Edinburgh‘s Whisky History by Iain Russell
Part 1: Distilling

Edinburgh is the political and cultural capital of Scotland, the home of the Scottish Parliament and the world-famous Edinburgh Festival. But it has many more claims to fame, not least as the historic hub of the Scotch whisky trade.

Today the city is home to the influential trade association The Scotch Whisky Association; the famous tourist attraction The Scotch Whisky Experience and the flagship Johnnie Walker Princes Street brand experience; the proudly independent Scotch Malt Whisky Society and iconic whisky stockists such as Royal Mile Whiskies and Cadenheads.

The excellence of the research and teaching facilities at Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling is recognised worldwide and many of our most talented distillers have studied there. And while the long-established North British Distillery remains an Edinburgh institution, the new Bonnington, Holyrood and Port of Leith distilleries have all begun making whisky and headlines in the 2020s.

But Edinburgh’s central role in the whisky trade is nothing new – the city can boast a history of whisky-making stretching back more than 500 years.

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