Deanston Distillery, Doune: Whisky in a Cotton Mill

Overview

Deanston, at Doune in Perthshire, is one of the most characterful distilleries to visit — because it isn’t a purpose-built distillery at all, but a converted 18th-century Arkwright cotton mill on the River Teith. It makes an unpeated, honeyed Highland malt, and generates its own hydro-electric power from the river.

The history

The great weaving mill at Deanston was built in 1785, designed with the involvement of the cotton pioneer Richard Arkwright. When the textile trade died, the buildings were converted to a distillery in 1965–66, keeping the vast vaulted weaving shed as a maturation warehouse. It is now owned by CVH Spirits.

The water & the land

Deanston takes its water from the River Teith, which also drives the turbines that make the distillery self-sufficient in electricity.

Deanston had no founding clan — it was a converted cotton mill at Doune, in the old district of Menteith, historic Stewart and Earldom-of-Moray country.

Visiting

Deanston has a visitor centre (opened 2012) and café and runs four tiers of tour, up to warehouse tastings — book ahead; check the website. It sits beside Doune Castle, famous as a film and television location.

Nearby & more whisky

• Nearby in Strathearn: Tullibardine
• South towards Glasgow: Glengoyne
• The whole picture: Scotch whisky — the full guide

Sources

• Deanston distillery — Wikipedia.
• Deanston / CVH Spirits.