Aberargie Distillery, Perthshire: A Morrison Family Farm Distillery

Overview

Aberargie is a farm distillery at the foot of the Ochil Hills, just south of Perth. It marks the return of one of whisky’s great families. The Morrisons once owned Bowmore, Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch as Morrison Bowmore Distillers, and sold up to Suntory in 1994. More than twenty years later they began distilling again on their own 300-acre farm. They grow the heritage barley Golden Promise in the fields around the stills. The first cask was filled on 1 November 2017, and the first Aberargie single malt was released in 2026.

It’s a working farm, not a visitor attraction. The surrounding countryside of lower Strathearn is full of history, though: the Pictish capital at Abernethy, the crowning place of Scone and Mary, Queen of Scots’ island prison on Loch Leven.

Where it is

Aberargie is a small village on the A913 between Bridge of Earn and Abernethy, where the River Farg meets the Earn just before it reaches the Tay. Perth is about 7 miles north, Edinburgh about 40 miles south (around 50 minutes by the M90), and Dundee about 25 miles east. Its location just south of the Highland Boundary Fault means the whisky is classed as Lowland, even though the Highland hills are in view.

The full history

The Morrison whisky dynasty

The family business was founded by Stanley P. Morrison, a whisky broker, in 1951. It grew into Morrison Bowmore Distillers, which bought Bowmore on Islay in 1963 and later Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch. Under the Morrisons, Bowmore became one of the most admired Islay malts. In 1994 the family sold the business to Suntory. They stayed in the whisky trade as independent bottlers and blenders, and the next generation, led by Tim Morrison and his son Jamie, kept planning a distillery of their own.

Back to the farm, 2016–2017

The family chose its own farmland at Aberargie, in the fertile valley of the Earn, so that they could control the whole process from “barley to bottle”. Ground was broken in June 2016. After distilling trials in October 2017, the first cask was filled on 1 November 2017.

Golden Promise

Aberargie’s signature is Golden Promise, a heritage barley first grown in the 1960s and famous in Scotch whisky’s golden age, notably at Macallan. It yields much less spirit than modern varieties, which is why most distillers dropped it. It also gives a fuller, maltier, oilier spirit. The Morrisons grow Golden Promise at Aberargie and the modern variety Laureate on their other farms, and they make whisky from both.

The first single malt, 2026

The inaugural Aberargie single malt came out in early 2026. Its grain was 52% Golden Promise and 48% Laureate, aged in first-fill bourbon and sherry casks, bottled at 48.2%, non-chill-filtered and with no added colour. Separate Golden Promise and Laureate editions followed in September 2026, so drinkers can taste the effect of the barley side by side.

How it’s made

Barley is grown on the family farms, and the malt is then mashed, fermented and distilled in copper pot stills on site. The focus is on barley variety as a source of flavour, an approach the family describes as exploring the influence of barley. The new make is full-bodied and malty. Casks are mainly first-fill bourbon and sherry.

Clans, kings & the land

• Abernethy, 2 miles east, was one of the capitals of the Picts. Its 11th-century Round Tower, one of only two of its kind in mainland Scotland, still stands in the kirkyard. A Pictish symbol stone is set at its foot.
• Scone, about 9 miles north, was where Scotland’s kings were crowned on the Stone of Destiny. Scone Palace is now the home of the Murray Earls of Mansfield.
• The Moncreiffes. Moncreiffe Hill, between Aberargie and Perth, is the home ground of Clan Moncreiffe. The hill has Pictish forts and woodland walks with views over the Tay and Earn.
• Dupplin Moor, 1332. A few miles west, near Forteviot, Edward Balliol’s small army defeated a much larger force loyal to the young David II. Forteviot itself was a royal centre of the Pictish and early Scottish kings.

Lochs, churches & stones

• Loch Leven, about 10 miles south: the great loch where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned on Loch Leven Castle’s island in 1567. A 13-mile heritage trail runs around its shore.
• Abernethy Round Tower and church: you can climb the tower on summer days. The village also has a small museum.
• Bridge of Earn’s Old Bridge and the Earn valley walks.
• For more carved stones, see our standing stones guide.

Visiting

Aberargie is a working farm distillery and not a public visitor centre. Visits are by arrangement only. For distillery tours nearby, Lindores Abbey is about 10 miles east and Glenturret at Crieff about 25 miles west.

Nearby distilleries

• Lindores Abbey, Newburgh (about 10 miles): the birthplace of written Scotch whisky history, with tours.
• Daftmill, Fife (about 15 miles): another farm distillery.
• InchDairnie, Glenrothes (about 18 miles).
• Glenturret, Crieff (about 25 miles), with tours.
• Tullibardine, Blackford (about 20 miles), with tours.
• At Methven near Perth: Strathearn, one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries

The whisky hub covers every region.

Sources

• Aberargie distillery — Wikipedia.
• Scotchwhisky.com Whiskypedia: Aberargie.
• The Scotsman: the Morrisons return to distilling.
• The Whiskey Wash: Aberargie launches first single malt.