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DISTILLERIES
Tullibardine
DISTILLERY OVERVIEW
One of the oldest sites recognized for production of alcoholic beverage in Scotland,
Tullibardine is located in Blackford, the gateway to the Highlands. It was here in 1488 that the
young King James IV of Scotland stopped on his way to his coronation to purchase beer from
the local brewery. This is recorded as the first public purchase of an alcoholic beverage in the
nation. In 1503, the brewery received the first Royal Charter issued by James IV, in recognition
of the fine beer produced at Tullibardine.
In addition to its location, the most important aspect of the distillery is the plentiful supply of
fresh, spring water from the surrounding Ochil Hills. These hills were formed more than 400
million years ago with layers of basalt and red sandstone, and are well known for the gold
that was mined from them. The water that reaches the distillery has taken 15 years to reach
the Danny Burn, the spring water source for Tullibarne. This is the same water bottled by the
renowned mineral water company Highland Spring.
In 1947, William Delme Evans began converting the original brewery buildings into a distillery.
Two years later the first spirit was distilled at the newly named Tullibardine Distillery. The name
in Gaelic means ‘lookout hill,’ and it was taken from the small medieval chapel located near the
distillery grounds that was built in 1446.
Tullibardine began a new chapter in November 2011 when the distillery was purchased by an
independent family company already involved in the whisky industry having purchased the
Highland Queen brand from LVMH.