Halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, in the village of Polmont within the Falkirk council area, Falkirk Distillery marked the return of Lowland whisky production to the area for the first time since Rosebank was mothballed in 1993, becoming operational in July 2020, three years before Rosebank itself resumed distilling in 2023 following its own restoration by Ian Macleod Distillers.
Founder George Stewart, together with his daughter Fiona, first secured planning permission for the site on Grandsable Road back in 2010, but the distillery’s location next to the Antonine Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Mumrills Roman Fort nearby, brought years of added planning complexity. Construction and the pandemic added further delay, and the distillery didn’t become fully operational until that July 2020 date, a decade after the original planning approval.
At the heart of the operation sits a genuine piece of whisky history: the copper mash tun and stills were rescued from the mothballed Caperdonich distillery in Speyside, carefully renovated and transported to Falkirk (the mash tun reportedly arrived with a police escort). The distillery pairs this vintage equipment with modern additions including a Buhler malt intake system and 34,000 litre stainless steel washbacks, producing an unpeated Lowland style spirit drawn from the site’s own artesian well.
The first spirit was laid down in casks in late 2020, and Falkirk’s first single malt whisky, aged for three years and one day in the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouse, went to auction in December 2023 as a limited run of 640 bottles, before going on general sale in January 2024. The distillery has continued to release small-batch expressions since, working with master blender Norman Mathison.
Falkirk Distillery Whiskies
- Falkirk Single Malt Whisky – the distillery’s flagship release, matured across a combination of Oloroso sherry hogsheads and first-fill Heaven Hill American bourbon casks. Notes of dried fruit, honey and vanilla on the nose, with oak, spice and a lingering dried fruit finish.
- Kelpies Sherry Cask – a cask strength single malt (around 61.9% ABV) named for the nearby Kelpies sculptures. Steeped fruits, molasses, figs, ginger cake and treacle toffee on the palate.
- Kelpies Bourbon Cask – the bourbon-matured counterpart (around 62.1% ABV), lighter and more youthful, with candied peel, green apple and marzipan notes.
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Falkirk Distillery |
| Region | Lowland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | active |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Water source | On-site artesian well (borehole) |
| Owned by | George Stewart (Falkirk Distillery Company Ltd), family owned and independent |
| Address |
Grandsable Road, |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.falkirkdistillery.com |
| https://www.twitter.com/falkirkwhisky | |
| https://www.facebook.com/falkirkdistillery | |
| Community | N/A |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 4.5 tonnes | 1 (Copper-topped, traditional rake and plough, ex-Caperdonich distillery) |
| Washback | 34,000 litres | 6 (Stainless steel) |
| Wash still | 11,500 litres | 1 (Copper pot still, ex-Caperdonich/Speyside) |
| Spirit Still | 7,000 (?) litres | 1 (Copper pot still, ex-Caperdonich/Speyside) |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,200,000 |