Auchnagie Distillery: Tullymet Whisky History and the Lost Highland Site
Auchnagie belonged to the small rural distilleries of Highland Perthshire. Also known as Tullymet, it worked among farms near Ballinluig, where water, barley and the seasons shaped production. Its later connection with Dewar’s brought it into a much larger whisky business, but the original plant closed in the early twentieth century. Modern Auchnagie-branded blended malts commemorate that history; they are not surviving whisky from the old stills.
Information checked on 27 October 2026.
The former Auchnagie location in a photograph published by The Lost Distillery Company. The buildings are shown in later use; this is not an operating visitor distillery.
At a glance
At a glance | Auchnagie Distillery |
|---|---|
Country | Scotland |
Whisky region | Highlands |
Locality | Tulliemet area near Ballinluig, Perthshire |
Also known as | Tullymet |
Established | 1812 in Barnard’s contemporary account |
Later operator | John Dewar & Sons, long lease from 1890 |
Final closure period | 1910–12; dates refer to different stages |
Historical malt drying | Peat from Loch Broom |
Modern namesake | Blended-malt interpretation, not original distillate |
In this guide
AI summary: key points
Barnard dates Auchnagie to 1812 and describes a farm-like Highland malt distillery near Tulliemet. His visit caught it during a seasonal stoppage, not its final closure.
John Dewar & Sons took a long lease in 1890. Accounts place the final shutdown across 1910–12, distinguishing the end of production, vacancy and removal of equipment.
The Lost Distillery Company’s Auchnagie is a modern interpretation made by blending malts from other distilleries. The historical site has no verified public tour.
Summarise this guide with AI
A rural distillery absorbed into the Dewar’s story
Alfred Barnard’s 1887 book says Auchnagie was erected in 1812. He found a modest collection of buildings that resembled an old farmsteading. The later Tullymet name and the presence of several distilling operations around the hamlet complicate simple searches for a single modern address.
John Dewar & Sons obtained a long lease in 1890. The whisky was associated with the Dewar’s blending business, and the producer’s historical research also records the Old Tullymet name. That commercial connection did not transform the small country plant into a large modern factory.
The Lost Distillery Company’s research booklet separates production ending in late 1910, the buildings being recorded vacant in 1911 and machinery removal in 1912. Other references use 1912 as the final closure date. The useful conclusion is a staged shutdown in the early 1910s, rather than a claim that all three dates describe the last distillation.
Finding Auchnagie in the Tulliemet landscape
The historical locality is the Tulliemet area, south-east of Pitlochry. Barnard approached from Pitlochry through the valley, passing Blair Athol before heading towards the farm country around the distillery. The setting matters because this was an agricultural enterprise dependent on nearby supplies and relatively small-scale transport.
The Lost Distillery Company places the plant at Easter Auchnagie and warns that warehousing at Wester Auchnagie has caused confusion in earlier accounts. Its research is presented as an identification, not a modern surveyed visitor entrance. This guide therefore avoids a precise navigation pin that would suggest every historic building has been securely located.
Water, peat and a seasonal working year
During Barnard’s visit the distillery had stopped because the weather was too warm for malting. That is a seasonal production pause. Reading the sentence as proof that Auchnagie had permanently closed by the 1880s would reverse the meaning of the account.
He recorded a barley loft, maltings, a still and mash house, a spirit store and warehouse accommodation for 40,000 gallons. Water came from the Auchnagie Hills, and peat from Loch Broom was used to dry the malt. His stated yearly output was 19,000 gallons, against a possible 24,000. Actual output and potential production are separate numbers.
Later research describes a stone-lined watercourse and a pool with a sluice controlling supply to the works. Such arrangements help explain the importance of water to this small site. They do not establish an exact fermentation time, yeast strain or surviving still design, none of which is confidently specified here.
Barnard also noted an excise officer whose summer routine included a garden and small farmyard. The observation captures the quiet periods of a seasonal rural distillery. It is a more specific glimpse of working life than assuming that production continued at an identical rate throughout the year.
Original Auchnagie and the modern interpretation
The historical whisky was Highland malt, and the later business supplied blending as well as using the Tullymet identity. The sources do not establish a modern-style permanent range with standard ages, strengths and cask finishes. No such original range is reconstructed in this guide.
The Lost Distillery Company explains that it uses historical research to blend aged malts from different distilleries into present-day interpretations. Its Auchnagie bottlings belong to that project. They should be described as blended malt Scotch whisky from the modern bottler, without claiming that the original distillery has reopened or that century-old Auchnagie liquid is included.
Reading labels and historical claims carefully
A modern Auchnagie label is evidence of a tribute release, not evidence of surviving stock from the old site. Different releases need their own specifications; an ABV from one series or batch should not be applied across them. This site-history guide does not supply an unmatched bottle image or tasting note.
A purported original bottle would require separate provenance, including the bottler, label, closure and documentary ownership history. Equally, a drawing of the distillery should be identified as an artist’s reconstruction. The familiar illustrated 1890 view published by The Lost Distillery Company is not a contemporary photograph.
What a history visit can realistically offer
The producer’s historical research records remnants of the water system and some reused buildings. Its location photograph shows a later rural setting, not a working visitor distillery. Descriptions of occupied cottages or garages should not be treated as invitations to enter private premises.
No public tour, tasting room or official opening schedule for the original Auchnagie site has been verified. The most useful preparation is to compare Barnard’s account with the later research, while keeping the known location uncertainty in mind. The nearby Perthshire guides below offer separate starting points for planning visits to operating distilleries.
Explore more regional whisky history
These guides are suggestions for further reading. Check locations, travel distances and current bookings when planning a visit.
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Frequently asked questions
Are Auchnagie and Tullymet the same name in this history?
Yes. Tullymet was a later name associated with Auchnagie, though the wider Tulliemet district contained other distilling operations and warehousing.
Did Barnard visit a permanently closed distillery?
No. He reported a stoppage because it was too warm for malting. The final closure came much later.
Was the last year 1910, 1911 or 1912?
The historical research separates production ending in late 1910, vacancy in 1911 and equipment removal in 1912. Other summaries use 1912 for final closure.
Does modern Auchnagie blended malt contain whisky from the original plant?
The modern producer describes an interpretation made by blending malts from different distilleries. It should not be represented as surviving original Auchnagie distillate.
Can I book a tour of the old site?
No public distillery tour was verified. Parts of the former location are in rural and private use, and even the identification of individual historic buildings needs care.
Sources and image credits
View sources and image credits
Alfred Barnard, The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom (1887): Auchnagie
The Lost Distillery Company: historical Auchnagie site research and location photograph
The Lost Distillery Company: Auchnagie historical booklet, hosted by Adega Royale
ScotchWhisky.com: Auchnagie, Dewar’s lease and closure history
The Lost Distillery Company: how modern interpretations are created
Featured image: The Lost Distillery Company.
Research checked on 27 October 2026. Tour arrangements, releases and availability can change.
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