Fettercairn Distillery: The Ramsay Estate Malt of the Mearns

Overview

Fettercairn is one of Scotland’s oldest licensed distilleries. It lies at the foot of the Cairn o’ Mount pass, where the Grampians drop to the farmland of the Howe of the Mearns. It was founded in 1824 by the laird Sir Alexander Ramsay in an old corn mill. A few years later it passed to the Gladstones, the family of the Victorian Prime Minister. Its trademark is a copper cooling ring that trickles cold water down the outside of the spirit stills, a feature unique in Scotland. That cooling sends more vapour back into the still and gives Fettercairn its light, fruity, tropical character. The distillery’s emblem is the unicorn.

Where it is

The distillery stands at Nethermill, on the edge of the village of Fettercairn. The name is often explained as “the foot of the mountain”. The village is on the B966, about 5 miles north of Edzell, 12 miles north of Brechin and 17 miles south-west of Stonehaven. Aberdeen is about 35 miles away, about 50 minutes’ drive. The Cairn o’ Mount road (B974) climbs straight over the hills from the village to Deeside and Banchory. It is one of the classic high passes of the north-east.

The full history

1824: the Ramsays of Balmain

The distillery was founded in 1824, the year after the Excise Act, by Sir Alexander Ramsay of Balmain, owner of the Fasque estate. He converted the corn mill at Nethermill into a licensed distillery to use the estate’s barley and put the local smugglers out of business. Ramsay soon ran out of money, and in 1829 he sold Fasque to the Liverpool merchant Sir John Gladstone.

The Gladstone years

Sir John’s son, William Ewart Gladstone, became Prime Minister four times. He spent much of his youth at Fasque House, a mile from the distillery. The family remained involved with the distillery through the 19th century, and later tradition credits W. E. Gladstone’s 1860 budget with helping open the way for blended whisky by allowing spirit to be blended in bond. In 1861 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed overnight in the village on a Highland tour. The village’s Fettercairn Arch was built to mark the visit.

Fire, closures and Whyte & Mackay

A fire closed the distillery for a time in 1887. It was sold to Ross & Coulter in 1924, mothballed from 1926 to 1939 in the slump, and bought by Associated Scottish Distilleries in 1939. Since 1973 it has belonged to Whyte & Mackay, and much of its spirit has gone into their blends. In recent years Whyte & Mackay has relaunched Fettercairn as a single malt, with a 12, 16 and 22 Year Old and rare 28, 40 and 50 Year Olds. They have also experimented with casks made from local Scottish oak.

How it’s made

Fettercairn has two wash stills and two spirit stills and 11 washbacks, with a capacity of about 2.2 million litres a year. The famous cooling ring around the neck of each spirit still runs river water down the copper. This cools the vapour and makes more of the heavier compounds fall back, so only the lightest spirit comes over. Water comes from springs in the Grampian foothills above the distillery.

Clans, kings & castles

• Clan Ramsay: the distillery’s founding family, the Ramsays of Balmain, held Fasque before the Gladstones.
• The murder of Kenneth II, 995. Tradition says King Kenneth II was killed near Fettercairn by Finella, daughter of a Mearns chief, in revenge for her son’s death. The lost royal castle of Kincardine, which gave the old county its name, stood just east of the village.
• The Keiths at Dunnottar. On the cliffs south of Stonehaven, 17 miles away, Dunnottar Castle was the seat of the Keith Earls Marischal. The Honours of Scotland were hidden there from Cromwell in 1651–52.
• The Lindsays of Edzell. Five miles south, Edzell Castle has its famous walled Renaissance garden of 1604.

Churches, stones & lochs

• Fasque House and its chapel, the Gladstone family home, a mile north.
• Aberlemno Pictish stones, about 15 miles south-west, and the round tower at Brechin Cathedral. See our standing stones guide.
• Glen Esk and Loch Lee: from Edzell, the long glen runs 15 miles into the hills to Loch Lee and the ruined Invermark Castle. See our lochs guide.

Visiting

Fettercairn has a visitor centre with guided tours and tastings. Opening is seasonal, so check fettercairnwhisky.com and book ahead. It’s a good stop on a drive over the Cairn o’ Mount to Deeside.

Nearby distilleries

• Glencadam, Brechin (about 12 miles): Angus’s last distillery, with a new visitor centre.
• Arbikie, near Inverkeilor (about 20 miles).
• Royal Lochnagar, by Balmoral (about 35 miles over the Cairn o’ Mount).
• Glen Garioch, Oldmeldrum (about 45 miles).

The North-East Whisky Trail links them, and the whisky hub covers every region.

Sources

• Fettercairn distillery — Wikipedia.
• Fettercairn, official site.
• Historic Environment Scotland (Fettercairn Arch, Edzell Castle, Dunnottar).