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Ivy covers the stone facade of Blair Atholl distillery above its red doors and outdoor seating area.
Perthshire

Blair Athol Distillery

An ivy-clad distillery of 1798 on the edge of Pitlochry, making the malt at the heart of Bell's, with tours, tastings and a bar made from an old copper mash tun.

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Welcome

On the southern edge of Pitlochry, where the Allt Dour burn runs down from the hills, a cluster of old stone buildings stands around a courtyard, their walls smothered in ivy that turns scarlet in autumn.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Blair Athol Distillery was founded in 1798, and it is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland.

Most of what it makes goes into blended whiskies, above all Bell's, so the Blair Athol name is seldom seen on a bottle. Tours lead through the mash house, the tall copper stills and the dark warehouses stacked with casks, and end with a tasting of the distillery's own malt.

The visitor centre has a bar built from an old copper mash tun, and a shop well stocked with whisky.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

Tours and tastings run through the week and are best booked ahead.

Where
Perth Road, on the southern edge of Pitlochry.
Telephone
01796 482003.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
10am–6pm
Tuesday
10am–6pm
Wednesday
10am–6pm
Thursday
10am–6pm
Friday
10am–6pm
Saturday
10am–6pm
Sunday
10am–6pm

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Did you know

Antique wheeled carts and a red malt mill stand in a timber-roofed hall beside a copper mash tun at a Perthshire distillery.
Did you know

Since 1798.

Blair Athol was founded in 1798, and is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland.

A copper still's hatch is stamped with a plaque reading 'BLAIR ATHOL, NO. 1 WASH STILL, 2014'.
Did you know

The heart of Bell's.

Most of Blair Athol's whisky goes into Bell's and Johnnie Walker.

Steel washbacks stand behind a railing in a timber-roofed hall at a Perthshire distillery.
Did you know

A bar in a mash tun.

The visitor centre's bar is built from an upcycled copper mash tun.

What is on

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New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Perthshire
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Where it is

On the Perth road at the southern edge of Pitlochry.

Close byPitlochry.
  1. Escape RouteEscape RouteUnder a mile 1 min by road
  2. Victoria'sVictoria'sUnder a mile 2 min by road
  3. The Perthshire Gallery, PerthshireThe Perthshire GalleryContemporary Scottish art and craft on Bonnethill Road.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. Stone facade of the Atholl Arms Hotel with flags and flower basketsAtholl Palace HotelA grand Scots Baronial hotel on the hill above Pitlochry, opened in 1878 as the Athole Hydropathic, with its own museum of its history.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. Quiet high street with canopied shopfronts and a red telephone box in the distancePitlochryA Victorian resort town on the Tummel.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Pitlochry Dam Visitor CentrePitlochry Dam Visitor CentreThe story of the hydro dams, and the salmon, at the dam.1 mile 5 min by road
Directions
Café Calluna storefront with hanging flower baskets and diners seated outsideCafeCafe Calluna0.6 miles
John Muir Trust's Wild Space gallery, with hanging sign, on a Pitlochry street cornerShoppingJohn Muir Trust Centre0.7 miles
Loch Tummel viewed through autumn trees from Queen's View, PerthshireAttractionsQueen's View0.7 miles
The Old Mill Inn's stone façade covered in ivy, with picnic tables outsideRestaurantsThe Old Mill Inn0.7 miles
Turquoise-fronted Hetties tearoom, offering "Great Food, Cakery, Takeaway" and ice creamCafeHettie's Tea Rooms0.7 miles
Highland Soap Co shopfront with bay window on a stone corner buildingShoppingThe Highland Soap Company0.7 miles
Wooden hut with stag emblem beside a picnic bench and lawnAttractionsPitlochry Putting Green0.9 miles
Whitewashed Moulin Hotel with green parasols and hanging flower baskets on a village streetRestaurantsMoulin Hotel and Brewery1.2 miles
Yellow pedal boats and a red rowing boat moored beside a wooden jettyAttractionsPitlochry Boating Station & Adventure Hire1.4 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the distillery, and when each is next free.

A stone cottage with a gabled dormer window catches evening light among autumn trees, a bench and picnic table on the gravel outside.Charlottefield
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Tulliemet
  • 4 miles from Blair Athol
Check datesAn aerial view shows a stone and timber cottage with a round hot tub in the garden, hills rising behind a dry stone wall.Pheasant Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Kincraigie
  • 6 miles from Blair Athol
Check datesLittle Pheasant, PerthshireLittle Pheasant
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Perthshire
  • 6 miles from Blair Athol
Check datesA stone farmhouse with dormer windows sits behind a timber post and rail fence, trees and hills visible beyond.Milton of Kincraigie
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Blair Atholl
  • 7 miles from Blair Athol
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in PerthshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Perthshire.

From the magazineWhisky DistilleriesCollectionDistilleries to visit in ScotlandCollectionDistilleries Worth the Tour
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .