Auchentoshan Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 24 hours ago
In this guide
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Auchentoshan at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Region | Lowland, Scotland |
Ownership | Suntory Global Spirits |
History | Established 1823 |
Whisky and production | Lowland malt noted for triple distillation |
Named expressions | Auchentoshan 12 Year Old, Auchentoshan Three Wood, Auchentoshan 18 Year Old |
Visits | Verify public access, current tours and opening times with the distillery before travelling. |
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Auchentoshan is a Lowland distillery on the edge of Glasgow, known for triple distillation, which is unusual in Scotland. This guide covers its history, owner, range and the questions people ask most.
Where is Auchentoshan Distillery?
Auchentoshan is in Dalmuir at the foot of the Kilpatrick Hills, on the outskirts of Clydebank in West Dunbartonshire, near the Erskine Bridge. The name comes from the Gaelic Achadh an Oisein, meaning corner field. It is pronounced OH-khən-TOSH-ən. It is also known as Glasgow's Malt Whisky.
Auchentoshan history
Auchentoshan was built in 1823 by a corn merchant named John Bulloch and managed with his son. After their bankruptcy in 1834 it was sold to a local farmer, Alexander Filshie, whose family kept it until 1877. It was then acquired by the Glasgow distillers John and George MacLachlan.
During the Second World War the A82 road outside was used as a decoy, and several warehouses were struck by the Luftwaffe during the Clydebank Blitz. A bomb crater behind the distillery now serves as a cooling water pond. Eadie Cairns bought it in 1969 and rebuilt it completely, then sold it in 1984 to Stanley P Morrison, later Morrison Bowmore Distillers.
Suntory invested in Morrison Bowmore in 1989 and acquired 100% in 1994. In May 2014 Beam Inc and Suntory Holdings merged to create Suntory Global Spirits.
Who owns Auchentoshan?
Auchentoshan is owned by Suntory Global Spirits.
Triple distillation and production
Stills: a wash still, an intermediate still and a spirit still. The third still helps give a final spirit strength of 81% ABV.
Malt: unpeated.
Water source: Loch Katrine for production and Loch Cochno for cooling.
Capacity: 1,800,000 litres.
Maturation: mainly ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry butts, with some French wine casks.
Auchentoshan range
Auchentoshan Classic, 40% ABV
Auchentoshan 12 Year Old
Auchentoshan Three Wood, 43% ABV: matured in American bourbon casks, then finished in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks
Auchentoshan 18 Year Old
Auchentoshan 21 Year Old
The oldest special bottling is a 50 year old distilled in 1957 and released in 2008. Check the official site for current bottlings.
Visiting
The distillery has a visitor centre and conference facilities, both completed in 2005, and is open for tours every day of the week.
Official website
More on Auchentoshan's history and owners
The Whiskypedia entry dates legal whisky making here to 1817, when John Bulloch built the Duntocher distillery on the banks of the Clyde. Other accounts, including the earlier part of this guide, give 1823. The Single Cask notes that 1817 occasionally appears in older sources, so treat the founding year as disputed. Bulloch went bankrupt soon after, but his grandson went on to co-found Bulloch Lade, one of the best known blending and broking firms of the 19th century.
In 1834 the distillery was bought by John Hart and Alexander Filshie, who renamed it Auchintoshan. It was sold to CH Curtis and Co in 1875, then to Alexander Ferguson and Co around 1900. The brewers George and John McLachlan took over in 1903. J and R Tennent of the Wellpark Brewery in Glasgow owned it from 1960, and in 1969 it passed to a publican named Eadie Cairns. Stanley P Morrison bought it in 1984 for a reported 325,000 pounds, and Suntory bought Morrison Bowmore in 1994.
Whiskypedia records the 1941 raid this way: a warehouse was hit, sending a stream of blazing whisky into the river, and a bomb crater was later turned into the distillery pond. Two lines of the milestone list are worth knowing: Auchentoshan Three Wood launched in 2002 and Virgin Oak followed in 2013. Whiskypedia also notes that all of the distillery's production goes into its own single malt.
