as a single malt during its lifetime, although diageo had it bottled for its rare malts series in 1995, 1998 and 1999, as well as under the name ‘brechin’ for its special releases in 2005. in his book the malt whisky companion, whisky writer michael jackson described north port’s whisky as ‘dry, fruity, gin - like. aperitif’ .
originally there were two distilleries in the locality port dundas, the first established in 1811 by daniel mcfarlane two years later a second port dundas was constructed by brown, gourlie & co .
north port 15 yo 1964 / 1979 (80° proof, cadenhead' s dumpy, black label, d. 02 /' 64 btl. 05 /' 79, 75cl) - no notes - 93
the name was changed to brechin in 1832 and to north port in 1839. throughout its lifetime almost its entire output went into blends. the distillery was taken over by a dcl subsidiary in 1922 and was silent from 1928 - 37 and 1939 - 48, during which time it was briefly home to the polish infantry .
1823 - renamed in 1823, david guthrie' s sons took over the running of townhead distillery, the same year renaming it brechin distillery. this rechristening was the second of the distillery' s three names and marks the start of much confusion, with differing accounts giving different dates and reasons for the name changes .
north port 25yo 1977 / 2002 (56% , cadenhead' s, june 2002, bourbon hogshead, 276 bottles) nose: rich. polished. gooseberry. spicy. sweaty. organics. fabulous! best north port by far. taste: sweet, chewy. big and bold. very, very impressive for a bourbon matured malt. score: 88 points - overwhelming proof that i shouldn' t' write off' a distillery too soon. this was the only expression of the brechin whisky ever to score above average, mind you ...
glasgow’s port dundas distillery was a landmark, even though not many people actually knew what it was. it was built in 1811 at the highest point in the city next to the banks of the forth & clyde canal. another distillery, cowlairs, started operation soon after and in 1860 the two sites – by then both with coffey stills installed – merged. in 1877, port dundas was one of the founding members of the grain distillers’ conglomerate dcl .
the distillery’s buildings were gradually dismantled piece by piece until it was finally demolished in 1994 to make way for a supermarket .
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1928 - 1948 - intermittent production production at the distillery stopped for nine years from 1928 until 1937. resumption of production was short - lived due to government fuel and barley rationing introduced by the government shortly after the start of world war ii in 1939. during the war the distillery some of the distillery buildings were used to house soldiers from the polish infantry. production resumed three years after the end of the war in 1948 .
it' s worth remembering that these upstanding members of the community built their family distillery before the excise act, permitting legal whisky production in return for a licence fee of £10 and a payment per gallon of proof spirit, was passed in 1823, so strictly speaking townhead was an illicit distillery .
at a time when road links to the town were yet to be established, the distillery was dependent on the sea for its supply of barley and for the shipping out of its malt whisky. wick became known for the barrels of silver (herring) and gold (whisky) which left the port in vast numbers .
if you go about 9 miles to the west from the east coast resort place montrose, there' s a town called brechin. the distillery stood at the northern entrance of the town. it was built by david guthrie in 1820 as townhead distillery and later they changed the name. it was one of the smd in 1922 and it was torn down in 1983. it is now used as a supermarket, and part of the distillery remains as a wall of the parking a lot .
the distillery was modernised and re - equipped after the second world war and it was transferred to the management of the dcl production company scottish grain distillers in 1966 .
founded in 1826 by james henderson at the height of wick' s celebrated herring boom, the pulteney distillery is one of the most northerly scotch whisky distilleries on the british mainland .
with its good transport links and prime location in the city, which had become the blending powerhouse of scotland, port dundas grew in size to become the largest distillery in scotland. by 1885, its three coffey and five pot stills were producing over two million gallons a year and, in an approach we’d today label as innovative, was using ‘american corn’, barley, and rye .
the prohibition in wick as well as the economic depression that followed spelled trouble for pulteney distillery. in 1930 the production ceased and the distillery was mothballed for over twenty years. in 1951, when the demand for whisky in post - war europe started growing, the site was acquired by robert “bertie” cumming, a solicitor from banff. the production restarted soon after and has not stopped since .
the drive towards bunnahabhain from port askaig, the long and winding road, is great and the location of the distillery is stunning. the road offers wonderful views of jura, the sound of islay and the rhuvaal lighthouse on the most northern tip of islay. the ever changing light and weather conditions can be amazing and at the end is your reward, a warm welcome and a fabulous dram !
north port 1974 / 1993 (40% , gordon & macphail connoisseurs choice) nose: clean. grainy. not very expressive. closed. fishy? those were all my notes. i need bigger glasses. taste: sweetish and watery. malty perhaps? once again there wasn' t much more to write down. score: 70 points - certainly not a bad whisky, but it simply lacks character and personality .
north port - brechin 1981 / 1998 (40% , gordon & macphail connoisseurs choice) nose: restrained. light citrus and vanilla? it' s hard to pick out any distinguishing characteristics. taste: smooth. warm. a little flat. raw beans? dry in the finish. very drinkable but below par for a malt. score: 62 points - the least impressive expression i' ve tried so far ...
