Littlemill Whisky

About Littlemill Whisky

Littlemill is a lost Scottish distillery that was closed in 1994 with the buildings being dismantled in 2006. Littlemill is thought to be the first and the oldest licensed distillery in Scotland. The site could have been used to distill spirit as early as the 1300’s. The actual distillery was founded in 1772 by George Buchanan and located in West Dunbartonshire in the Lowland whisky producing region. The distillery was bought in 1931 by an American entrepreneur named Duncan Thomas who was a real innovator in the Scottish whisky industry. He installed hybrid stills that had copper pot still bodies and rectifying columns rather than traditional swan necks. This allowed greater control over the distillation. There was also a new type of Saladin box for malting that possessed double ventilation towers above a single kiln. Thereafter Littlemill was considered to be leading the way in still innovation with an ability to produce three styles of whiskies. Today there are still stocks available of both official and independent bottling's that command high prices.