Scotland's Most Haunted Distilleries

Scotland has a rich tradition of spine-chilling ghost stories, haunted castles and supernatural folklore tied to its dramatic landscapes, misty valleys and ancient buildings.

With over 150 active distilleries in Scotland, many of them dating back two centuries, it's hardly surprising that the Scotch whisky industry has its own fair share of tales of the paranormal. Next time you visit a distillery, you may want to beware...

Glen Moray (Elgin, Speyside):

Elgin is home to a small population of around 25,000 but there is a healthy desire for the paranormal with a variety of ghost tours contributing to the thriving local industry. Our tour highlight is the Witches Tour which tells the story of the 26 witches who were brutally tortured and put on trial in the 16th century.

Local haunted locations include Elgin Cathedral, with its horrifying tales of grave robbery in the main cemetery and local pub, The Thunderton, which is haunted by none other than Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Moving on to the Glen Moray Distillery, which was built on the site of local gallows dating back to the Middle Ages. There have been numerous sightings and chilling reports of strange, unexplained behaviour around the distillery over the years. During building work, seven skulls were discovered on the grounds and were even put on display for a while before receiving a proper reburial.

Enter Glen Moray at your own risk!

Glenrothes (Rothes, Speyside):

Interestingly, for Glenrothes we actually begin our story with the owner and charismatic founder of the neighbouring Glen Grant Distillery, Major James Grant.

Major James Grant was one of life's great adventurers and raconteurs. In 1898, on the hunt for Big Game, he travelled to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and discovered there a poor, starving, orphaned boy named Byeway. After consulting with a local tribe, it was agreed that the boy probably wouldn't survive much longer and that Grant could take him back to Scotland with him.

Byeway became the Major's pageboy and attended the local school, learning the local language, picking up the accent and integrating with the community. When the First World War began, he volunteered for and served in the British Army with courage and distinction. Eventually, he returned to Rothes after the war where he played as Goalkeeper at the local football club and was a firm fixture in the stands following his retirement. Passing away in 1971, Byeway was laid to rest in the cemetery overlooking the Glenrothes Distillery.

So, how did this peaceful, gentle soul come to haunt the distillery? Well one story is that when the new still house was built in 1980, it disrupted one of the ley lines that ran through the cemetery and Byeway's grave. The result was that the No. 3 still didn't work very well, and workers claimed that they were being haunted by Byeway's ghost.

The reality was discovered by a local professor who theorised on the energy flow of the ley lines. Iron rods were hammered into the damaged ley line to divert the energy back to its normal route and Byeway was never seen again.

However, Byeway is still remembered with the distillery performing a "toast to the ghost" before every tasting.

Jura (Craighouse, Isle of Jura):

Now over to the west coast of Scotland. Jura Distillery is home to two distillery ghosts.

The first haunting is said to have occurred as an act of revenge against local landowner Archibald Campbell. One night Campbell was visited by the angry ghost of an old woman who was furious that he had outlawed distilling on the island, severely disrupting the income of the local population. He was so frightened by this experience that he decided to reverse the ban and build his own distillery, and the original Jura Distillery was opened in 1810. To this day, a bottle is buried at the site to appease the spirit and this ghostly tale has inspired two official bottlings - Jura Superstition and Jura Prophecy.

The second ghost has a much friendlier nature. An apparition was caught on a distillery camera, and a local physic was hired to investigate further. She concluded that the ghost was that of schoolteacher Elizabeth Quinn who once lived on the island but it's still unknown how and why she ended up haunting the distillery. It's claimed that she can often be heard enquiring about the well-being of the children of the local area and employees have been so spooked that they refuse to sleep at the distillery.

Highland Park (Kirkwall, Orkney):

This famous distillery is said to be haunted by its original founder, and whisky smuggler extraordinaire, Magnus Eunson.

Eunson was of Viking descent and served as the beadle (church administrator) of Orkney, using the pulpit to hide his smuggled barrels from tax collectors and excise officers.

It's reported that Eunson wanders the grounds of the distillery at night, keeping a close eye on his legacy. In fact, it's not just Eunson who has remained, workers have sighted numerous Viking figures and even claim to have heard the echoes of battle cries through the halls.

