Dumbarton distillery tower to be torn down

A tower once belonging to the distillery that made Ballantine’s Scotch – a landmark in the Scottish town of Dumbarton – is being torn down.

The distillery ceased whisky production in 2002

The Dumbarton distillery itself was opened in 1938, and at one stage was one of the largest distilleries in Scotland. Unable to renovate the site due to the tall column stills which went through the concrete floor, the distillery was closed in 2002.

The red 100ft tower is all that is left of the Dumbarton distillery complex, which previously made the Ballantine’s blends.

Dunbritton Housing Association and property developer Cullross will build up to 150 new homes on the complex over the next 24 months.

Demolition work is expected to last for several weeks.

Sephton MacQuire, chair of the board at Dunbritton Housing Association, said: “This development on what is a prime site will go a long way toward meeting the need for high quality houses for rent in Dumbarton.

“We have waited a long time for an opportunity to develop this site and bring much-needed affordable housing to Dumbarton.

“Dunbritton has a proven track record of working in partnership with colleagues in the private sector and we are delighted to work together with Culross.

“Opportunities like this are few and far between and we look forward to delivering what will be a major improvement to the whole infrastructure of Dumbarton town centre.”

A planning application for the proposed development is currently being considered by West Dunbartonshire Council.

In May last year, independent spirits bottler The Last Drop Distillers released a 1961 Dumbarton single grain Scotch whisky, found from the inventory of the now-closed Dumbarton distillery.