Lost Distillery

    Millburn

    Highland
    Demolished
    Malt

    Millburn — Highland, Scotland · Spirit type: Malt · Founded: 1805 · Closed: 1985 · Status: Demolished

    Key facts

    Millburn — Key facts
    RegionHighland
    CountryScotland
    Spirit typeMalt
    StatusDemolished
    Founded1805
    Closed1985

    Millburn — History & notes

    Located on Millburn Road, this site is recognized as the oldest of the three Inverness distilleries. While registrations date back to 1805-1807, earliest production remains unproven until documented under Ross Macdonald in 1825. The facility faced significant instability, closing around 1851 and operating as a flour mill under Rose in 1853. It was eventually rebuilt and restarted in 1876. Following its acquisition by Booth in 1921, a devastating fire in 1922 necessitated another complete rebuild. These cycles of destruction and renewal define the site's long, turbulent history before its final industrial chapter.

    The modern era for Millburn saw the cessation of direct firing in 1966, a technical shift that altered its production character. The distillery ultimately closed in 1985 during a period of industry consolidation. In 1990, the site was purchased by Beefeater for adaptive reuse, ending its life as a whisky producer. Today, the surviving buildings serve non-industrial purposes. Because production ended decades ago, the remaining stock is finite, transitioning from a robust blending component to a highly prized single malt found primarily in specialist historic series and independent releases.

    Flavour profile

    The spirit character is described as bold with a slight presence of smoke. Older expressions matured in refill casks may display specialized notes of tropical fruit and leather, though these characteristics are not universal across all releases.

    Bottlings & collector track record

    • Millburn 1969 35 Year Old (Rare Malts Selection, 2005): A notable high-age release bottled at 51.2% ABV as part of a historic enthusiast series.
    • General Historic Stock: Remaining liquid typically originates from production prior to the 1985 closure, often appearing in independent specialist labels.

    Sources

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