Glenlochy

The Glenlochy distillery sits in Fort William, on the banks of the River Nevis and amongst the foothills of the mountain from whence the river falls. The whisky distillery was founded in 1898 by David McAndie as the Glenlochy-Fort William Distillery Company Ltd and the building was thoroughly modern. The modus operandi was one of maximum efficiency; everything fitted into the distillery was designed to save labour and as such a comparatively small workforce was employed. The Glenlochy distillery was founded following the whisky boom of the 19th century. Indeed, many a distillery was established at this time. Though several disitlleries closed shortly after, Glenlochy remained blissfully intact until the onset of the First World War when it too shut.

The whisky distillery reopened five years later and then closed for almost a decade until 1937, when Train and MacIntrye Ltd acquired the company. Just before reopening, the distillery was owned by Thomas Leslie Rankin who used the buildings for his motor hire business. In 1953, Train and MacIntrye Ltd were bought out by Distillers Company Ltd. The whisky distillery was subsequently transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers who closed it in 1968.

During the following decades Glenlochy was modernized somewhat, but, following a poor reception, the whisky distillery gave up its proverbial ghost in 1983. In 1992, the buildings were put up for sale and subsequently were acquired by West Coast Inns. The new owners built a restaurant and hotel on the site. To this day some of the original features remain; most noticeable is the rather imposing pagoda roof. Single malt whisky from the distillery remains a rather rare treat; independent bottlings are few and far between.

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