Benmore distillery

Benmore was a whisky distillery in Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Benmore operated for 59 from 1868 to 1927 before closing forever.

Benmore was one of the later distilleries to be built in Campbeltown, built in 1868 by by the distilling and blending group Bulloch, loading & Co. it was possibly the first to put a pagoda roof on its malt kiln (now removed). Barnard describes Benmore distillery during his visit in the late 19th century saying: “It was the first of the three new Distilleries in Campbeltown, and its outside appearance resembles a public building rather than a manufactory of “Barley Bree.”. Unlike most of Campbeltown’s distilleries, Benmore did not use the water from Crosshill Loch for mashing, but rather water from a well on the premises. The distillery was producing 125,000 gallons of malt whisky annually around 1885.

Although operations ceased for two years during the period, Benmore did not have to shut down permanently during Prohibition in the United States, as did many Campeltown distilleries in the 1920s. Benmore was acquired by Benmore Distilleries Ltd in 1920 which also went on to acquire the Lochruan, Lochindaal and Dallas Dhu distilleries. It’s understood that the Benmore blend was created around this time and included malts from some or all of these distilleries, however only Dallas Dhu was mentioned on the label. Operations ceased in 1927 and never resumed when the company became the property of Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL) in 1929. In 1936 the buildings were sold again and were used as a bus garage from then on. Large parts of the original buildings are still preserved today.

The exact address of the distillery was: Benmore Distillery21 Saddell StreetCampbeltownArgyll and Bute PA28United Kingdom

Benmore factsheet