Coleburn 1981

During the whisky boom of the 1890s, several distilleries were established and Coleburn was one of the last. Located just a few miles from the distilling hotbed of Elgin, it was soon established as a worthy producer to the blends and was acquired by the Walkers and the Distillers Company Limited. Its history is rather uneventful and it was utilised for experiments along with blending requirements. To the majority, it remained an oddity without a distinctive single malt presence. Undervalued, it was mothballed in 1985 as the industry struggled with ageing distilleries and overproduction. Since then, the site has been the source of many plans and speculation. From residential accommodation to a hotel and a leisure facility, nothing came to fruition. The surviving buildings, including warehousing, were leased to independent bottler, Murray McDavid, in 2014 who matured their casks on-site – at least providing some whisky interest to this static distillery.