The Borders distillery, is a malt whisky, gin and vodka production facility in the Scottish Borders town of Hawick. The distillery produces malt whisky, William Kerrs Gin.[1] and vodka and has a visitor centre on Commercial Road.

The Borders distillery
Region: Lowland
LocationHawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland
Coordinates55°25′28″N 2°47′20″W / 55.42452°N 2.78887°W / 55.42452; -2.78887
Founded2018 (2018)
Founder
  • George Tait
  • Tony Roberts
  • Tim Carton
  • John Fordyce
StatusActive
Water sourceRiver Teviot
No. of stills2 wash stills
2 spirit stills
Capacity2,000,000 L
Websitewww.thebordersdistillery.com

History

The Borders distillery is the first Scotch Whisky distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837,[2] becoming operational in March 2018 and opening to the public on 1 May 2018.[3] The distillery is in a landmark building in the centre of town, having previously been the site of the Hawick Electric Company and several engineering businesses.[4] The distillery takes the form of two large sheds, dating from the 1880s joined by a modern glass extension to a Tudor Cotswold building.[5]

Products

The hosts two wash stills, two spirit stills and a specially commissioned Carter Head still, made by Forsyths of Rothes.[6] Whilst the malt whisky is maturing, management have developed a more traditional blend under the “Clan Fraser” and "Clan Fraser Reserve" brands, together with an edgier blended malt under the “Lower East Side” brand.[7] In 2022, The Borders Distillery released "WS:01 Borders Malt & Rye". This is the first bend to leave the Scottish Borders region in 185 years.

The barley sourced for the distillery is entirely grown in the Borders and operating at full capacity the distillery will produce up to 1.6 million litres of pure alcohol.

William Kerr's Borders Gin, is made using the Borders Distillery's own malted spirit, which is mashed and fermented on site with the gin distilled in a bespoke Carter Head still,[8][9] a specially modified column still. The gin itself is named for William Kerr (1779-1814) was a native of Hawick and became a gardener at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, London[10]

References

  1. ^ Murphy, Sean (26 November 2018). "8 brand new Scottish gins to get excited about this Christmas". The Scotsman. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  2. ^ Sparks, Cator (10 September 2018). "Scotland's Next Wave of Whisky Distilleries". Bloomberg. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Whisky distilling welcomed back". BBC News. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  4. ^ Sherry, Kristiane (7 July 2016). "Three Stills' Scottish Borders plans approved". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  5. ^ Wilson, Rob (4 December 2018). "AJ Architecture Awards 2018: Heritage Project of the Year". Architects Journal. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  6. ^ Bruce-Gardyne, Tom (1 May 2018). "Borders Distillery officially opens". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Private Equity - The Three Stills Company". Badenoch and Co. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Carterhead still". StillCooker. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Our Brands". The Borders Distillery. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  10. ^ Lane, Mark (28 September 2018). "The Borders Distillery to unveil William Kerr's Borders Gin in Cannes". The Moodie Davitt Report. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
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