Perched on the River Bladnoch in the Machars, Bladnoch is Scotland’s southernmost distillery. Dating back more than 200 years, it is also the oldest privately owned Scotch whisky distillery in the world
Australian entrepreneur David Prior bought the mothballed Bladnoch Distillery in 2015.and restored it to its former glory, bringing it back into production and launching its whisky products in 30 markets across the world
After a £5 million investment refurbishing and upgrading the distilling operation within the original historic buildings, whisky production, which had ceased in 2009, re-started in 2017. That was the year Bladnoch marked its 200th anniversary, making it one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland.
The distillery was also given Royal recognition in 2022 with the prestigious Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short-Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years. Described as an “independent distillery making world-class whisky in Dumfries & Galloway” it was praised for showcasing the “excellence that Scottish business is renowned for.”
TASTING NOTES
As the southernmost distillery in Scotland, Bladnoch is commonly referred to as the ‘Queen of the Lowlands.’ Its signature grassy floral spirit - typical of the Lowlands and derived from the distillery’s unique copper stills featuring low reflex bulbs which deliver a lighter spirit – allows the distillery’s team to take a taste-first approach and embrace diversity.
One of only a few working Lowlands distilleries, Bladnoch shines a light on its bold Galloway spirit, which is symbolic of the area and the community, and encourages people to discover its long history and creating whiskies which, it says, consistently challenge convention.
The Bladnoch Twinned Cask Collection is handcrafted by Bladnoch’s Master Distiller, Dr Nick Savage, and his team, using water from the River Bladnoch which flows alongside the distillery.
• Vinaya (a Sanskrit word meaning respect and gratitude), pays homage to Bladnoch Distillery’s original founders who paved the way for the brand’s exciting new era of innovation and production. Bladnoch Vinaya is matured in a unique combination of first-fill bourbon and sherry casks, a process which creates notes of fresh apple, sweet floral grass and hints of chocolate.
• Liora has its origins in Hebrew, with the name meaning ‘the gift of light’. Bladnoch Liora is matured in a combination of bourbon and new oak casks and is the first of the brand’s releases to be bottled at distiller’s strength of 52.2% ABV. Liora embodies the delicate balance between the intensity of the new oak and the sweetness of the bourbon casks, resulting in flavours of fresh cut apples, toasted caramel, peppery spices, and fresh oak.
• Bladnoch Samsara (meaning ‘rebirth’), is a full-bodied and fragrant blend of malts matured in Californian red wine and ex-bourbon casks. It delivers a rich and sweet flavour profile with notes of vanilla, fudge, and citrus.
• Alinta (an indigenous word from several southeast Australian language groups, means ‘fire’ and ‘flames’), and evokes the notes of campfire embers found in each sip. A sweet, smoky, peated spirit, Bladnoch Alinta takes its flavour from maturation in Pedro Ximénez sherry and ex-bourbon casks, which sets this whisky apart from anything previously released by Bladnoch.
In May, this year Bladnoch, unveiled the fifth and final edition of the Master Distiller’s Waterfall Series of Scotch whiskies at its annual Waterfall Day festival.
Curated by Dr Savage, the five-year series explores the world of whisky maturation and highlights the journey Bladnoch’s bold Galloway spirit takes to mature its unique flavours and character.
Dr Savage said it was a milestone occasion for the distillery: “Crafting this serie
s of exceptional whiskies has been a wonderful journey.”
Starting the process in 2020, he selected single malt from a combination of sweet ex-bourbon casks and intense Oloroso sherry casks, to form the basis for the set of five editions.
“The first release really showcased the whisky at the beginning of its maturation journey and at the end of each year, after bottling each batch, I assessed how the whisky matured to make my selection for the next cask type for a new layer of finishing, where flavour and character would develop further for the next edition.
“This created a waterfall effect which inspired the collection’s name, and it’s a privilege to complete the series.”
The fifth and final single malt, Waterfall 05 2024 Edition –limited to only 1,000 individually numbered bottles – was finished in second-fill Oloroso sherry puncheons to round all the flavours created over time.
The Wave is a five-part limited-edition series which demonstrates the marrying process of whisky casks, with each annual release revealing one of the five whisky making pillars used by Dr Savage.
Wave I: Time & Maturation, released on June 4, epitomises Bladnoch’s method of selecting casks at the peak time in their maturation process to ensure optimal flavours in the whisky.
To embark on The Wave journey, Dr Nick Savage selected five 1,500 litre Amontillado sherry tuns. Each is filled with whiskies from various combinations of cask types to marry together from the distillery’s 207-year-old bluestone warehouses. Each year the cask types will be revealed and depict another pillar of Bladnoch whisky making. The remaining whisky will be decanted into the following year’s tun, creating a common thread and a wave effect throughout the series, with the fifth and final release featuring components from the full collection.
Bladnoch has been distilling Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky for over 207 years.
THE PUREST INGREDIENTS
It sources water from the Bladnoch River and malt from British growers – for Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky from start to finish.
THE MOST SOUTHERLY
Bladnoch is the southernmost distillery in Scotland
SPIRIT STATS
New make strength - 69%
Average fermentation hours - 80
Number of washbacks - 6
Annual distilling capacity – 1.5m litres