1983 - mothballed the distillery was mothballed in 1983 due to the then crisis in whisky sales. soon after being mothballed some of the equipment was borrowed for use in other distillers. this temporary closure proved to be permanent .
david, john and alexander guthrie, sons of a local merchant and former provost of the town, established their distillery a half - mile away from the south esk river under the trading name of townhead distillery co. three of 13 siblings, the brothers’ venture would not have sat well with their younger brother dr. thomas guthrie, who eventually became renowned as a reverend and staunch supporter of the temperance movement, the roots of which were only very slight at the time .
1922 - ownership change the distillery and its extensive stock of whisky were purchased from the founder' s descendents by distillers company (dcl) and w. h. holt & company limited (a manchester - based wine and spirits merchants) .
1820 - founded originally named townhead distillery, the distillery was founded in 1820 by brothers david, john, and alexander guthrie, second generation farmers. david guthrie had already established the town' s first bank in 1809 and served as provost (head of the local authority). some accounts say he was the uncle of the famous dr thomas guthrie, a preacher, philanthropist and social reformer in edinburgh, while others say the eminent divine dr. thomas was the father of the three brothers .
in 1922 the distillery, which could produce 450, 000 litres of spirit per year, was bought by distillers company ltd. (dcl) and w. h. holt & co. ltd. it was transferred to dcl’s scottish malt distillers in the same year .
following another change in ownership in 1955, this time to james & george stodart ltd, a subsidiary to hiram walker & sons, the distillery underwent major refurbishment from 1958. the traditional floor maltings were decommissioned as part of the project. today the space is adapted for a visitor centre .
old pulteney continued to broaden its portfolio of single malts, introducing a 17 year old in 2004 and a 21 year old a year later. together with the much - loved 12 year old they now form pulteney distillery' s core range. but it isn' t until late 2011 that the world truly learns of these mature expressions. jim murray' s whisky bible, the most influential publication on whisky in the world, names old pulteney 21 year old the world whisky of the year 2012, starting one of the busiest and most exciting periods in distillery' s history .
1990 - re - development the site was sold for re - development in 1990 and the distillery demolished in 1993, with the last warehouses demolished a year later. a safeway was built on the site but was sold to somerfield in october 2004. this supermarket remains the present occupier of the site .
in 2010 however its owner diageo decided to concentrate its grain production at the vastly expanded cameronbridge. although there were offers from rival distillers to buy port dundas they foundered – possibly because of the potential cost of another upgrade. in 2011, production ceased and the site was demolished. the landmark had gone .
the spirit is distilled in the old - fashioned pot stills, and condensed in worms laid in the bed of the den burn which runs through the works. the warehouses for the storing of spirits are as fine as any in the north. one, built a few years ago, and which contains 100, 000 gallons. is 200 feet long by 50 feet broad .
through acquisitions and changes in company structures the distillery ended up with allied domecq who in 1995 sold it to the current owners – inver house distillers. under the new new ownership the maritime malt is launched in its now iconic guise – in 1997 old pulteney 12 year old is presented to the international audience. this hails the beginning of a new era .
during the 19th century the principle trade of the town and former royal burgh of brechin in angus was textile manufacturing, much of which was exported to france. however brechin was also home to two breweries and two distilleries – glencadam, which was built in 1825 by george cooper, and brechin distillery, which was founded five years earlier by three of the guthrie brothers .
old pulteney celebrated its maritime heritage through partnership with a renowned british explorer and adventurer jock wishart. as a result, the brand took part in a daring expedition which as its name – row to the pole – suggests, resulted in jock and his team reaching the north pole using a solely man - powered boat. this extraordinary feat of adventuring is recognised as one of the great' firsts' in the history of polar exploration .
the whisky is highland malt, and the water used in its manufacture is conveyed in pipes from the grampian mountains, and the peats employed in drying the malt come from the same source. the district around brechin being highly cultivated, barley of the finest quality is grown and carted by the farmers into the lofts of the distillery, where nothing but the very best barley is malted. the annual output is 100, 000 gallons .
when the distillery was being bought by james watson in 1920, the new owner could not have suspected that only two years later, following a majority vote in the local ward, wick would become a' dry' town. the complete ban on alcohol licences within the royal burgh remained in force for twenty five years to a day, twice as long as the prohibition in the united states. and so every year on the 28th of may wickers celebrate the repeal with a wee dram or two .
its neighbour, dundashill (which itself would be absorbed within the complex in 1902), was at that time the largest pot still distillery in the world, its two wash stills and 10 spirit stills making both double - and triple - distilled malt, peated and unpeated. there was a cooperage, housed in the former dundashill building, and a piggery – the swine being fed on draff. the whole site was topped by a 138 - metre brick chimney, for a time the highest in the world .