How the three stills work together
Whiskypedia describes the run in detail. The wash still operates as normal. The spirit from the intermediate still is split in two, and only the high strength heads are carried forward for the final distillation. The low strength tails are added to the next wash still distillation. The heads are then mixed with the feints from the previous spirit still run, and a cut with an average strength of 81 percent ABV is taken.
Whiskypedia describes a short fermentation that gives a cereal note, and says the very high strength means the spirit can easily be overpowered by oak, so older expressions use a more relaxed wood influence.
Auchentoshan production facts at a glance
Capacity: 1.75 million litres of pure alcohol a year (Whiskypedia). The Single Cask gives about 1.8 million.
Stills: three, with lamp glass shaped wash and spirit stills. The wash still charge is 17,500 litres.
Mash tun: semi lauter, with a grist of 6.825 tonnes.
Malt: unpeated spring barley supplied by Simpsons, according to Whiskypedia.
Washbacks: Whiskypedia lists 7 (4 wood and 4 stainless steel in its own wording, which does not add up). The Single Cask counts nine, in Oregon pine and stainless steel.
Fermentation: 50 hours (Whiskypedia) or 50 to 70 hours (The Single Cask).
Condensers: shell and tube. Filling strength: 63.5 percent. New make strength: 81 percent.
Water: Loch Katrine for production. The Single Cask adds Loch Cochno for cooling.
Is Auchentoshan the only triple distilled Scotch?
Whiskypedia says Auchentoshan is the only distillery in Scotland that exclusively uses triple distillation. The Single Cask, writing in 2026, says Rosebank in Falkirk now does the same since its revival, which makes two. Springbank's Hazelburn is triple distilled too, but as one of several makes at a distillery that does other things as well.
Visiting and current status
The distillery sits by Dalmuir, Clydebank, G81 4SJ. Whiskypedia lists visitor hours of 10am to 5pm every day except Tuesday, when it is closed. The Single Cask says the centre is open Tuesday to Sunday, which conflicts, so check before you travel. Whiskypedia says a new visitor facility was built in 2004, while the earlier part of this guide says 2005.
The Single Cask reports in 2026 that the distillery's own website states distillation on site is currently paused, as part of wider cost cutting across Suntory Global Spirits' Scotch operations, and that the visitor centre remains open. We have not confirmed this on the official site ourselves, so check it before publishing.
Ownership is stated differently by two sources. Whiskypedia names Morrison Bowmore Distillers as the current owner under the parent Beam Suntory (parent since 2014). The Single Cask names Suntory Global Spirits, formerly Beam Suntory.
Sources
Further sources checked
ScotchWhisky.com Whiskypedia entry for Auchentoshan: scotchwhisky.com/whiskypedia/1812/auchentoshan/
The Single Cask distillery guide for Auchentoshan: thesinglecask.co.uk/blogs/distilleries/auchentoshan
Gaps: bottle strengths for the current range, current prices and the production pause are not verified against the official Auchentoshan site. Founding year, washback count, opening days and owner name differ between sources, as noted above.
Photo credits
Image of Auchentoshan Distillery. Photo: Wee Bugger / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Image source · Licence
What makes Auchentoshan distinctive?
Lowland malt noted for triple distillation
Auchentoshan whisky bottle and expression comparison
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Auchentoshan 12 Year Old | 12 years | Check bottle | Lowland malt noted for triple distillation |
Auchentoshan Three Wood | NAS / batch varies | Check bottle | Lowland malt noted for triple distillation |
Auchentoshan 18 Year Old | 18 years | Check bottle | Lowland malt noted for triple distillation |
This compares documented expressions, not live shop stock. Strength, age, casks and availability can vary by release; check the producer's bottle information.
More distilleries to explore
Frequently asked questions about Auchentoshan
Where is Auchentoshan distillery?
In Dalmuir, on the outskirts of Clydebank near Glasgow.
Who owns Auchentoshan?
Suntory Global Spirits.
Is Auchentoshan triple distilled?
Yes. It uses a wash, intermediate and spirit still.
When was Auchentoshan founded?
It was built in 1823.
What does Auchentoshan mean?
Corner field, from the Gaelic Achadh an Oisein.
Sources and editorial checks
Original historical research and source notes are preserved in this guide. Producer details, distillery access and releases may change.
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About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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