Dumbarton distillery
At the time of its creation the Dumbarton complex was at the time the largest grain distillery in Europe. Alongside the ‘Dumbarton’ grain stills were two malt still houses, ‘Inverleven’ also founded in 1938 and the ‘Lomond’ using stills designed by Alistair Cunningham and Hiram Walker’s draftsman Arthur Warren, founded in 1959
The Lomond still was mothballed in 1985 but eventually found new life producing the Botanist gin for Bruichladdich, Inverleven continued for a few years falling silent in 1991 the stills eventually finding their way to Ireland’s Waterford distillery. Alas Dumbarton was closed in 2002 as production shifted to Strathclyde as the column stills ran through a concrete floor, making structural alterations extremely difficult.
Dumbarton was also notable for the ‘Scotch Watch’ a flock of Chinese white geese used to guardian the Dumbuck sites warehouses, who featured prominently in Ballentine’s advertising. The thinking being that anyone who did brave the geese would result in the Watch causing enough noise to alert the neighbours
Dumbarton factsheet
| Name | Pronounced | AKA | Region | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbarton | dum*bar*ton | Lowlands | Scotland | |
| Status | Active | Whisky Type | Website | Tours Available |
| Lost | 1938 - 2002 | Malt, Grain | Dumbarton | Not Available |
| Manager | Distiller | Blender | Owned by | Parent Group |
Dumbarton Timeline:
1926: Harry Clifford Hatch acquires Hiram Walker & Sons and merges it with Gooderham & Worts of Toronto to form Hiram Walker Gooderham & Worts Ltd
1930: Hiram Walker acquires a 60 percent stake in James & George Stodart Ltd of Glasgow includes a share of George Ballantine & Son Ltd
1937: Hiram Walker & Sons (Scotland) Ltd is registered
1938: The Dumbarton distillery complex including the Inverleven stills are opened by Hiram Walker & Son
1956: A Lomond still is added to Inverleven’s set-up
1959: Thomas Scott introduced ‘The Scotch Watch’ a flock of Chinese white geese to act as guardians
1985: Lomond is mothballed
1988: Hiram Walker is acquired by Allied Lyons
1991: Inverleven distillery is closed
1992: Alistair Cunningham retires
2002: Dumbarton distillery is shut down, and the majority of its buildings demolished
2012: ‘The Scotch Watch’ geese are retired
2017: The last remnants of the site, the distillery tower is demolished to make way for social housing
Useful Dumbarton links:
Interesting Dumbarton links:
Can I tour Dumbarton?
No, unfortunately Dumbarton distillery is not open to the public for tours
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