Building record MAB3412 - BENROMACH DISTILLERY, WATERFORD ROAD, FORRES

Distillery, founded by Duncan McCallum and F.W.

Distillery, founded by Duncan McCallum and F.W. Brickman as 'Glenromach', and built in 1898-9 by Charles C Doig. It is now owned and operated by Gordon and Macphail, and known as Benromach Distillery. Construction work started at the site of Benromach Distillery in 1898, however, due to the depression in the Scotch whisky industry in 1898, the distillery did not start producing whisky until 1900. It closed the same year due to a lack of money. In 1911 the distillery was acquired by the London based Harvey McNair and Co who continued distilling until the onset of the First World War. After the war, the distillery was acquired by Benromach Distillery Ltd and was run by this new private company until 1925. In 1938 Benromach was acquired by Associated Scottish Distilleries Ltd which later became a part of Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. Between 1966 and 1974 the distillery was modernised and continued to run until 1983 when the distillery was officially closed. In 1993 Gordon and Macphail took over the site and in 1997 they started to restore the distillery to a working order. The design of the distillery was changed slightly to allow it to be operated by one man. Finally in 1998 the distillery was officially reopened by Charles, Prince of Wales, and bottling of the new malt started in 2004. It is a complex of one- and two-storey buildings, of various dates, with a pyramidal-roofed malting kiln and a neat stillhouse, and a large free-standing red-brick chimney to vent the coal-fired stills. The malt barn (Listed Category B) is a three-storey, 12-bay brick barn with regular fenestration. Each bay is defined by brick pilaster strips, and there is a West Highland slate roof. It has segmental headed windows of 12 pane sashes to the gables, and with six-pane with shuttering to the lower portion of the long elevations. Internally each floor is supported by 11 pairs of cast-iron piers. There is a warehouse dated from 1898, with alterations in 1950-1. It was the surviving part of a range of warehouses, the other three having been demolished in 1987. A garage was built in 1937. A building survey of No. 2 cask warehouse and a garage was carried out in 2014 by S Farrell prior to its proposed demolition.

Period Notes
It was built in 1898-9. It then closed in 1900, and re-opened in 1911. It closed again at the beginning of WWI, and re-opened by new owners in 1925, and a garage was built in 1937. It was then taken over by new owners in 1938. The warehouses were altered in 1950-1 and the distillery was modernised between 1966 and 1974. It was closed in 1983, and three of the warehouses were demolished in 1987. It was then bought by new owners in 1993 who began restoring it to working order in 1997, with it being officially opened by Charles, Prince of Wales in 1998. Listed designation given on 30/03/1983.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 28/06/84 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

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

FARRELL, S, 2014, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDING OF NO.2 CASK WAREHOUSE AND GARAGE AT BENROMACH DISTILLERY, FORRES, MORAY, L1 SBS (Bibliographic reference). SAB2562.

FARRELL, S, 2014, PROJECT DESIGN FOR PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AT BENROMACH DISTILLERY, FORRES, PD (Bibliographic reference). SAB2561.

ARCAHEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2015, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 15, 2014, p.138 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5542.

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

Record last edited

Mar 5 2018 4:20PM