Littlemill
Mothballed, burned down and finally demolished in the late 20th century, the Littlemill Distillery has built its name in the history of Scotland as one of the numerous lost, but not forgotten distilleries. Due to its limited residual bottlings on the market, Littlemill whisky is becoming an exclusive range only, by which its whiskies such as the much sought-after Littlemill 25 Years Old Private Cellar Edition Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish, will reach a level of exclusiveness that no whisky collector can resist.
The Littlemill Distillery was once situated in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire on the border of the Highlands and Lowlands. Yet, Littlemill is a typical Lowlands whisky due to its traditional Lowlands triple distillation of the spirit. The site of the Littlemill Distillery was chosen for its favorable surrounding area, the adjacent Kilpatrick Braes to provide for the distillery’s water, and the fertile barley fields of the lowlands to supply for the required barley.
There are claims that distilling on the site of Littlemill took place as early as in the 17th century, but yet there aren’t any historical records to substantiate these claims. What we do know, is that Littlemill Distillery is one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, as it was originally established at an old beer brewery in the midst of the 18th century. During the early 19th century, Littlemill was owned by one of the first female distillers named Jane McGregor.
During its existence, Littlemill Distillery had major setbacks, crawled back up and exceeded to overbear these challenges through the sand of time, as the distillery changed ownership multiple occasions and was shut down several times. After the distillery’s last and final re-opening in 1988, Littlemill was dormant for good since 1994, leaving the distillery’s warehouses to be burned down to the ground and buildings to be demolished.
Despite its turbulent history, this ancient distillery has continued its legacy as one of Scotland’s oldest and most appreciated distilleries ever to have seen the light.
Read more