Fettercairn distillery

Fettercairn distillery stands in the Howe of Mearns beneath the Grampian foothills, a Highland single malt Scotch whisky maker built beside the old Nethermill corn mill. The town’s name means ‘foot of the mountain’ and the distillery still uses the original water source that powered the mill. A white arch marks the entrance, built for Queen Victoria’s visit in 1861, and a unicorn carved above it recalls the Ramsay crest brought by the founder. The site is worth the journey for its long craft and the figures behind it. Alexander Ramsay started the distillery in 1824 before selling to the Gladstones, whose son William became Prime Minister and shaped whisky tax law. A fire in 1887 closed the works for a time, but the distillery reopened and passed through Ross & Coulter and Associated Scottish Distilleries before Whyte & Mackay took charge in 1973. Inside the distillery a ring of pipes sprays water over the stills to chill the vapour and draw out the purest spirit. The warehouses hold casks of local oak and ex-bourbon barrels, giving the whisky layers of vanilla and fruit. Bottles range from the twelve-year-old to rare fifty-year-old releases, each bearing the unicorn and arch that tell the distillery’s story.