Distillery seeks images from town’s ‘Spiritville’ peak time
One of Campbeltown’s three surviving single malt Scotch whisky distilleries is asking people around the world to share photographs of the town which capture the peak of the whisky industry during the mid-19th and early 20th centuries.
During the Victorian era, Campbeltown was known as the whisky capital of the world and was home to more than 30 working distilleries.
Since 1832, Glen Scotia has been shaped by the people and history of Campbeltown and the distillery is now searching for photographs which bring its unique whisky history and heritage to life. Iain McAlister, master distiller and distillery manager at Glen Scotia, said: ‘The contribution Campbeltown has made to Scotch is incomparable and we are proud to continue to fly the flag for the region around the world.
‘Whisky was a way of life in our coastal town for more than 100 years and over time, all that experience, craft and passion has been poured into Glen Scotia.
‘Now we are looking for photographs that will help us uncover what makes Campbeltown the ‘whiskiest place in the world’.’
Digital or print photographs can be submitted via email to glenscotia@bigpartnership.co.uk or by post to Glen Scotia, BIG Partnership, Fountain House, 1-3 Woodside Crescent, Glasgow, G3 7UL, with contact details of the sender, by March 31 2021.
Selected images may feature as part of this year’s virtual Glen Scotia Whisky Festival, which will welcome thousands of whisky fans from across the globe to experience a range of online tours and tastings from the distillery.
The photographs may also be showcased through Glen Scotia’s marketing activity to further raise awareness of the distillery and Campbeltown around the world.
The search for photographs follows in the footsteps of Glen Scotia’s campaign in 2019 which aimed to recognise Campbeltown as the ‘whiskiest place in the world’ and reached the UK Parliament.
The motion acknowledged the region for playing a significant part in the history and development of whisky distilling in Scotland and congratulated distillery manager Iain McAlister on helping to raise awareness of Campbeltown’s whisky heritage. Campbeltown, once known as ‘Spiritville’ or ‘Whiskyopolis’, is described as a ‘forgotten giant’ of the Scotch whisky industry. At its peak in the Victorian era, there were around 30 legal distilleries operating in a town with a population of only 9,000 people.
Glen Scotia reflects centuries of craftsmanship associated with Scotland’s fifth and smallest malt producing region and is renowned for its maritime influence and Campbeltown character.
This comprehensive view of Campbeltown, looking eastwards over Glebe Street towards the loch and Davaar Island, was taken from Gallowhill on a summer’s day. The steeple that was then Longrow Church, now Lorne and Lowland Church, dominates the townscape and across the loch a ship can be seen on the stocks at Trench Point shipyard. Rows of distillery buildings can be seen behind the hay rucks.