Balcladaich Still
The still is one of many illicit whisky stills in the Highlands. In 1781 small unlicensed stills were made illegal, but they continued to flourish in Strathglass until the mid 19th century and beyond.
The distilling process was essentially the same as in a modern distillery. Barley is malted, then water is added and the resultant liquid is heated, changing starch into sugar. Yeast is then added to start the fermentation process, and the liquid is then heated to boiling point in a still. The alcohol, with a lower boiling point than water, is released as steam, which is then condensed back into a liquid. It is usually then distilled again to obtain a higher alcohol content. The main difference between illicit stills and modern whisky production is that the spirit was not normally stored in casks to mature but was usually bottled immediately and drunk fairly soon.
This small still is approximately 2 metres square, with an entrance 55cm wide. The dry stone walls still stand to about 80cm high. The roof was probably made of rafters or even just branches, covered with turves (as in the 1829 picture “An illicit Highland whisky still” by Sir Edward Landseer; it could be anywhere in the Highlands, but Landseer did visit nearby Glen Affric!). It is not clear why the large boulder next to the east wall of the structure was not used as part of the wall; it may have landed there more recently as a result of forestry operations on the slope above.
Due to the small size of the building, it is possible that only the first part of the process was carried out inside it, as the mash (the liquid before distilling) needs to be protected from the elements. The actual still may have been outside. It would have consisted of a copper pot, in which the liquid was boiled, and a worm, a long spiral tube in which the steam was condensed.
The heating of the liquid would have been by means of a fire of wood or peat.
The still has an excellent location: it is tucked into a space at the foot of a steep slope and is well hidden from view. It is about 20 metres from the Allt a’ Bhuachaille burn, which would have provided the necessary water, and in an area where trees and peat were both available for fuel. The barley used would have been bere, or six-row barley, which would have been obtained from local farms or imported from southern Scotland.
Strathglass seems to have been notorious for illicit distilling. We read in the late 18th century Old Statistical Account of Scotland of various illnesses amongst the inhabitants which are attributed to “the quantity of spirits drunk by the common people of this parish, in their distilleries and dram-houses”.
And in the New Statistical Account of 1845 we are told that Strathglass was inhabited by “a wild, irregular, poverty-stricken people, among whom the demoralising practice of illicit distillation prevailed to a very great extent, favoured and encouraged as it was by the inaccessible nature of the surrounding country”.
Excisemen were employed by the Government to search out and destroy illicit stills and fine those found operating them, but many turned a blind eye in recognition of the “perks” they received.
The still is on land belonging originally to Guisachan estate, which was sold in 1854 to Sir Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, who later became Lord Tweedmouth. He cleared many of his tenants from their homes and resettled some of them in the model village of Tomich. It is probable that the still went out of use at this time, as the nearby settlements such as Achblair were cleared, and Tweedmouth is unlikely to have tolerated illegal activities on his land. The area is now part of Forest and Land Scotland’s Lower Guisachan forest.
Site Information
SHA Site No: 10
Site Status: 
Location: NH 2996 2568 Landranger OS 26
Three words: chill.uppermost.logbook
Period: Modern
Date: 18th/19th Century
Site Owner: Forestry & Land Scotland
Open: 24 Hours
Access: Forest road
Grade: Moderate
Parking: Entrance to forestry NH 3021 2631
Notes: Observe any notices re forestry operations
Location Map
