North Port distillery dates from 1820 being established by the Guthrie family in the east coast town of Brechin. Preceding the all changing 1823 Act this is a relatively early establishment date and could be due to an act of 1818 which made legal distillation a degree more attractive. In 1809 founder David Guthrie set up the town’s first bank and along with other family members served as Provost (mayor). His son Dr Thomas Guthrie theologian, philanthropist and founder of Edinurgh’s ragged school has a statue on Princes Street, Edinburgh marking his many noteworthy deeds.
The distillery’s name dates from 1823 when Guthrie’s other sons, David and Alexander, took over and comes from the northern gate in the cathedral city walls. The company was originally called Townhead Distillery Co. but re-named in 1823 as Brechin Distillery Co. then again to Guthrie, Martin & Company just a year later. In 1893 the company became a limited partnership. By the late 19th century annual output was around half a million litres.
In 1905 there were “alterations and additions” followed by internal improvements in 1926. Like all malt distilleries it did not produce between 1917 & 1919 due to restrictions for the war effort. The owning company was bought by DCL and Manchester based W.H. Holt & Company Ltd. in 1922 and later transferred to SMD (Est. 1914) on the dissolution of the DCL/Holt partnership.
There was a period of closure between 1926 and 1937, then again between 1940 and 1947. Internal steam heating of the stills replaced direct firing in 1964. The maltings closed in 1968 when the nearby Glenesk drum maltings were commissioned.
The floor maltings were demolished in 1972 whilst the malt kiln was repurposed. Curiously power was once via an underground waterwheel using overflow from the distillery dam. This water was also used for cooling and travelled to the wheel by a 400m long tunnel cut through solid rock.
PHOTO CREDIT whiskybase.com/royalscotsman
There was a 5 tonne cast iron mash tun, 5 wooden washbacks, two onion shaped stills with worm tubs. Production capacity was .75ML. DCL subsidiary Mitchell Brothers used the malt for the Italian market in ‘Glen Dew’’ a vatted malt as well as in their Heather Dew blend.
After closure in March 1983 the property was sold in 1990 to be developed and the distillery was demolished in 1993/94 with a supermarket and carpark taking its place. Working against the case for mothballing the distillery was its poor condition, limited scope for expansion and superiority of spirit produced elsewhere.
Mark Davidson, aka The Jolly Toper Profile