Bowmore (Bowmore, Islay):

True Islay natives know the importance of opening a brand-new whisky bottle for guests rather than serving from an already opened one. But where does this tradition come from?

One stormy night, a local crofter named Lachlan Bàn was returning home when he saw a headless horseman riding away from his cottage. As he got closer, he saw that the door had been left wide open, the hearth fire had been blown out, and an open bottle of Bowmore whisky was left on the table but with one dram missing. Fearful of the spirit world and not wanting to risk any curses or poisoned gifts left behind by the horseman, Bàn threw away the opened bottle.

Shoftly after, Bàn's brother revealed that it was him that had dropped by after being caught in the storm. He let himself in, poured a quick dram, and then rode off, pulling his cloak tightly over his head for shelter, making him look headless.

Too embarrassed to admit his mistake, Bàn didn't want to correct any of the villagers he had already told, and the tale ended up sticking. To this day, tradition dictates that a true Islay native will never serve guests from an opened bottle and will immediately throw the cork into the fire as further protection from the headless rider.

Glendronach (Forgue, Aberdeenshire):

The Glendronach is said to be haunted by a mysterious and incredibly beautiful Spanish lady dressed in a full mantilla (black lace veil). She was first sighted in the 1970s running away after a large batch of Spanish sherry casks were delivered to the distillery.

To this day, she isn't just seen moving around the distillery, but heard too,  in fact, many people have reported being alerted to her presence by hearing the rustling of her skirt.

This majestic, exotic ghost is said to look sad and lonely, and we don't blame her! Shivering in the cold, damp Scottish weather, marooned far from home is probably not how she planned on spending her days!

Tomatin (Tomatin, Inverness-shire):

This ghost story may be of the four-legged variety but it's certainly no less frightening than any other.

The grounds of Tomatin Distillery and surrounding forest is said to be haunted by a fearsome black beast that stalks its prey before transforming and disappearing into a mysterious cloud of smoke. Many believe this ghost dog is actually the spirit of the last wolf killed in Scotland.

Inspired by the legend, Tomatin Distillery has released a special smokey bottling called Cù Bòcan (translating from Scottish Gaelic to Ghost Dog). Spooky...

Glen Scotia (Campbeltown, Argyll):

Glen Scotia is home to one of Scotland's most enduring ghostly legends.

At one point in time, Campbeltown was home to 28 thriving active distilleries. A lot for somewhere with a population of around only 4,500! Unfortunately, the 1920s financial hardship devastated the area and only three distilleries survived.

In 1928, the then owner of the Glen Scotia distillery, Duncan MacCallum went bankrupt, forcing the distillery to close. The distillery did reopen two years later however, MacCallum's triumph was short lived.

In 1930, he tragically died by suicide, throwing himself into the Campbeltown Loch after he was involved in a scam that left him facing financial ruin again.

To this day, many believe that MacCallum still roams the distillery, keeping a watchful eye on its operations. Many employees have reported an eerie presence in the still house and refuse to venture there after dark. Contractors in particular claim to feel an uneasy presence leading people to believe that it is MacCallum ensuring that no more dodgy deals take place.

Glen Ord (Muir of Ord, Ross-shire):

Various sightings and unexplained ghostly activity have been linked to the old, disused floor maltings area of Glen Ord Distillery. Not much is known about any of the reported apparitions.

One is said to be a former Maltman and has been seen turning the barley on the floors and walking through the property.

Another occasionally associated with the site is the "white lady" - a traditional spectral figure who keeps night shift workers alert.

Glenkinchie (Tranent, East Lothian):

The Lowland distillery can boast three ghosts roaming the distillery! Two of them are said to be very friendly, while the other is more sinister.

"Mrs. Redpath" and "Gentle Tom" are confined to the visitor's centre and love nothing better than to merely open closed doors - helpful!

The third ghost, nicknamed "Mischievous Willie", roams the distillery causing terror. He is said to go about slamming doors, giving visitors sudden chills and has attacked tour guides, even going as far as throwing them to the floor. Frightening!

We don't know for certain how real these ghost stories are, but what we do know, is that each distillery produces some scarily good whisky!

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