Deanston distillery, in Scotland, produces Single malt Scotch whisky, classified among the Highland Single Malts. Deanston “put everything we are into everything we make”. They use tradtional manufacturing processes from 200 years ago. Deanston is the only distillery in Scotland that is self-sustaining for electricity, being equipped with a dam and a turbine. All processes are by hand with manual processing, chalk blackboard calculations, and hand written records.
Just outside the town of Doune in Perthshire the Deanston Distillery is located on the banks of the River Teith, which rises in the nearby mountains of the Trossachs. This is the historic centre of Scotland, close to Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument and Bannockburn.
The buildings originally date back to 1785 and were designed by Richard Arkwright, the inventor of the spinning frame. The buildings originally operated as a cotton mill. The Vaulted warehouse was the weaving shed.
During 1965-66 the cotton mill was converted, to a distillery by the Deanston Distillery Co Ltd, this included taking out four internal floors to accommodate the stills and other equipment.
The distillery takes advantage of the same requirement for an abundant supply of water and for a controlled temperature and humidity in its storage cellar as used in the manufacture of cotton.
The distillery prospered during the 1970's but closed during a difficult period in the 1980's, when it was owned by Invergordon. However, with renewed interest in single malts in the 1990's, it was bought by Burn Stewart, and became active again.
