Campbeltown, or the Wee Toon, as some refer to it, will forever be associated with Scotch whisky. There are three distilleries currently operating within the town, and three more on the way. Join Scottish Rogue as we explore how this remote settlement became “the Victorian Whisky Capital of the World”.

The settlement known as Cean Loch Chille Chiarain was renamed Campbell’s Town in 1667 by Archibald Campbell, the Earl of Argyll (clearly a humble man). The town was a busy fishing port and enjoyed the benefits of both steamship and rail services to the city of Glasgow. A local coal mine provided readily available, affordable fuel and a plentiful supply of peat, and good farmland made it the area perfectly suited for the making of whisky.

How Campbeltown Whisky Got Started

In 1823, the Government passed the Excise Act, which legalised and regulated Scotch whisky production and reduced the cost of a distilling license. The result was an explosion in newly registered distilleries. John Campbell, the 7th Duke of Argyll, saw potential in this new development and viewed whisky-making as a good source of employment for the town. To provide fresh water for distilling, he had Crosshill Loch transformed into a reservoir. The Mull of Kintyre had always been a haven for illicit distillers, and they were only too happy to seize the opportunity.

Between 1823 and 1844, 29 distilleries went into production, and when journalist Alfred Barnard visited in 1885, he dubbed Campbeltown the Whisky City. Sadly, however, the good times weren’t to last. A combination of factors led to the almost total collapse of the Wee Toon’s industry and left just two distilleries standing.

The Fall of Campbeltown’s Whisky

Many reasons have been suggested for the fall of Campbeltown’s distilleries, but it would be incorrect to pin the blame on any one factor. The distillers of Campbeltown were facing significantly increased competition from the Glenlivet Speyside distilleries, which had grown massively since the arrival of the Strathspey Railway in 1863. The early 1900s brought an industry-wide slump, known as the Pattison Crash (a story for another time). Confidence in whisky was shattered, and businesses all over the country began to fail.

The Great War brought chaos to Europe, and prohibition in the United States hindered trade with the largest export market. Then, in 1923, the local coal mine closed, ending the supply of affordable fuel and hampering the need for a regular rail service to Glasgow. The town’s distilleries became increasingly isolated in the face of skyrocketing fuel bills. One by one, Campbeltown’s distilleries fell, until only two remained: Springbank and Scotia.

The names of Campbeltown’s lost distilleries will likely be unfamiliar to you: Ardlussa, Argyll, Ballegreggan, Benmore, Burnside, Caledonian, Campbeltown, Dalaruan, Dalintober, Glen Nevis, Glenside, Kinloch, Kintyre, Lochhead, Lochruan, Meadowburn and Riechlachan. However, a few names remain relevant today, like Hazelburn, Longrow, and Glengyle.

Hazelburn and Longrow are now brand names used by Springbank for their Triple Distilled and Heavily Peated whiskies. The Glengyle Distillery, meanwhile, was brought back to life in 2000, making it the town’s third active distillery. Despite the small scale of production on-site, Glengyle and its Kilkerran single malt brand have gone on to great success, and more will soon follow.

The New Rise of Campbeltown’s Whisky

At least three new distillery projects are in various stages of development. Dál Riata Distillery will be based in the very heart of the town, overlooking Campbeltown Loch. Brave New Spirits has been granted planning permission for its Witchburn Distillery project to be located between Campbeltown Airport and Machrihanish Village. Elsewhere, R & B Distillers, the team behind the successful Raasay Distillery, has received permission to go ahead with its Machrihanish Farm Distillery.

Throw in independent bottlers like Cadenhead’s and Watt Whisky, and Campbeltown appears to be on the rise once more. Quite what the current challenges being faced by the whisky industry will make of all these grand plans remains to be seen, but for now at least, there is a feeling of cautious optimism that the Wee Toon will soon be flourishing once again.

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Join us at the Old Toll Bar in Glasgow on Friday, May 15th, for the latest edition of Dram Jam, featuring a selection of Campbeltown whiskies and live Scottish music!

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