Building record MAB10185 - BLACKMIDDENS

Remains of a 19th Century whisky distillery recorded by excavation carried out in April 2019 by the Cabrach Trust and Cameron Archaeology.

Remains of a 19th century whisky distillery recorded by excavation carried out in April 2019 by the Cabrach Trust and Cameron Archaeology.

Blackmiddens (NJ42NW0007) was one of the first farms to be granted a licence to make whisky following the Excise Act of 1823 (though illicit production may have been undertaken before then). The distillery operated between 1825 and 1833, and output would have been relatively small. In May 1826 James Smith placed a newspaper advert seeking a ‘properly qualified’ brewer for his distillery, and the following year another advert advised that Smith had appointed an agent to take orders for Buck Whisky. Smith died in 1833 and the distillery ceased trading.

The excavation showed that the distillery operated on three levels, using gravity to aid the distillation process. The building, 10 m long by 6.3 m wide, was divided into four rooms or working spaces, and was on three levels. The northernmost room had a pit cut into the floor filled with layers of ash. Room 3, on the same level, had a rectangular area of paving with associated compact gravel surfaces, as well as a circular and semi-circular alignment of stones - possibly providing bases for tanks or barrels. Room 2 (to the west of Room 3) was at a lower level and had waterwashed cobbles over the south end of the room. Room 1, at the south, was a step down from Room 3, and had cobbles throughout with a central drain.

Artefacts recovered during the excavation included stoneware bottles, iron fittings, a buckle, and clay pipes which may have been contemporary with the distillery phase. Fragmentary glass bottles were also recovered suggesting some use of the building at a slightly later date.

Further investigation was carried out in 2021 by Bratt and Bye-Jensen, which indicated that a still worm tub was located outside the building.

Measured survey of the distillery was carried out by Historic Environment Scotland in 2020.

GERMAN, K, , THE HISTORY OF DISTILLING IN THE CABRACH: A REPORT FOR THE CABRACH TRUST (Bibliographic reference). SAB4256.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2019, BLACKMIDDENS, CABRACH: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, Excavation report (Bibliographic reference). SAB8249.

STEWART, M, 2020, A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF BLACKMIDDENS FARM ABERDEENSHIRE; REPORT FOR THE CABRACH TRUST (Bibliographic reference). SAB4853.

HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND, 2020, BLACKMIDDENS, RHYNIE, ABERDEENSHIRE: A MEASURED SURVEY OF A 19TH CENTURY FARMSTEAD AND DISTILLERY (Bibliographic reference). SAB5974.

BRATT, D, 2022, REPORT ON BLACKMIDDENS 2021 CAMPAIGN (Bibliographic reference). SAB3826.

Apr 12 2019 , AAS-GR-19-04-081 - 173, AAS-GR-19-04-081 - 173 (Ground Photograph). SAB34993.

Record last edited

Jul 9 2026 5:49PM