Glen Scotia Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 2 days ago
In this guide
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Glen Scotia at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Distillery / brand | Glen Scotia |
Whisky region | Campbeltown, Scotland |
Ownership (October 2026) | Loch Lomond Group |
History | Founded in 1832 as Scotia in Campbeltown. |
Expressions to explore | Glen Scotia Double Cask and Glen Scotia 15 Year Old |
Visiting / editorial note | The visitor centre is open to the public and runs daily distillery tours and tastings, with a Victorian style shop. |
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Glen Scotia is one of the three distilleries still operating in Campbeltown, once known as the whisky capital of the world. This guide covers its history, owner, range, awards and the questions people ask most.
Where is Glen Scotia Distillery?
Glen Scotia is at 12 High Street, Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland, on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown is affectionately known as the Wee Toon and, at its peak in the 1800s, had 21 distilleries.
Glen Scotia history
Glen Scotia was founded in 1832 as Scotia by Stewart and Galbraith and Company, who ran it for almost 60 years. Industrialist Duncan MacCallum bought it in 1891 and built the large frontage along High Street. The Bloch Brothers acquired it in 1933. Production was suspended in 1942 because of the Second World War and restarted early in 1945.
Hiram Walker and Sons of Dumbarton acquired the Bloch Brothers in 1954. In 1987 Ian Lockwood led a management buyout that included Glen Scotia, which operated as Gibson International. In 2014 the distillery was bought by Loch Lomond Group, which has invested in the brand, capacity, warehouses and a visitor centre.
Who owns Glen Scotia?
Glen Scotia is owned by Loch Lomond Group.
Production
Water source: Crosshill Loch, south of Campbeltown.
Malt: unpeated, medium peated and heavily peated barley are used.
Stills: one wash still and one spirit still, onion shaped with wide, short necks.
Washbacks: nine stainless steel washbacks.
Original features kept: the mash tun, the stillroom and a dunnage warehouse dating back to the 1830s.
The building is a Category B listed building.
Glen Scotia core range
Glen Scotia Double Cask, 46% ABV
Glen Scotia 15 Year Old, 46% ABV
Glen Scotia Victoriana
Glen Scotia 18 Year Old, 46% ABV
Glen Scotia 25 Year Old, 48.8% ABV
Special releases include an annual Campbeltown Malts Festival bottling and The Icons of Campbeltown series, which began with the 12 year old The Mermaid in October 2023 and continued with The Dragon in August 2024.
Awards
Glen Scotia was named producer of the World's Best Whisky at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Best Scottish Whisky Distillery at the Scottish Whisky Awards 2021. It is described as the first time any distillery won best distillery and best whisky in the same year.
Visiting
The visitor centre is open to the public and runs daily distillery tours and tastings, with a Victorian style shop.
Master distiller and team
Iain McAlister, born and raised in Campbeltown, has been the distillery manager and master distiller, according to the Glen Scotia website. He joined as assistant manager in 2008. Check the official site for the current distilling team.
Official website
Visit the official Glen Scotia website
Glen Scotia timeline
1832: Scotia distillery built by Stewart, Galbraith and Co
1919: sold to West Highland Malt Distilleries
1924: bought by Duncan MacCallum
1930: sold to Bloch Brothers
1954: Hiram Walker buys the Bloch estate, then sells in 1955 to A. Gillies and Co
1970: A. Gillies becomes part of Amalgamated Distilled Products
1984: closes for several years
1994: Glen Catrine buys it and mothballs it again
1999: reopens under Loch Lomond Distillers
2005: 12 Year Old bottling
2012: new five bottle core range
2014: company sold to Exponent
Dates are from ScotchWhisky.com Whiskypedia. Its own timeline is inconsistent on the reopening, giving both 1980 and 1989 under Gibson International, so those dates are unconfirmed. The official site says the distillery was founded in 1832 and keeps much of its original design, including fermenters, stillroom and dunnage warehouse from the 1830s.
How it is made
Whiskypedia says unpeated, medium peated and heavily peated malt are all processed through an open top cast iron mash tun. Wort is fermented in new stainless steel washbacks, and fermentation time is varied, shorter for a nuttier spirit and longer for a fruitier one. There is a single pair of stills. Whiskypedia notes the greatest investment is going into wood.
Range and strengths
The official site home page, seen on 20 October 2026, listed these bottlings:
15 Year Old, 70cl, 46%, 68 pounds
Victoriana, 70cl, 54.2%, 75 pounds
Icons of Campbeltown Release No.4, 70cl, 53.8% batch strength, 80 pounds
Campbeltown Malts Festival Edition 2026, 70cl, 53.9%, 59 pounds
An 18 Year Old is also shown on the site
Prices change, so check the shop before publishing. Whiskypedia describes the 2012 range as a 10, 12, 16, 18 and 21 year old, which is out of date against the current official range.
Owner and position in Campbeltown
Glen Scotia sits within Loch Lomond Group. Whiskypedia lists the group as parent company since 2014, when the earlier owner Glen Catrine was bought by private equity firm Exponent. Our earlier draft, which cites a different source, names the group as owner since 2014. Another source in the Loch Lomond draft names a later change of group ownership, so confirm the current owner before publishing. The official site calls Glen Scotia one of only three remaining Campbeltown distilleries and carries a Scotland's Whisky Distillery of the Year 2021 banner.
Visiting
Whiskypedia gives the address as 12 High Street, Campbeltown, PA28 6DS and says to contact the distillery for hours. The official site lists distillery tours, tastings, a shop and a plan your visit page, and a Campbeltown festival. Check it for current details.
Sources
Further sources checked
Glen Scotia, ScotchWhisky.com Whiskypedia: https://scotchwhisky.com/whiskypedia/1848/glen-scotia/
Glen Scotia official website, home page seen 20 October 2026: https://www.glenscotia.com/
Photo credits
Image of Glen Scotia Distillery. Photo: Lirazelf / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Image source · Licence
Glen Scotia bottle range and expression comparison
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Glen Scotia Double Cask | NAS / varies | 46% | Producer and release specifications may change; consult official sources. |
Glen Scotia 15 Year Old | 15 years | 46% | Producer and release specifications may change; consult official sources. |
Glen Scotia Victoriana | NAS / varies | Check label | Producer and release specifications may change; consult official sources. |
Bottle releases and visitor arrangements change over time; see original research and official sources.
Glen Scotia 15 Year Old: bottle photograph
Genuine open Glen Scotia 15 Year Old single malt bottle photographed in February 2023. This is a real 15 Year Old, shown as photographed rather than as a new promotional pack image.
More whisky distilleries to explore
More distilleries in Campbeltown Scotland
Read about other distilleries in this whisky region.
Frequently asked questions about Glen Scotia
Where is Glen Scotia distillery?
At 12 High Street, Campbeltown, Scotland.
Who owns Glen Scotia?
Loch Lomond Group, since 2014.
When was Glen Scotia founded?
Three: Glen Scotia, Springbank and Glengyle.
How many distilleries are left in Campbeltown?
Three: Glen Scotia, Springbank and Glengyle.
Can you visit Glen Scotia?
Yes. The visitor centre runs daily tours and tastings.
Sources and latest checks
Whisky Clan has retained the original researched history and source notes above. The comparison table lists documented expressions, not guaranteed current stock. Please check the producer's current bottle labels for strength, cask details and availability.
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Photograph credit: Glen Scotia 15 Year Old
Photo by Keeezawa via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Archive photograph reused without alteration to the subject.
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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