Jackton Distillery, South Lanarkshire: A Farm-Made Lowlander

Overview

Jackton is a family farm distillery just outside East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire. Whisky is made on land the Kean family has farmed for generations. Its first spirit ran in February 2020, and its first single malt, RAER, went on sale on 4 September 2026. That made it the first single malt made in South Lanarkshire for more than 180 years. The last historic malt distillery inside the county’s modern boundaries was Gill, near Lesmahagow, which closed in 1840.

It’s a small, hands-on operation, 20 minutes from Glasgow city centre, and one of the easiest new distilleries in the country to reach from a big city.

Where it is

Jackton is a small farming hamlet on the western edge of East Kilbride, on the B764 towards Eaglesham and the Whitelee moors. Glasgow is about 10 miles north, and the M77 and M74 are both about 15 minutes away. It is a good place to start or finish a Lowland whisky trip, or a stop on the way south to Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

The full history

Lanarkshire’s lost distilleries

In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the farms of Clydesdale and the moors south of Glasgow had plenty of small stills, legal and illicit. Good barley ground, peat on the moors and a huge thirsty market in Glasgow made it natural country for distilling. The great Lowland grain distilleries, and later the dominance of Highland malt, ended that. The last malt distillery in what is now South Lanarkshire, Gill near Lesmahagow, closed in 1840. After that, the county made no single malt for nearly two centuries.

From farm to distillery

The Keans are a South Lanarkshire family who have farmed at Jackton for generations and also built a property business. Founder James Kean decided to turn part of the family land into a distillery. It would be “grain to glass”, using the farm’s own barley as far as possible and malting it on site, as the old farm distillers did. The stills are small: a 5,000-litre wash still and a 2,000-litre spirit still, with a capacity of about 300,000 litres a year. The first new spirit ran in February 2020, weeks before the first lockdown.

RAER, 2026

Under managing director Jaynie Kean, the business has grown to include gin. In one well-publicised move, Jackton rescued the McLean family’s much-loved Something Blue gin. The whisky came first, though. The first single malt, RAER, was previewed at a Burns supper and began shipping on 4 September 2026, nearly six years after the first cask was filled.

Clans, kings & the land

Jackton was founded by a farming family, not a clan, but the country around East Kilbride has a strong history:

• The Lindsays of Dunrod held the lands of Kilbride for centuries. Their stronghold, Mains Castle, a restored 15th-century tower house, still stands on the north side of East Kilbride, about 3 miles from the distillery.
• The Hamiltons, later Dukes of Hamilton, were the great power of Clydesdale, a few miles east.
• Robert the Bruce: about 12 miles south-west, near Darvel, Bruce won his first major victory over the English at the Battle of Loudoun Hill in 1307. See Clan Bruce.
• The Covenanters: the moors south of here were Covenanting country. At Drumclog, near Strathaven, a Covenanter force routed Claverhouse’s dragoons in 1679.

Churches, lochs & the moors

East Kilbride takes its name from the old Kil-Bride, the church of St Bride. The parish church in the old village centre stands on the medieval site. In 1947 the old village became the core of Scotland’s first New Town. There are no big lochs nearby. The local waters are the reservoirs of the Whitelee moor, now home to the UK’s largest onshore wind farm, which has a visitor centre and miles of open trails. For the great lochs, Loch Lomond is under an hour north-west. See our lochs guide for more.

How it’s made

Jackton is a true farm distillery. The barley is grown on the family land, and the distillery malts its own grain, which few Scottish distilleries still do. It is then mashed, fermented and distilled through its small pair of copper pot stills before being filled into cask on site. The house style is a classic Lowland malt: light, fruity and grassy.

Visiting

Jackton runs tours and tastings, listed on VisitScotland, and has also taken part in Doors Open Days with tours of its malting. Places are limited and times vary, so check the distillery’s own website and book ahead. It’s an easy half-day from Glasgow and pairs well with the city’s own distilleries.

Nearby distilleries

• Glasgow Distillery, Hillington (about 10 miles).
• The Clydeside, Glasgow city centre (about 10 miles): in the old Queen’s Dock pumphouse, with tours.
• Auchentoshan, Clydebank (about 17 miles): the triple-distilled Lowlander.
• Lochlea, Ayrshire (about 25 miles): another farm distillery, on Robert Burns’s old farm.
• Ailsa Bay, Girvan (about 45 miles).
• Annandale, Dumfriesshire (about 65 miles).

Our Glasgow & Clyde Whisky Trail joins them up, and the whisky hub covers every region.

Sources

• Jackton distillery — Wikipedia.
• Scotland Food & Drink: Jackton revives South Lanarkshire whisky tradition.
• Scottish Grocer: Jackton rolls out RAER.
• The Scotsman: Something Blue gin.