For the first time in 171 years, whisky has officially been made in Stirling, as the Stirling Distillery has filled its first cask with new make spirit.
Whisky hasn’t been distilled in the city since 1852 when the original Stirling Distillery closed down.
The new Stirling Distillery opened its doors for the first time in 2019, initially focusing on gin. Since then it has won several awards, and has now expanded into whisky production. Its first brewing mash took place on Tuesday 3rd October 2023 and the first cask was filled on Monday 27th November.
The intention is to distil more craft small batch runs over the next few months as the Stirling team develop the whisky’s ‘unique gentle lowland’ flavour. The first releases of Stirling whisky will be ready in late 2026.
Distillery co-founder Cameron McCann spoke about his excitement with the initial taste: “I’m proud of how we have evolved as a business and excited about our new make spirit. It has a great soft flavour with a fair bit of maltiness. We’re all looking forward to seeing how this matures in our casks and grateful to everyone who has invested in our whisky journey so far.”
The distillery began their whisky journey with the launch of their Sons of Scotland independent bottling range which was launched in 2021, a collection that celebrated the history of Stirlingshire’s whisky making heritage with whiskies drawn from the Highlands, Speyside, the Lowlands, and the Islands.
