Deanston Distillery

Deanston first acquired its name in 1500, when Walter Drummond (the Dean of Dunblane) inherited the lands now known as Deanston from the Haldanes of Gleneagles. The Scots word ‘dean’ was coupled with the Scots term ‘toun’, meaning farm/settlement, to make Deanston. Deanston was largely an agricultural area until John Buchanan and his brothers from Carston had the foresight to convert an existing flax mill into a water-powered carding and roving factory with the latest machinery. Designed by Arkwright, inventor of the water-powered spinning frame, the mill was opened in 1785 as the Adelphi Mill, after the Greek word adelphoi meaning ‘brothers’. The mill was powered by the River Teith and was…

In June 2012, Burn Stewart Distillers opened a new visitor centre at Deanston. The visitor centre is located in the former cotton mill canteen, with many original features being retained, and created seven new jobs for local people. It hosts a gift shop which sells exclusive Deanston bottlings, a café, tasting and presentations areas, and a variety of intimate distillery and tasting tours. As the visitor centre opened, the distillery and a number of staff had already attracted international attention as Deanston featured as the distillery location in the Ken Loach film, The Angels' Share, released in May 2012. One of the stars of the film, Jasmin Riggins, was also present at the opening.