Blair Athol (Blair Athol)

Blair Athol

Highlands•United Kingdom

In just the past 5 years, visitor numbers to Scotch whisky distilleries have nearly doubled. In 2018, approximately 2 million people visited distilleries to learn more about Scotch whisky. One might think that reputation and proximity to main roads are prerequisites for attracting large numbers of visitors, but this is not the case. Among the 5 distilleries most popular with visitors, 3 are on islands—Arran, Skye, and Harris. Perhaps most surprising is Harris distillery on the remote Outer Hebrides, which attracted over 90,000 visitors in 2018, and this was only its third year of operation! Blair Athol Distillery, meanwhile, has consistently benefited from traffic on the A9 highway heading north from Edinburgh to the Highlands. The distillery is the most visited of all Diageo distilleries, receiving 89,000 visitors in 2018. In the past year, the distillery has also developed a new feature: converting a disused Clynelish mashtun into a whisky tasting bar! Blair Athol is the spiritual home of Bell's blended whisky. The connection was established in 1896 when Bell was just starting out, and this relationship became even closer when Bell purchased the distillery in 1933. Arthur Bell & Sons, the creators of the Bell's brand, remained an independent family business far longer than most Scottish traditional family enterprises, only being acquired by Guinness in 1985 before merging into Diageo Group. The distillery's equipment includes an 8.2-ton semi-lauter mashtun, 6 stainless steel washbacks, and 2 stills. Most of the spirit produced for Bell's matures in bourbon casks, with the remainder in sherry casks. Over the past few years, the distillery has operated 5 days a week, producing 12 mashes weekly, which translates to approximately 2 million liters of new make spirit. Blair Athol also employs both short (46 hours) and long (104 hours) fermentation times. Due to the incorporation of a cloudy wort, the new make spirit carries distinct nutty and malty flavors. The only official regular bottling is a 12-year-old expression in the Flora & Fauna series. Additionally, in autumn 2017, a 23-year-old expression matured in European oak sherry casks was released as part of Diageo's Special Releases series.

Founder:

John Stewart

Address:

Perth Road, Pitlochry

Ownership:

Diageo plc

Visitor Information:

游客中心建于1987 年

Production Capacity:

3m L.P.A.

History

The distillery's rustic stone building is overgrown with dense Virginia creeper, and the Otter Burn stream that flows past the distillery gave its name to the first distillery established here in 1798. The distillery was rebuilt and expanded in 1825 and renamed "Blair Athol". In 1882, Edinburgh blending and whisky brand Peter Mackenzie & Company (which later established Dufftown Distillery) purchased and further expanded the distillery. Between 1932 and 1949, the distillery was mothballed, then carefully restored by Arthur Bell & Sons, who had acquired Peter Mackenzie & Company in 1933. Professor Macdonald described it as "almost a distillery template" in the 1960s. In 1994, Bell's first renovation of the distillery cost £75,000. In 1970, they doubled the distillery's capacity, expanding from 2 stills to 4, and ended floor malting. Bell's Extra Special blended Scotch was the best-selling brand in the UK at the time. The output of Bell's three distilleries increased fivefold between 1960 and 1970. But Arthur Bell & Sons eventually became a victim of its own success. In 1985, it was hostilely acquired by Grand Metropolitan, and soon became part of U.D., now part of Diageo. In 2017, Blair Athol's visitor center—first opened in 1987—underwent a major renovation, and now one of its highlights is converting Clynelish Distillery's original copper mash tun into a bar. Blair Athol is now one of Scotland's five most visitor-popular distilleries.

Curiosities

After the Battle of Culloden (1746), a local laird and Jacobite officer was forced to flee for his life. He hid in a farmhouse near the Allt Dour burn (the 'burn of the otter'), then slipped down the stream and concealed himself in an old oak tree near the distillery site until the red-coated enemy soldiers departed, eventually escaping to France. In 1933, Arthur Bell & Sons acquired Blair Athol distillery, transforming the company from a local blending brand into a medium-sized distilling enterprise and gaining the opportunity to become a major industry player.

Timeline

1798

John Stewart and Robert Robertson established the distillery

1825

Officially renamed to Blair Athol

1860

Ownership transferred to Elizabeth Connacher

1886

Peter Mackenzie bought the distillery

1932

Distillery closed

1949

Production resumed

1971

Stills increased to 4

1985

Acquired by Guinness

1987

Visitor center opened.

2003

A cask strength expression distilled in 1975, aged 27 years, was released.

2010

A no-age-statement distillery limited edition and a single cask expression distilled in 1995 were released.

2016

A no-age-statement distillery limited edition was released.

2017

A 23-year-old expression was released, appearing in the Diageo Special Releases collection.

Blair Athol

★★★☆☆3.3