Isla Distillery: Clockserrie, Perth History and Lost Whisky
Isla Distillery stood near Perth beside the Tay, far from the island of Islay with which its name can be confused. It was also associated with the older name Clockserrie. Two unusually useful descriptions, Barnard’s 1880s visit and a trade article published in 1925, show how the business and its equipment changed. The distillery closed in the following year, leaving a history of local enterprise rather than a current whisky range or visitor attraction.
Information checked on 27 October 2026.
Isla Distillery in the historical photograph accompanying the 1925 account. Image credit: The British Library Board, via James Eadie.
At a glance
At a glance | Isla Distillery (Clockserrie) |
|---|---|
Country | Scotland |
Historic location | East side of the River Tay near Perth |
Other name | Clockserrie |
Documented early history | John Forbes and permanent malt production in 1854, in the 1925 account |
Later company | Isla Distillery Ltd, from 1923 |
Closure | 1926 |
Current whisky range | None verified from an operating Isla distillery |
Featured image | Historical photograph published with the 1925 account |
In this guide
AI summary: key points
Isla, also associated with Clockserrie, was a Perth-area mainland distillery near the River Tay; it was not on Islay.
The 1925 trade account credits John Forbes with establishing permanent malt production in 1854, while later references give different early dates.
Closure is recorded in 1926. A surviving 1925 photograph shows the historical works; no present tour is verified.
Summarise this guide with AI
Clockserrie, the Forbes family and later owners
The 1925 article describes earlier milling, brewing and distilling at Clockserrie before crediting John Forbes with a permanent malt distillery in 1854. Other references use an 1851 date and a different Forbes attribution. Keeping the contemporary narrative visible is more useful than choosing one unexplained year and suppressing the disagreement.
The same account follows John Forbes until 1900 and then his son. It records the business passing to the Tay Distillery Company in 1920 and becoming Isla Distillery Ltd in 1923. It also describes a wartime silence from 1914 until December 1919. Standard later references record the final closure in 1926.
A hillside site beside the Tay
The works occupied a hillside location on the east side of the Tay near Perth. Clockserrie was an older name attached to the place. Neither the spelling Isla nor an occasional historical expression such as Highland malt places the distillery on the island of Islay.
The featured photograph was published with the account dated 14 December 1925 and is reproduced by James Eadie from the British Library material. It shows the historical buildings close to the end of the distillery’s life. The view should be read as a dated record rather than evidence of a surviving visitor facility.
Two snapshots of the working distillery
Barnard listed four pot stills during his visit: two wash stills and two spirit stills. The 1925 account instead described three modern stills. The descriptions come from different dates, so their counts should remain attached to those dates rather than be combined into a single equipment specification.
The later article described four washbacks and kilns using peat and coke. Barnard’s earlier account distinguished Tay water for brewing from the separate stream supplying the worm tubs. Barnard’s earlier annual output figure was around 30,000 gallons, a historical scale indicator rather than a current capacity claim.
A historical malt without a current core range
No operating Isla whisky range was verified. The surviving written descriptions establish the production site and its equipment, but do not justify a modern bottle card with an invented age, strength or tasting profile.
Names require particular care here. A bottle described as Islay whisky is not evidence of a connection with Isla at Perth. Likewise a later use of Clockserrie or Isla would need an explicit link to original distillery stock before it could be described as a surviving release from this site.
What a rare bottle would need to show
A convincing original attribution would require a legible label, an identifiable bottler and corroborated provenance. The name alone, especially where Isla and Islay are easily confused, is a weak basis for identifying the liquid.
For many readers the most accessible surviving objects will be the archive article, photograph and historical maps. Together they support a detailed account of the place without requiring an undocumented bottle to fill gaps in the story.
Perth history and present-day visits
Isla closed in 1926 and is recorded as demolished. No current distillery tour or public visitor centre was verified. Anyone researching the former site should use current maps and local access information alongside the historical descriptions.
The related guides cover distilleries across Perthshire and the wider region. They are independent businesses with their own visiting arrangements. Read those booking pages separately if combining archive research in Perth with a working-distillery visit.
Related distillery guides in the wider region
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
Is Isla Distillery on Islay?
No. This guide concerns the historical mainland distillery near Perth and the River Tay.
What does Clockserrie refer to?
It is an older name associated with the place and the distillery’s early history.
Why are different founding dates quoted?
The 1925 article describes permanent malt production under John Forbes in 1854. Later references give other early dates and attributions.
Did it have three or four stills?
Barnard’s earlier account listed four; the 1925 account described three. The records describe different dates.
Can I visit an operating Isla distillery?
No. The historical operation closed in 1926 and no current visitor operation was verified.
Sources and image credits
View sources and image credits
Featured image: Images © The British Library Board; reproduced by James Eadie.
Research checked on 27 October 2026. Tour arrangements, releases and availability can change.
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