Tullibardine Distillery

The Blackford site has been associated with brewing since at least 1488, when King James IV's treasurer's accounts record the purchase of ale from this location. The natural water from the Danny Burn and the Ochil Hills — the same source used to brew Harthill Ale in the medieval period — made the site ideal for fermented beverages of all kinds.

William Delmé-Evans, the architect who later designed Jura Distillery and Glenallachie Distillery, established the modern Tullibardine Distillery in 1949 using the former brewery building. It was the first new Scotch whisky distillery to be built since 1900, coming online during the post-war recovery. The distillery produced spirit for blends for most of its early decades.

Whyte & Mackay eventually acquired Tullibardine and mothballed it in 1995 as the industry contracted. The distillery sat silent for eight years. In 2003 a private consortium, Tullibardine Distillery Ltd, purchased the closed plant for a reported £1.1 million and brought it back into production — a revival that marked the beginning of the current era.

In 2011 Picard Vins & Spiritueux, a French company with deep roots in Burgundy and Bordeaux négociant trade, acquired Tullibardine. The purchase was a natural fit: Picard's wine expertise aligned perfectly with a maturation strategy built around wine casks. Under French ownership the core range was restructured around three wine cask finishes — Sauternes (225), Burgundy (228), and Sherry (500) — alongside the ex-bourbon Sovereign and an 18 Year Old, creating one of the most cask-coherent single malt ranges in Scotland.

The Danny Burn from the Ochil Hills supplies Tullibardine with soft, mineral-light Highland water. Two wash stills and two spirit stills produce approximately 2.7 million litres of pure alcohol per year. Steam-heated stills and traditional worm tubs (rather than modern shell-and-tube condensers) contribute to the fuller, weightier spirit character typical of older-style Highland distilleries. Maturation is conducted in a combination of ex-bourbon American oak barrels, Sauternes casks (from Château d'Yquem-style properties in Bordeaux), Burgundy casks (Pinot Noir), sherry-seasoned European oak, and Banyuls casks from the south of France.

Tullibardine's house style is a rounded, malty Highland character that acts as an excellent canvas for cask finishing. The Sovereign (ex-bourbon, no age statement) shows the underpinning spirit: cereal sweetness, vanilla, and orchard fruit with a gentle warmth. The wine-cask finishes transform this base with impressive consistency:

225 Sauternes Cask adds honeyed sweetness, dried apricot, and white flower notes from the Bordeaux dessert wine casks.

228 Burgundy Cask introduces red cherry, raspberry, and a gentle tannic edge from the red wine casks.

500 Sherry Cask brings richer dried fruit, dark chocolate, and warm baking spice from the European oak sherry seasoning.

18 Year Old adds the dimension of extended maturation: richer vanilla, nuts, and a longer, more complex finish.

Standard guided distillery tours are available, as is the Bonded Tour with Chocolate Pairing — a warehouse visit combined with a chocolate tasting designed to complement the wine-cask expressions. Online shop at shop.tullibardine.com. A Custodian Club membership offers first access to new releases and a lifetime discount. Physical shop on site. Full tour and visiting details at tullibardine.com.