Top 10 distillery legends
The rich history of the spirits world is laden with mythology, spooky tales and folklore, as our pick of the top 10 most famous distillery legends shows.
Beastly spirits and whisky-drinking cats feature in our list of the top 10 distillery legendsGhouls, ghosts, mythical beasts and whisky-drinking cats are all stuff of legend in the distillery world, becoming entrenched in local folklore.
With large, dark, historic buildings, distilleries are rife with spooky myths and legends which have been passed down through generations.
The settings of many distilleries in remote and rural parts of the world mean that their storied pasts are remembered by local populations for centuries.
Brands also frequently allude to their spooky histories by naming new expressions after their own distillery legends, such as Jura Prophecy and Bowmore Devil’s Cask.
Click through the following pages to discover our selection of the top 10 distillery legends. Know of a particular myth we haven’t included? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Bowmore devil
First released at Halloween last year, Bowmore’s now cult classic Devil’s Cask pays homage to the legend which states that the Devil himself was spotted in the church of Bowmore and chased across the island and into the Bowmore Distillery. However, the devil escape from Islay by hiding in a whisky barrel which was loaded onto a paddle steamer carrying a cargo headed for the mainland. The second batch of Devil’s Cask was released only last month.
Towser the mouser, the whisky drinker?
Towser, the infamous mouser who protected the grounds of Glenturrent Distillery for a rumoured 23 years, is said to have maintained her hunting prowess by drinking a dram of whisky in her milk everyday. Named in the Guinness Book of World Records as “The Most Prolific Mouser of All-Time”, Towser lived in the Glenturrent Distillery until her death in 1987 having made a record 28,899 kills (an average of 3 mice a day). So missed was Towser, a statue was erected outside of the distillery in her honour.
Buffalo Trace workers saved by spectre
As the oldest distillery in America, many have claimed to have seen a ghostly spectre or heard an spooky voice at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. It is rumoured that Warehouse C workers were once saved by a mysterious voice yelling “Get out”, just as the building collapsed around them, although none of the workers claimed to have said it. While at Stony Point Mansion, the home built in 1934 by Albert B. Blanton, employees have claimed to have heard humming or singing – thought to be from the ghost of Blanton’s housekeeper Sarah.
Cù Bòcan highland hellhound
Legend has it after being stalked by the ghostly spectre, a Tomatin Distillery worker reached out to touch the fur of Cù Bòcan, when the beast dissolved in front of his eyes and spirited away across the peat moorland. This ghostly encounter inspired Tomatin’s Cù Bòcan single malt Scotch whisky, which has been matured in a combination of virgin oak, Bourbon and Sherry casks.
Jura Prophecy
Single Malt Scotch whisky Jura Prophecy is named after a terrifying local legend. In the early 1700s the Campbells of Jura evicted a wise old seeress. Bristling with resentment, she prophesied that the last Campbell to leave the island would be one-eyed with his belongings carried in a cart drawn by a lone white horse. Locals believe that In 1938, the prophecy came true when Charles Campbell, blind in one eye from the Great War, led his white horse to the old pier for the last time.
Bowmore headless horseman
Another spooky tale from the Bowmore Distillery is that of the headless horseman. It is rumoured that an Islay crofter named Lachlan Bàn returned home one night to see a headless horseman riding away from his house, his front door wide open and an open bottle of Bowmore on the floor with a large dram missing. Bàn regaled his tale to the island, who to this day will not offer an opened bottle of whisky to guests for fear of attracting the thirsty headless horseman.
Duppy rum thieves
According to Caribbean folklore, the angel’s share of rum which evaporates during the maturation process is actually stolen by dark spirits – otherwise known as duppies – which travel between the distilleries stealing their share of rum. It is this legend which inspred the name of newly launched The Duppy Share Rum, a golden Caribbean rum has been created from a blend of three-year-old Jamaican rum and five-year-old Barbados rum which have been aged in Bourbon barrels.
Kilbeggan roamed by ghosts
According to Derek Acorah, the ‘psychic’ and star of the UK’s Most Haunted TV show, several previous owners of the the Kilbeggan Distillery, one of the world’s oldest distilleries that dates back to 1757, continue to roam the grounds, including Kilbeggan’s founder Matthew McManus, and his son John, who was executed in 1798 for breaking curfew and for alleged membership of the United Irishmen. However several locals have also bore witness to the legend and claimed to have seen ghostly spectres and heard frightening noises.
Gooderham and Worts Distillery spectres
But following the death of his wife during childbirth just a few years later in 1834, James Worts, who co-founded Toronto’s Gooderham and Worts Mill, committed suicide by drowning himself in the windmill’s well. The mill went onto become a distillery, led by Worts’ eldest son, also called James, where to this day workers and visitors report doors opening and closing, and lights flickering as the James Wort Snr himself continues to show up for work.
Glen Spey haunted by soldier
The Glen Spey Distillery, which is located in the Morayshire village of Rothes and was founded in 1887, is reported to be haunted by a WW2 soldier who was accidentally electrocuted in the distillery while stationed there. Both visitors and locals claim to have seen his ghost several times.
