Lock, stock and barrel: Dig sees ancient distillery give up its Excise safe secret
IT is one of the oldest and distilleries in Scotland and its premium product is one of the world’s popular malts.
Now, archaeologists have discovered the origins of one of Scotland’s first distilleries during an excavation at the old site of The Glenlivet Distillery.
The dig at the site of Upper Drumin, in Speyside, is less than a mile from the current working distillery and has so far uncovered the floor of the old site, which dates from 1824. The dig also uncovered fragments of bottle glass and ceramics believed to have been used in whisky production.
National Trust for Scotland archaeologists have revealed more details from their recent dig.
The excavations happened at the former site in Moray, where whisky production took place illegally almost 200 years ago.
The newly discovered site is where Glenlivet’s founder, George Smith, risked his life to produce single malt whisky in 1824.
Mr Smith became the first illicit producer to get his licence, and Glenlivet was one of Scotland’s first whisky distilleries to become licensed after the 1823 Excise Act – which sanctioned the distilling of whisky in return for a licence fee of £10.
The old site was originally a farm, converted to a whisky production site by Mr Smith in response to the 1823 Act.
Before then, Mr Smith, like many others in communities across Scotland, including Speyside and the Highlands, made the spirit illegally, smuggling their produce to customers.
Apart from the remains of two of the old mill dams, nothing else remains from the former site.
Excavations took place last month on the original site. The week-long dig not only uncovered part of the footprint of the building, but a whole range of artefacts and features connected to whisky-making.
Derek Alexander, National Trust for Scotland head of hrchaeology, said the team was “quite surprised by the level of preservation”, which gave them an incredible amount of detail relating to the layout and facilities in the distillery.
It appears to have been a three-sided courtyard, open to the north. In the southern range, the archaeologists found the foundations of two fireboxes that probably heated the underside of the wash still and the spirit still.
The prized find was the brass keyhole cover from a Gottlieb patent type Excise Lock, which was probably used to lock the spirit safe.
These padlocks were patented in 1829 and used as the standard padlock by the Customs and Excise. They contained an insert of paper which, if broken, would indicate the lock had been tampered with.
In addition, the digging team found parts of the wall remaining to at least 60 cm (2ft) high, the exterior south-east corner of the courtyard complex, two fire boxes, containing lots of ash, cinders and coal.
Large pieces of iron were recovered from both the fire grating and the doors that were used to control the fire.
Sections of copper pipes, the base of a wood barrel/tub with an iron hoop, a copper cup were also uncovered.
Mr Alexander said: “This dig has given us an even greater insight into the foundation of licensed whisky making than we had ever hoped.
“As one of the first licensed distilleries in Scotland the old site of The Glenlivet distillery was right at the forefront of an exciting new industry – it was kind of the tech start-up of its day.
“Seeing how it all started is fascinating and is a great continuation of the stories we have uncovered at National Trust for Scotland places, where we find evidence of earlier, illicit whisky activity. “
Alan Winchester, The Glenlivet’s master distiller, said: “It was brilliant to get stuck in on the dig last month and it amazed me how much of the original building and its features were not only uncovered but preserved too.
“To discover parts like the copper pipes, the base of a barrel and even the brass keyhole cover from an Excise Lock that would have been seen by George Smith himself when creating one of Scotland’s first licensed whiskies is fascinating.”
It was kind of the tech start-up of its day