| Country | scotland |
| Region | Lowland |
| Established | 1958 |
| Owner | Diageo (site); North of Scotland Distilling Company (brand) |
| Type | Grain |
| Number of stills | 3 patent (Coffey) stills |
| Visitor center | No |
| Status | Closed |
| Phone | n/a |
North of Scotland Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located in Cambus, near Alloa, in the Lowland region of Scotland. It was founded in 1957 and began production in 1958, and it closed in 1980 after the Distillers Company (DCL) later acquired the site in 1982. It is notable for having briefly produced malt whisky under the "Strathmore" name before converting entirely to a deliberately full-flavoured, high-congener single grain whisky.
North of Scotland was founded by George P. Christie, who in 1957 bought the disused former Forth Brewery premises in Cambus, Clackmannanshire, from Blair & Co. of Alloa for £10,000 and converted them into a distillery. Production began in 1958. The site initially housed two copper pot stills producing a malt whisky sold as "Strathmore," but this proved short-lived: within about a year Christie removed the pot stills and installed a larger mash tun to expand grain output, fitting three patent (Coffey) stills with a combined capacity of around 2,700 litres of wash per hour. Unlike many grain distilleries of the era, which aimed for a light, neutral spirit for blending, Christie deliberately ran the stills to retain higher congener levels, giving North of Scotland grain whisky a fuller, more characterful style. The distillery traded on its own as the North of Scotland Distilling Company until 1980, when Christie closed it in the face of industry-wide overcapacity; he had by then also gone on to found Speyside Distillery. DCL bought the Cambus site in 1982, and ownership subsequently passed through Guinness plc and United Distillers to Diageo.
George Christie closed North of Scotland in 1980 amid a broader Scotch whisky industry downturn and slack demand for grain spirit, selling the site to DCL in 1982. Its stills and equipment were stripped and redistributed to other DCL distilleries, and the original buildings were demolished around 1993. The former distillery site is now used by Diageo for bonded warehousing, alongside the neighbouring Cambus cooperage. No official single grain bottling was ever released while the distillery operated; the first official expression only appeared in 2017, a 50-year-old release from remaining Diageo cask stock produced in partnership with independent bottler Elixir Distillers. Because it was never officially bottled during its working life, surviving casks and independent releases (from bottlers such as Gordon & MacPhail and Scott's Selection) are scarce and sought after by collectors, with older single-cask examples regularly attracting strong interest at whisky auction.
North of Scotland distillery is located at Cambus, near Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland.
North of Scotland distillery was founded in 1958.
North of Scotland distillery is owned by Diageo (site); North of Scotland Distilling Company (brand).
North of Scotland distillery is from Lowland, scotland.
You can buy North of Scotland whisky at Glenbotal.co.uk. We currently stock a selection with free UK delivery on orders over £99.
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About Glenbotal
The idea of Glenbotal came to us naturaly: as whisky lovers, we were always on the lookout for new experiences in the whisky world. That’s why we created Glenbotal and became our very own first customers. We buy unique and hard to find spirits from auctions, ballots, and private collections. Then, we share them with a small circle of friends and people who can appreciate a good dram.