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| Region:Highland | |
|---|---|
| Location | Edderton |
| Owner | Inver House Distillers |
| Founded | 1790 |
| Status | Operational |
| Water source | The Allt Dearg |
| No. of stills | 1 wash still (20,000l) 1 spirit still (8,500l)[1] |
| Capacity | 1,800,000 litres of alcohol |
Balblair distillery is aHighland single maltScotch whisky located inEdderton,Ross-shire,Scotland.
Founded in 1790, the distillery was rebuilt in 1895 by the designerCharles C Doig to be closer to theEddertonRailway Station on theInverness and Ross-shire Railway line. However, so good was the original water source that the rebuilt distillery chose to ignore a nearbyburn in favour of the original Ault Dearg burn. To this day, the Balblair Distillery continues to use this original water source.[2]
The Balblair Distillery was established in 1790 by John Ross. He ran Balblair as a thriving business and in 1824 he was joined by his son, Andrew. The distillery stayed in the Ross family until 1894, when the tenancy was taken over byAlexander Cowan.[2] The distillery was rebuilt in 1895 by the designer Charles C Doig to be closer to the Edderton Railway Station on the Inverness and Ross-shire Railway line. However, so good was the original water source that the rebuilt distillery chose to ignore a nearby burn in favour of the original Ault Dearg burn. To this day, the Balblair Distillery continues to use this original water source.[3]
In 1948 thefreehold was bought byRobert Cumming, who promptly expanded the distillery and increased production.[3] Cumming ran the distillery until he retired in 1970 when he sold it toHiram Walker.[3]
In 1996 Balblair Distillery was purchased byInver House Distillers Limited, whose other distilleries includethe Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery,Knockdhu Distillery,Old Pulteney Distillery andBalmenach Distillery.[4]
Balblair has one of the oldest archives in distilling, with the first ledger entry dated 25 January 1800. John Ross himself penned that entry, which read: “Sale to David Kirkcaldy atArdmore, one gallon of whisky at £1.8.0d”.[5]
Balblair used to release their whisky by vintage, but in April 2019 they started to release a core range of age statement whiskies. This includes but is not limited to a 12, 15, 18, 21 and 25 year old.[6]
Following its appearance in several scenes in the Ken Loach 2012 filmThe Angels' Share, Balblair opened a visitor centre in its former malting building. As well as containing a shop, the visitor centre is the starting point for regular tours of the distillery.[7]
Balblair current range:[8]
57°50′25.7″N4°10′49.5″W / 57.840472°N 4.180417°W /57.840472; -4.180417
