Bankier Distillery — Lowland Single Malt Whisky

Bankier Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery that stood near Banknock, on the north bank of the Forth and Clyde Canal in the Lowland region of Scotland. It was founded in 1827 (some records give 1828) by Daniel McFarlane and was closed in 1928. Despite its Lowland location, Bankier was noted in its day for producing whisky with a character contemporaries compared to Highland spirit rather than the lighter Lowland style.

History

Bankier Distillery was built at the west end of Banknock, near Denny in Stirlingshire, taking advantage of the Forth and Clyde Canal for transport. By the 1880s it was owned by the Bankier Distillery Company, run by brothers James and John Risk, and was one of the larger Lowland grain distilleries of its era, with seven bonded warehouses capable of holding around 4,500 casks. When the whisky writer Alfred Barnard toured Scotland's distilleries in the mid-1880s for his book "The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom" (1887), he visited Bankier and recorded an annual output of roughly 150,000 gallons, with capacity for up to 180,000 gallons, describing the spirit's quality as being "of a most pronounced and excellent Highland style." The distillery employed around 17 workers and drew water from Doups Burn, a source of a notable 1893 water-rights legal dispute, John Young & Co v Bankier Distillery Co, which became a landmark case in Scottish environmental and nuisance law.

Quick Facts

• Region: Lowland
• Founded: 1827 (also cited as 1828)
• Owner: Bankier Distillery Company (James & John Risk) — historical; distillery is closed
• Status: Closed

Closure & Legacy

Bankier Distillery closed in 1928, a casualty of the wider contraction of the Scotch whisky industry in the interwar years. Its maltings continued in operation for decades afterward, finally closing in 1971, and the remaining distillery buildings were demolished in 1981, leaving little physical trace of the site today. Genuine bottlings distilled at Bankier during its 1827/8–1928 working life are essentially unknown on the current collectors' market; the distillery's name has occasionally been used on commemorative releases, such as a miniature bottle featuring artist Rachel Pugh's painting of Bankier, but the whisky in that release was distilled at Speyside Distillery rather than at Bankier itself. As with many "silent" and demolished Lowland distilleries, Bankier survives chiefly through the historical record — most notably Alfred Barnard's 1880s account — rather than through surviving casks or bottles.