Located in the village of Pitlochry, in the shadows of the Grampian mountains, Blair Athol is an easy and rewarding stop off the A9. This area of Scotland, fairly close to the big cities but an easy ride north to Inverness is referred to as the gateway to the Highlands. Approaching the visitor center from the parking lot, one passes traditional dunnage warehouses, a plethora of beautiful hanging baskets and weeping willow trees and then over a small bridge to the entrance. The path crosses over the distillery’s water source, the Allt Dour, meaning burn of the otter.

Once inside the visitor center, one’s eyes are immediately drawn to the right, where a bar constructed of an actual mash tun greets enthusiasts with distillery exclusive drams and most of Diageo’s range. Continuing through the main building and exiting, visitors are transported to the distillery courtyard, once the lifeblood of the distillery. Here the ancient gates were opened to accept barley and other deliveries and offload the final products. The centuries old stone buildings surrounding the courtyard are covered in ivy, with more flowers everywhere; it’s stunning. Just off the courtyard are the still working buildings and of course the gift shop.

Established in 1798, Blair Athol is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. It passed through several hands over the years, but in 1933, it was sold to Arthur Bell & Sons the famous Perth blender, who utilized the Blair Athol spirits for its blended whiskies of the same name. During this era, the production at Blair Athol was doubled, driven by the popularity of Bell’s blended whiskies. In the mid 1980’s, Guinness purchased Bell’s and in 1997, the distillery became part of Diageo.

The cloudy wort and shorter fermentations at Blair Athol give the malt its signature nutty and spicy style. Even today, most the distillate produced at Blair Athol ends up in Bell’s. Diageo does release a single malt under its Flora and Fauna series and can you guess which creature graces these bottles? The otter, of course, which frolics in the waters of the Allt Dour. Most single malt releases of Blair Athol come from independent bottlers like those offered on our site.