The distillery was built in 1878 by James Stuart & Co, who then also worked the nearby
Macallan distillery. The first whisky ran off the
stills on the 28 December 1879, the same day as the
Tay Bridge disaster. The distillery itself had a shaky start and turbulent history. Over-
proof whisky is notoriously highly flammable and the distillery has paid the price. Extension work began in 1896 on a second malt kiln, and an increase in stills from two to four but, before the work was finished, a fire in December 1897 caused serious damage. The distillery saw further damage with a serious explosion in 1903. Then, in 1922, a fire in Warehouse Number One caused the loss of of whisky. Another fire in 1962 afforded the opportunity for expansion and a further re-build in 1982 extended the still hall to five wash stills and five spirit stills. ==References==