Building record MAB3411 - DALLAS DHU DISTILLERY

Distillery complex including office block, mash house, still house, kiln and malt barn that is A listed and scheduled.

Distillery complex including office block, mash house, still house, kiln and malt barn that is A listed and scheduled. It was constructed in 1899 for Wright and Greig Ltd by Charles Chree Doig. After the First World War, the owners went into liquidation and the distillery was sold to J P O'Brien Ltd, who sold it on to Benmore Distilleries. In 1929 Distillers Company acquired Dallas Dhu and promptly closed it for the duration of the Depression. It was reopened in 1936, and was modernised in 1960. It finally closed in 1983, and is now a museum. It is constructed from harl pointed rubble with tooled ashlar dressings, some brick and some whitewashed exterior walling. There is a kiln with an ogee slated roof and a pagoda lovered apex vent. A tall red brick chimney, square on plan, has contrasting yellow brick quoins. There is a long 2-storey malt barn, with a symmetrical 12-bay South elevation, and a range of 5 bonded warehouses with continuous gable ends. They are mainly single storey, but the East block is 2-storeys. There are 2 pairs of 2-storey, 2-bay, East facing Distillery Worker's Cottages, built in 1899. They are constructed of brick walling at the ground floor, and dummy timber framing at the first floor. There are entrances in the outer bays, and cottage number 1 and 4 have gabled weather boarded porches. There are large segmental headed ground floor front windows and large centre 2-window gabled dormers, with varied glazing. There are centre brick ridge stacks and jerkin headed slate roofs with red pottery ridges. The rear and gable end have single storey additions. To the South is an area containing a pond, used for supplying water in case of fire, and a strip of ground containing the main water supply and the embankment and cuttings of the former railway line. There are two houses, including the manager's house, to the North of Manachy Burn that are in private ownership, and not included in the listed or scheduled designations. It is one of Scotland's smallest distilleries.

Period Notes
Built in 1899. It was sold after the First World War, and again in 1929, after which it stayed closed until 1936. It was modernised in 1960, but finally closed in 1983 and is now a museum. It was scheduled on 30/11/1981, and the scheduling was amended on 24/01/2000. It was given A listed status on 25/04/1989.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 12/06/86 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Hume, JR, 1977, Industrial Archaeology of Scotland, 233 (Bibliographic reference). SAB730.

Jul 16 1998 , AAS/98/09/CT, AAS/98/09/CT (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB31423.

Jul 16 1998 , AAS/98/09/G13/13, AAS/98/09/G13/13 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB31422.

Author unknown, n.d., THE NORTHERN SCOT, 05/02/88 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1270.

Author unknown, n.d., THE NORTHERN SCOT, 23/01/87 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1270.

Author unknown, n.d., THE NORTHERN SCOT, 30/01/87 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1270.

Record last edited

Nov 21 2022 10:46AM