At the foot of Stirling Castle, in a converted 1888 blacksmith’s forge known as The Old Smiddy, Stirling Distillery has brought whisky-making back to the city for the first time since 1852. Founded in 2015 by husband and wife June and Cameron McCann, the business began life as Stirling Gin, distilled at first on a 2.4 litre still in the couple’s own kitchen before the McCanns bought the derelict Smiddy building in 2017 and opened it to the public in 2019.
Whisky came later. In October 2023 the distillery ran its first batch of new make spirit, becoming the first whisky distilled in Stirling in over 170 years. That new make, produced under the guidance of the McCanns’ son Hugo, went on to win Best Scottish New Make Spirit at the World Whiskies Awards in 2025. The first casks were laid down in the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouse on 27 November 2023, and the first Stirling single malt, expected to be released under the name James VI, is due in 2027.
In the meantime, the distillery bottles sourced whisky under its Sons of Scotland range, an independent bottling series named after historic Stirlingshire distilleries that closed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Early releases in the series, The Cashly and The Arngibbon, drew on eight-year-old whisky matured in ex-bourbon hogsheads and sourced from a Highland and a Speyside distillery respectively. Since Sons of Scotland is sourced whisky rather than the distillery’s own spirit, it sits alongside rather than within Stirling’s own core range.
Stirling is a working example of just how small a licensed Scotch whisky operation can be, with production and bottling done entirely by hand on site. The distillery markets itself as “Scotland’s smallest whisky distillery,” citing a production figure of under 20,000 litres of spirit a year, though this is a self-reported, self-qualified claim (“as far as we know,” per the distillery’s own site) rather than an independently verified title, and it isn’t the only small Scottish operation making a similar claim using a similar-sounding but not identical measure. Visitors can try the current New Make Spirit, book the dedicated Whisky Experience tasting, or join the waitlist for the 2027 release. The distillery sits within the Lowland whisky region.
Stirling Distillery Whiskies
Stirling does not yet have a released core-range single malt; the first release (working name James VI) is expected in 2027. The current whisky-related lineup consists of:
- Stirling New Make Whisky Spirit – the distillery’s own unaged spirit, sold now, and the award-winning product referenced above.
- Sons of Scotland – an ongoing independent bottling series of sourced whisky (not Stirling’s own distillate), including released expressions such as The Cashly, The Arngibbon and Stoneywood.
- The Beautiful Game Edition Whisky – a limited single malt release, described on the distillery’s own site as a sold-out first run with final bottles remaining.
Release table
| # | Vintage | Bottled | Age | ABV | Bottles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sons of Scotland – The Cashly | – | 2021 | 8yo | 46% | – |
| Sons of Scotland – The Arngibbon | – | 2021 | 8yo | 46% | – |
| Sons of Scotland – Stoneywood (2nd release) | – | – | 9yo | – | 300 |
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Stirling Distillery |
| Region | Lowland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | active |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Water source | Private spring |
| Owned by | June and Cameron McCann |
| Address |
The Old Smiddy, |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | https://www.stirlingdistillery.com |
| N/A | |
| https://www.facebook.com/Stirlinggin | |
| Community | Keepers of the Rock |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | N/A | No mash tun on site |
| Washback | ? litres | 2 |
| Wash still | N/A litres | No seperate wash still |
| Spirit Still | 300 litres | 1 (Alembic) |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 14,000 |