St Magdalene distillery

St Magdalene distillery stands in Linlithgow, West Lothian, beside the Union Canal. It began whisky production in 1798 and closed in 1983 after 185 years. The site once housed a leper colony, a convent and St Magdalene’s Hospital, giving the distillery its name. The Dawson family ran the business for most of the 19th century, starting with Adam Dawson, a maltster from Kippendavie. His sons John and Adam Dawson Jnr expanded the distillery, reaching 4,000 US gallons of whisky each week by 1856. Distillers Company bought the distillery in 1912 after John Kellie Dawson’s death. After closure, parts of the site became apartments, keeping their characteristic pagoda roofs. The distillery is worth visiting for its long history and the Dawson family’s influence. Adam Dawson trained as a maltster before running the business, and his son James became a noted champion of Aboriginal interests. The distillery’s output peaked at 15,000 litres weekly, showing its importance in the whisky trade. The 1927 renovation modernised production while preserving the site’s heritage. Category C listed status protects the remaining buildings, including their distinctive roofs. The site links Linlithgow’s past as a monastic centre to its later role in whisky making. Visitors find converted distillery buildings now used as apartments, their pagoda roofs still visible. The Union Canal runs alongside, offering a waterside walk. The apartments sit among walls that once held stills and warehouses. The area retains traces of the medieval hospital that gave the distillery its name. A short stroll from Linlithgow’s High Street brings the site into view. The setting combines industrial heritage with modern living, a quiet reminder of whisky’s role in the region’s story.