Glengyle

Glengyle distillery stands in Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, beside the sea. It was built in 1872 by William Mitchell, who had earlier worked at Springbank distillery before leaving after a quarrel with his brother John. A storm in 1873 blew the roof off the new building before production could start. After Mitchell’s death the distillery passed through several owners, closing for good in 1925. It later served as a rifle range during the Second World War. The site is worth the journey because it is the first new distillery of the millennium. Mitchell’s Glengyle Ltd, led by Mr Hedley Wright, grandson of the original owners, reopened the distillery in 2000. New stills and other equipment were installed, many salvaged from other closed distilleries. The whisky is sold under the name Kilkerran, taken from the Gaelic for the head of the lake where Saint Kieran once had a cell. Visitors find a working distillery with gleaming copper stills and the smell of malt in the air. The buildings have been carefully repaired to match their original style and listed status. Beyond the production area lie views across Campbeltown Loch. Bottles bearing the Kilkerran name are on sale in the visitor area.