Blair Athol distillery information
The Blair Athol distillery started out using the name Aldour (“Allt Dour” in Gaelic translates into “The burn of the otter”, named after a nearby stream) near Pitlochry (which is also home to Edradour) in Perthshire. Built by John Stewart and Robert Robertson in 1798, the distillery was not very successful, and eventually was shut down. In 1825, John Robertson decides to rebuild and expand the distillery, renaming it to Blair Athol. It then was leased to John Conacher & Co. in 1826, followed by Alexander Conacher & Co in 1827. In 1829, Peter Fraser & Co. took over, but were forced to close the distillery in 1832.
Alexander Conacher must have had some fun, because he’s mentioned running the distillery again by 1852, followed by Elizabeth Conacher from 1860 to 1882. In 1882, P. Mackenzie & Co., wine and spirit brokers based in Liverpool) buy the distillery and expand it, adding new granaries and malting floors. In 1897, Mackenzie established P. Mackenzie & Co. Distillers Ltd. to run Blair Athol as well as the Dufftown Distillery. The distillery was mothballed in 1932.
Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd. acquired P. Mackenzie & Co. Distillers Ltd. in 1933, but it took until 1949 for them to extensively rebuild and reopen the distillery. In 1973, the distillery was expanded with an extra pair of stills, and the existing stills were switched to steam heating. Bell’s was doing well, becoming the best selling blend in the United Kingdom. This did not go unnoticed, and in 1985, Arthur Bell & Sons were taken over by Guinness PLC. In 1987, a visitor centre was constructed.
A few years later, Guinness would merge with International Distillers and Vintners to form United Distillers and Vintners, which later would become Diageo. Parts of the distillery are refurbished, seeing the 8 old washbacks (4 made from Oregon pine, 4 stainless steel) replaced with 6 new Stainless Steel ones.
In February 2021, Blair Athol was awarded Green Tourism’s gold certification, recognising the distillery’s recycling of pot ale syrup for animal feed and its use of old pallets and discarded materials to build wildlife boxes for local birds and insects.
In recent years Diageo has begun releasing occasional Distillery Exclusive bottlings from Blair Athol, including a 2023 batch release and the 20 Year Old launched in 2025, alongside its long-standing role supplying Bell’s blended Scotch.
Blair Athol whiskies
A lot of the spirit produced at Blair Athol stills is used for Bell’s blends. Few official bottlings were released:
- Flora & Fauna; 12 Years Old (released in 1991)
- 18 Years Old (released in 1998 for the distillery’s bicentenary)
- Rare Malt; 27 Years Old (released in 2003)
Distillery Exclusive releases:
- Batch 01 (2019); no age statement, matured in refill rejuvenated and American oak ex-Bourbon casks, 48% ABV, limited to 6,000 bottles, sold exclusively at the distillery.
- Batch 02 (2023); a vatting of ex-wine barriques and heavily charred American oak casks, 48% ABV.
- 20 Year Old (2025); 52.8% ABV, not chill-filtered, no added colouring, matured in refill casks then finished across rejuvenated casks and wine-seasoned American and European oak, limited to 1,002 bottles.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Blair Athol |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1798 |
| Water source | Allt Dour Burn |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Diageo |
| Address |
Blair Athol Distillery |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.malts.com/en-us/distilleries/blair-athol |
| Community | Malts Club |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 8 tonnes | 1 (Semi-Lauter) |
| Washback | 40,000 litres | 6 (Stainless Steel) |
| Wash still | 13,000 litres | 2 |
| Spirit Still | 11,500 litres | 2 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 2,500,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Blair Athol started out as Aldour, from the Gaelic “Allt Dour”, meaning “The burn of the otter”, named after a nearby stream. It was built in 1798 near Pitlochry in Perthshire, also home to Edradour, by John Stewart and Robert Robertson, though it wasn’t very successful and eventually shut down. In 1825, John Robertson rebuilt and expanded the distillery, renaming it Blair Athol.
Yes. After a string of tenants, including John Conacher & Co in 1826, Alexander Conacher & Co in 1827, and Peter Fraser & Co, who closed the distillery in 1832, Alexander Conacher returned to run it again by 1852, followed by Elizabeth Conacher from 1860 to 1882.
In 1882, P. Mackenzie & Co, wine and spirit brokers from Liverpool, bought the distillery and expanded it with new granaries and malting floors. In 1897, Mackenzie established P. Mackenzie & Co Distillers Ltd to run Blair Athol alongside the Dufftown distillery. Blair Athol was mothballed in 1932.
Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd acquired P. Mackenzie & Co Distillers Ltd in 1933, though it took until 1949 to extensively rebuild and reopen the distillery. An extra pair of stills was added in 1973, alongside a switch to steam heating. As Bell’s became the UK’s best-selling blend, Guinness PLC took over Arthur Bell & Sons in 1985, and a visitor centre followed in 1987. Guinness later merged with International Distillers and Vintners to form United Distillers and Vintners, which eventually became Diageo.
Yes. In February 2021, Blair Athol was awarded Green Tourism’s gold certification, recognising the distillery’s recycling of pot ale syrup for animal feed and its use of old pallets and discarded materials to build wildlife boxes for local birds and insects.
A large share of the spirit produced at Blair Athol goes into Bell’s blends. Official single malt bottlings have been rare, including a 12 Year Old Flora & Fauna in 1991, an 18 Year Old released in 1998 for the distillery’s bicentenary, and a 27 Year Old Rare Malt in 2003. In recent years, Diageo has also released occasional Distillery Exclusive bottlings, including a 2019 Batch 01, a 2023 Batch 02, and a 20 Year Old launched in 2025.
Yes, Blair Athol has a visitor centre, which opened in 1987.