Exciting news for nerds of whisky and history (it can’t just be me), as archaeologists have found an illicit whisky still that was likely hidden for over two centuries.
The team unearthed part of an illicit still used to make whisky in a remote gully, as well as stones and a timber post of the small building (called a bothy) that once housed the equipment.
The BBC reports that The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) archaeology team and volunteers made the discovery on Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve near Killin.
The remains of the bothy found on Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve
In search of an illicit whisky still
The illegal whisky trade boomed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries following 1788’s Excise Act, which banned the use of small household stills.
Archaeologists held suspicions that a stone structure in the gully on a stream called Lawers Burn had concealed an illicit still and an excavation team only proved them on the money. They dug up what remains of the bothy including a hearth, a drain beneath a stone floor, and a timber post that had supported the building’s roof.
The team was excited to uncover a piece of copper alloy they believe had been used as a collar to connect two parts of the still. While the NTS said there were now five known illicit still bothies on the reserve, this was the first site where a piece of copper still had been found.
It might not look like much now, but archaeologists believe this metal connected two pieces of the still
“A gripping story of spirit smuggling.”
The trust’s head of archaeology, Derek Alexander, thinks it’s possible the copper collar was left behind by accident, after the smugglers had dismantled the still in a hurry.
“Distillers of illicit whisky would’ve travelled light and left little trace of their activity, and so a find like this is especially rare and exciting,” he said.
Alexander also said that the discovery provides “A glimpse into an activity that was once rife in the hills of Ben Lawers” that was seen by many as “an act of community resistance.” He frames the find as an example of how archaeology can tell “A gripping story of spirit smuggling that would otherwise have been lost to time.”
Alexander also commented that the Ben Lawers area was the scene of a “battle of wits” between illegal distillers and excise officers trying to catch them in the early 19th Century.
“Those who distilled spirit in this bothy will have picked the location carefully to make sure they were well hidden,” he said. “This bothy is well concealed along one arm of the Lawers Burn, nestled in a burn gully where there’s a slight bend in the burn to shield the site from both upstream and downstream. The people who distilled here knew what they were doing and it’s possible the still was never seized by the authorities.”
Artist Chris Mitchell shows an illicit whisky still set-up
A tradition worth preserving?
The find was made as part of The Pioneering Spirit project, which has identified 30 illicit distilling sites across Scotland. Other discoveries include parts of the foundations of a small building that had housed a still were found by forestry workers in Glen Affric, near Cannich in the Highlands, in 2008. The site was later recognised as a monument of national importance.
In 2019, experts identified two ruined farmsteads in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park as illicit whisky distilling sites.
The real spirit of Scotch whisky wasn’t always polished visitor centres and luxury decanters, you know. Once it was stubborn Highlanders hiding copper kit in a muddy gully hoping the taxman had terrible eyesight. Frankly, some traditions are worth preserving.
All pictures are credited to the NTS, other than the illustration, which artist Chris Mitchell created for Forestry and Land Scotland.