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palate: light to medium bodied. quite hot, dried fruits and vanilla oak .
it was built in 1820 as' townhead' by three brothers david, john & alexander guthrie who were local farmers .
lochside was closed 1928 to 1937 then again the forced closure for wwii. it re - opened in 1948 ,
the whisky produced was a contributor to the vatted malt glen dew and the heather dew blends .
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like the illicit whisky smuggling into brechin, its water and peat also came from the grampians, while ‘the very best barley’ was sourced from nearby farms .
signatory vintage - cask strength collection (sign .) - 29. aug 1975 / 13. jun 2005
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on the revival of some of the distilleries. they started selling off parts of the equipment of some
was mothballed too, but it was reopened again a few years later. the only
2) old fettercairn and glencadam are the only remaining active malt whisky distilleries in the area .
brechin 26yo 1976 / 2003 (50% , douglas laing omc, cask 3351, 282 bottles, 6 months sherry finish) nose: polished, flat & sweet. paint thinner. then more' veggy' and fruity elements emerge. melon. oatmeal? taste: hot and flat. dry, boring centre. tannins in the numbing finish. what a bummer... score: 70 points - even with a sherry finish, this whisky didn' t make a very strong impression .
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taken over by distiller company ltd (dcl) and w. h. holt & co, then acquired by scottish malt distillers ltd. (smd) and operated under licence by mitchell brothers of glasgow
one time contributor to the vatted malt glen dew and the heather dew blends .
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though the buildings of the still house and malt barns are old, the internal arrangements are of modern description, and in every case where machinery can be used in place of manual labour advantage is taken .
besides supplying wholesale houses with whisky, messrs. guthrie, martin, and co. are also large holders of very old spirits, which they keep to meet the demands of their duty - paid trade .
1914 - 18 - world war i like most other scotch malt distilleries, brechin was mothballed during world war i .
1928 - ownership change ownership of northport was transferred to scottish malt distillers (smd) a dcl subsidiary circa in 1928. shortly after it was operated under licence by mitchell brothers of glasgow .
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two fires at the start of the 20th century didn’t stop it for long, though by the 1970s it was in need of modernisation. at that point, production increased once more and a dark grains plant was installed .
norman newton - islay guide a small book loaded with gorgeous photo' s and practical information. lightweight and soft sided makes an ideal companion on islay. more islay books here ...
the scottish isle of islay, also referred to as queen of the hebrides, has 8 working whisky distilleries, stunning scenery, amazing wildlife, fabulous beaches and a lot more. islay is therefore a five star holiday destination .
peat smoke and spirit islay' s fascinating story is uncovered in this must have book. peat smoke and spirit is the last word on islay and its whiskies. more islay books ...
a new grain intake and a new spirit store were added in 1974 two years later a new still house was erected on the site of the old spirit store .
as with all scottish grain distilleries these are industrial type units with coffey stills. there is very little information about them as they do not share the prestige of the malt distilleries
single cask bottled at 59. 5% cask strength by douglas laing under their directors cut label
finish; long + an attractive oak & milk chocolate character. (j )
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following a year - long epic journey, the old pulteney, a yacht competing in the clipper round the world race 2013 - 2014, completes the circumnavigation of the world and arrives safely at the starting point in london. skipper patrick van der zijden and his crew help to write another beautiful chapter in the maritime malt' s history, carrying the unmistakable bulging bottles to the furthest corners of the globe under old pulteney' s navy and white sails .
as there are limited spaces on each tour please book in advance to avoid disappointment .
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the north port distillery was a distillery in brechin , angus that produced single malt scotch whisky . the distillery was latterly owned by distillers company through its subsidiary mitchell brothers . 
the north port distillery was a distillery in brechin, angus that produced single malt scotch whisky. the distillery was latterly owned by distillers company through its subsidiary mitchell brothers.
the north port distillery was a distillery in brechin, angus that produced single malt scotch whisky. the distillery was latterly owned by distillers company through its subsidiary mitchell brothers.