- Glen Scotia
- Glengyle (Kilkerran)
- Springbank (including Hazelburn & Longrow)
- Cadenhead independent bottlers
It is often said that you need a reason to go to Campbeltown, because it genuinely is on the road to nowhere (unless you’re determined to visit the Mull of Kintyre). But Campbeltown used to be the whisky capital of the world, with thirty distilleries in a relatively small town. Fertile Kintyre produced all the barley needed, with peat bogs providing the peat to burn to dry the grain. The Crosshill Loch was a reliable, clean water source, and Campbeltown Loch gave easy shipping access to the Firth of Clyde and the wider world. This is why Campbeltown retains the distinction of being one of Scotland’s formal whisky regions, even though it is now home to rather fewer distilleries. Family owned Springbank remains one of the few distilleries remaining in Scotland that use traditional onsite floor malting methods. It produces three whiskies using different distillation processes – subtly peated Springbank, unpeated Hazelburn and more heavily peated Longrow. Springbank (J&A Mitchell) also own Glengyle distillery, to where Springbank staff decamp for a small part of the year to produce the popular Kilkerran whisky. The Springbank shop is the customer hub of both distilleries, hosting the start and finish of tours, the legendary ‘Cage’ bottlings, and all manner of drams and merchandise. Across from the shop, the relatively recently built Washback Bar is the place to enjoy good food, and better whisky, with flights of rare, impossible to find Springbank expressions on offer at reasonable prices.
