Tomdachoille Distillery
Tomdachoille Distillery (which is next door to our modest office) is one of many 19th-century Perthshire rural distilleries the remnants of which still exist today. It's unusual, however, as a relatively intact survivor, with the original form clearly visible.
Just to prove the point, if you are visiting Dewar's World of Whisky at Aberfeldy Distillery (www.dewarswow.com) and travel back along the A827 towards the junction with the A9 at Ballinluig, you will pass the site of the old Grandtully Distillery (once, allegedly the smallest in Scotland but now completely ruined) and, right by the road, the remains of Ballechin Distillery. Today, all you can see are some old farm buildings on the left hand side of the road before you take the Dunfallandy junction at Logierait to pick up the back road to Tomdachoille.
There were also little distilleries at Tulliemet, Ballinluig, Auchnagie, Moulin, Stronachie, Edradour (still surviving) and so on. In fact, one researcher estimates that there were at one time or another over 140 rural distilleries in Perthshire alone.
Tomdachoille did rather well. It was operated by Charles Duff & Co (and various successor family businesses) from 1816 to around 1878. After that it was used by the neighbouring farm for storage and as a dairy, supplying milk to the surrounding area up until the 1950s, after which it fell into dereliction.
Ian plans to restore the distillery and all its equipment, after which it will be moved north to become Shetland's first ever distillery. A distillery on Shetland just has to happen. Sorry, no, we just made that up. In fact, Tomdachoille Distillery will shortly be converted to self-catering holiday accommodation, handy for Pitlochry Theatre; Blair Athol, Edradour and Aberfeldy Distilleries and with stunning views of the Tummel valley in a near-idyllic rural situation.... (that's enough of a plug, Ed.)
For more information on lost distilleries try Brian Townsend's wonderful reference book Scotch Missed (available from Neil Wilson Publishing). Only £8.99 and worth every penny (but then I would say that, wouldn't I?)