SCOTLAND’S first and oldest licensed whisky distillery site is set to go under the hammer this week.
Located in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Littlemill Distillery is the oldest licensed site in the country’s history that produced single malt Scotch whisky.
Although it is unclear exactly when distilling started on the site, the gable end of one of the warehouses has a dated stone carved with 1772.
According to records from the Justice of the Peace, it shows that Robert Muir of Littlemiln, an employee at the site, was granted the first ever licence by the Government of King George the Third to retail ale, beer and other liquors in November 1773.
Littlemill Distillery was also notable for being one of the first distilleries to have a female licensee, Jane MacGregor, in 1823.
The distillery briefly closed in 1929, but was bought and reopened by American entrepreneur and chemist Duncan Thomas in 1931.
Regarded as one of the forgotten innovators of Scotch whisky, Thomas introduced a new design of Saladin box for malting with two ventilation towers and a single kiln.
The entrepreneur switched from the Lowland tradition of triple distillation to double distillation, and installed new hybrid stills with copper pot still bodies and rectifying columns instead of swan necks to have greater control over the distillation process and allow a number of different characters to be produced.
However, despite being at the forefront of still innovation during its time in operation, Littlemill closed in 1994, and three years later, the distillery was largely dismantled.
The site of the once historic distillery will now go up for auction on Thursday with a guide price of £110,000.
Adam Honeyman, partner at Shepherd Commercial Property Auctions, said: “The 1.2-acre site comprises a rectangular plot of land with frontage onto Dumbarton Road consisting mainly of rough ground with sparse tree coverage.
“The north side of the site borders a public cycle/hiking path before coming to Great Western Road. Residential properties surround the site on the east and west sides.”
The derelict premises to the south-east corner of the site are currently category B listed.
