24 July 2014 Visit to Deanston Distillery
Thu, Jul 24th 2014 at 12:00 am - 12:00 am
The club paid a visit to Deanston Distillery.
Deanston Distillery Visitor Centre was the venue for last Thursday's meeting of the Rotary Club of Bridge of Allan and Dunblane.
Members, partners and guests were treated to a fascinating tour of the former Deanston Cotton Mill with our charming and knowledgeable tour guides Elisa, who is from Italy and Franz who is German.
They explained the history of the building from its opening in 1785 as Deanston Cotton Mill, which manufactured cotton sheets and curtain lace, until it was closed in 1965 due to difficult economic conditions.
The location, close to the fast flowing River Teith, and the building itself, proved ideal for whisky production and the new distillery was opened in 1967. The former weaving shed, with its stone roof providing a constant cool temperature, was perfect for maturation of the whisky in the oak casks. The River Teith provides all the water for the whisky production and also drives turbines to generate power for the process; surplus power is exported to the National Grid and provides a useful income.
Our tour included visiting the various rooms where the process of turning water, barley and yeast into the distillery's fine single malt whisky take place, including the still room with its 3 vast copper stills and the former weaving shed where the air is cool and redolent with the aroma of maturing whisky. It was a truly enjoyable experience.
Following the tour, we enjoyed a sample of their fine 12 year old Deanston Single Malt followed by an excellent meal at the visitor centre. Alasdair Mackie thanked Nick Rawlings for arranging the visit and the staff and guides at the centre for their hospitality.
