Blair Athol Distillery, Pitlochry: The Heart of Bell’s

Overview

Blair Athol, on the edge of the popular Highland town of Pitlochry, is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland and the home of Bell’s, long one of Britain’s best-selling blended whiskies. Its own single malt is mellow, malty and mildly nutty, and its handsome, ivy-clad courtyard makes it a popular and easy distillery to visit.

The history

Distilling here dates back to 1798, when it was founded as Aldour after the burn that runs through it; it was rebuilt and renamed Blair Athol around 1825. It fell silent for a long stretch from the late 19th century until Arthur Bell & Sons bought and reopened it in the 1930s, making it the spiritual home of the Bell’s blend — a role it keeps under Diageo today.

The water & the land

Blair Athol takes its water from the Allt Dour Burn — “the burn of the otter” — which flows down from Ben Vrackie above Pitlochry, and which gave the original distillery its name.

The distillery carries a genuine land link: it was renamed Blair Athol around 1825 because it stands on land of the Atholl Estate — reportedly to flatter the landowning Duke, who leased it out. Atholl is the seat of Clan Murray, whose great pile, Blair Castle, guards the pass to the north and remains the home of the only legal private army in Europe, the Atholl Highlanders.

Visiting

Blair Athol has a visitor centre at Pitlochry and runs a range of tours from the Signature tour up to premium tastings — book ahead. It generally opens around 10–4/5 with reduced winter hours; check the website. Pitlochry, with its dam and salmon ladder, makes it one of the easiest Highland distilleries to combine with a day out.

Nearby & more whisky

• Its Perthshire neighbour: Aberfeldy
• The Atholl country: Clan Murray
• The whole picture: Scotch whisky — regions, distilleries & the oldest of all

Sources

• Blair Athol distillery — Wikipedia.
• Diageo / Malts.com; Scotchwhisky.com Whiskypedia.