Between the Cairngorms and the sea, the peaks, forests and glens hid a number of distilleries on the old whisky routes to the ports of the east coast. The village and distillery of Fettercairn are near the glen of the North Esk, a river that flows into the sea not far from the town of Montrose. Fettercairn is claimed to be Scotland's second-oldest licensed distillery, reputed to have been founded in 1824. It was rebuilt several times around the turn of the century, and extended in 1966 and the old stables now houses a visitor centre.
Fettercairn's stills have an unusual feature in that the necks of the stills are externally cooled with running water from just below the curve to a gutter just above the lower flange. The cooling is used when the middle cut is taken from the still and assists the refluxing of heavier undesirable alcohols back into the still to be redistilled with the next batch.
Fettercairn proudly maintains Lauter tuns with false removeavle stainless-steel
floors, a spotless brass Aluminium Plant & Vessel Co. cooler dating from 1938
and probably the oldest in the industry, and eight Oregon pine washbacks. The
two pairs of stils can produce 1.6 million alcohol-litres of spirit per annum.
smws/mj
Distillery Road, Fettercairn, Kincardineshire, AB30 1YB
Tel: 01561-340205
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