Strathearn Distillery, Methven: A Perthshire Craft Pioneer

Overview

Strathearn was one of the pioneers of Scotland’s craft distilling boom, and is often described as one of the country’s smallest distilleries. It was founded in 2013 by Tony Reeman-Clark in a farm steading at Methven, near Perth. Its stills are tiny: the wash still holds about 1,000 litres and the spirit still just 450 litres. In October 2019 the independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co bought it, making it their first distillery. Douglas Laing released the first Strathearn Highland Single Malt in 2024.

Where it is

The distillery is on a farm at Methven, about 6 miles west of Perth on the A85 towards Crieff. Crieff is about 12 miles west, and Edinburgh and Glasgow are each about 1 hour 15 minutes away. It sits in Strathearn, the broad, fertile valley of the River Earn, just south of the Highland line.

The full history

A craft pioneer

When Tony Reeman-Clark set up Strathearn in 2013, small “craft” distilleries were still rare in Scotland. Rules on minimum still sizes had held back very small producers, and Strathearn was one of the first to show that a farm-steading distillery could work. It used small copper stills from the Portuguese firm Hoga. It made gins while its whisky matured, and it ran courses for would-be distillers.

Douglas Laing

In October 2019 the Glasgow independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co, famous for blended malts such as Big Peat and Scallywag, bought Strathearn outright. It was the family firm’s first distillery. The new owners kept it small and focused on quality.

Strathearn Highland Single Malt

Douglas Laing launched the Strathearn Highland Single Malt as its “distilling debut” in 2024. It was bottled at 50%, without chill-filtering or added colour, and further batches have followed. Earlier small releases had appeared under the original owner.

How it’s made

Everything at Strathearn is small-scale: a 1,000-litre wash still and a 450-litre spirit still, hand-run in a farm steading. Small stills mean plenty of copper contact for the volume, which gives a rich, fruity spirit that matures quickly in small and first-fill casks.

Clans, kings & battles

• The Battle of Methven, 1306. Just weeks after his coronation, Robert the Bruce was surprised and routed here by the English under Aymer de Valence, the low point of his early reign. See Battle of Methven.
• The Battle of Tippermuir, 1644. Montrose won his first great victory for Charles I a few miles east, near Perth. See Battle of Tippermuir.
• Margaret Tudor, widow of James IV and sister of Henry VIII, died at Methven Castle in 1541.
• The Murrays held much of Perthshire, including Scone. See Clan Murray. The Drummonds held Drummond Castle near Crieff, famous for its formal gardens.

Churches, castles & lochs

• Huntingtower Castle, 4 miles east, the Ruthven family’s stronghold, where the young James VI was held in the Raid of Ruthven in 1582.
• Scone Palace, 7 miles east, where Scotland’s kings were crowned on the Stone of Destiny.
• Loch Earn and Loch Turret, in the hills west of Crieff. See our lochs guide and our standing stones guide.

Crieff & upper Strathearn

West of Methven, the A85 leads to Crieff, a Victorian spa town known for the Crieff Hydro. It was once the site of the great cattle market, or tryst, where Highland drovers sold their herds. Beyond lies Comrie, the “shaky toun”, which sits on the Highland Boundary Fault. Its tiny Earthquake House of 1874 held one of the world’s first seismometers. The Drummond Castle Gardens, south of Crieff, are among the finest formal gardens in Scotland.

Visiting

Strathearn is a small working distillery with occasional visits by arrangement. Contact Douglas Laing before travelling. For a full tour nearby, Glenturret at Crieff is 20 minutes west.

Nearby distilleries

• Glenturret, Crieff (about 10 miles), with tours.
• Aberargie, near Bridge of Earn (about 12 miles).
• Tullibardine, Blackford (about 15 miles), with tours.
• Edradour, Pitlochry (about 30 miles).

The whisky hub covers every region.

Sources

• Strathearn distillery — Wikipedia.
• Douglas Laing: distilling debut with Strathearn Single Malt.
• Scotchwhisky.com: Strathearn.