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Copper pot stills in a row in the still house at Bladnoch Distillery, under a timber ceiling, with the spirit safe beyond.
Dumfries and Galloway

Bladnoch Distillery

A Lowland malt whisky distillery on the River Bladnoch near Wigtown, with tours and a café.

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Welcome

Bladnoch Distillery was founded by John and Thomas McClelland in 1817, and its stone buildings still stand on the north bank of the river that shares its name.

Look up for the pagoda roof of the old kiln, kept from the days when the distillery malted its own barley. Tours run by appointment and lead you round each stage of the whisky-making, with a tasting at the end. Afterwards, Café Melba is a lovely spot for a relaxed lunch, with light dishes, puddings and cakes, and a drinks list that runs from whisky to cocktails and wine. Make a day of it with an afternoon among Wigtown's bookshops, a short drive up the road.

A short drive awayThe Book Shop, WigtownScotland's largest second-hand bookshop, in Wigtown, with around 100,000 books on over a mile of shelves, a log fire and a shop cat.2 min by roadSee itVintage typewriter and stacked leather books beside a tartan-cushioned armchair in a library
Before you go

Tours are by appointment only: book by midnight the day before.

Open
Visitor centre Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Café Melba Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.
Tours
The Classic Tour and Taste, an hour, £25; the longer Spirited Tour, £55; the Taste First Experience, a 30-minute tasting for a small group of six, £20.
Ages
Tours are for adults; 12 to 17 year olds may join for £10. Drivers are given their drams to take away.
Access
The tours are not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone with sticks or walking aids, because of the old buildings. No high heels on tours.
Parking
Free, at the distillery.
Phone
01988 402605

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10am–5pm
Wednesday
10am–5pm
Thursday
10am–5pm
Friday
10am–5pm
Saturday
10am–5pm
Sunday
Closed

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Where it is

In Bladnoch village, on the River Bladnoch a mile south-west of Wigtown, DG8 9AB.

Close byWigtown and the Machars.
  1. WigtownWigtownScotland's National Book Town, a small town on the Machars with bookshops around its square and a book festival every autumn.1 mile 2 min by road
  2. Inside ReadingLasses: shelves of new books by women writers on one side, and the café counter on the other, with cakes under glass domes, a chandelier and bottles on a shelf above.ReadingLassesA bookshop and café on South Main Street in Wigtown, specialising in books by and about women, with homemade cakes.1 mile 2 min by road
  3. The Old Bank BookshopA secondhand bookshop of six rooms in Wigtown's old Custom House and bank on South Main Street, with a whole room of sheet music.1 mile 2 min by road
  4. Landing craft 433 unloads vehicles onto a Mulberry harbour pontoon causewayGarlieston Mulberry HarbourWhere the D-Day harbours were tested, and what the sea has left of them.7 miles 12 min by road
  5. Whisky barrels line a gravel path beside a distillery's glass-fronted timber buildingGalloway DistilleryGin made from scratch at Newton Stewart, with fir from the hills and weed from the shore.7 miles 11 min by road
  6. Carved stone slab with cup and ring marks set among grassDrumtroddan Cup and Ring Marked RocksRings cut into bare rock four thousand years ago, in a field near Port William.10 miles 17 min by road
  7. Whithorn Priory and MuseumWhithorn Priory and MuseumThe ruins of the priory and cathedral of Galloway at Whithorn, for 1,000 years a place of pilgrimage to St Ninian, with a museum of early carved stones.10 miles 15 min by road
Directions
White corner building with green trim on a street corner, signed The Open BookShoppingThe Open Book1.1 miles
Whitewashed cottage row with green doors and hanging flower baskets on a village streetShoppingWell-Read Books of Wigtown1.1 miles
Stone cottage with a green Celtic knot sign, seen through a leafy tunnelShoppingByre Books, Wigtown1.1 miles
Vintage typewriter and stacked leather books beside a tartan-cushioned armchair in a libraryShoppingThe Book Shop, Wigtown1.1 miles
A woman with grey hair and glasses smiles beside a large tree trunk in woodland, wearing a green jacket with a round embroidered badge.AttractionsFreelance Ranger4.4 miles as the crow flies
Terraced shopfronts and colourful houses line a quiet street beneath grey skiesAttractionsWhithorn9.6 miles

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