Pittyvaich

The Pittyvaich whisky distillery was established in 1975 by Arthur Bell and Sons. It was sited very close to the Dufftown distillery and shared with it not only a place in the Bells blend but also the water source, the springs at Bailliemore and Convalleys. Pittyvaich lay in the Dullan Glen in Banffshire before being demolished in 2003, having been closed for a decade. The distillery was the last to be built in Dufftown and was near the Mortlach Parish Church.

The renowned gin brand Gordon’s had, for some time, distilled at Cameronbridge in Fife before transporting the spirit to London for further distillation in the Gordon’s pot still. They experimented during 2004 with gin distillation at Pittyvaich; the results were quite favourable and proved that successful gin production can take place anywhere.

When Pittyvaich produced whisky, the distillery had two sets of stills for whisky distillation, all being exact replicas of those at neighbouring distillery, Dufftown. The resultant spirit was matured in both bourbon and sherry casks. Although most Pittyvaich malt whisky was used in Bells blends, there have been both independent and official releases over the years.

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