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The State of Scotch Whisky

Scotch is in the middle of its biggest expansion since the Victorian boom, and its largest wave of closures is still within living memory. This page counts both, from the same distillery records the rest of the site is built from.

Every number here is counted from this site's own distillery records at build time — 362 Scottish distilleries, past and present.

Scotch today

170 Active
135 Closed
28 Lost
20 Planned

When Scotland's distilleries were founded

Founding years for 26 decades. The 1820s spike follows the 1823 Excise Act, which made licensed distilling viable; the 2010s spike is the craft boom.

1740s: 1 founded 1760s: 2 founded 1770s: 6 founded 1780s: 5 founded 1790s: 13 founded 1800s: 2 founded 1800 1810s: 31 founded 1820s: 56 founded 56 1830s: 32 founded 1840s: 10 founded 1850s: 4 founded 1850 1860s: 3 founded 1870s: 11 founded 1880s: 7 founded 1890s: 40 founded 1900s: 1 founded 1900 1920s: 1 founded 1930s: 5 founded 1940s: 1 founded 1950s: 8 founded 1950 1960s: 17 founded 1970s: 5 founded 1990s: 4 founded 2000s: 5 founded 2000 2010s: 32 founded 32 2020s: 22 founded 22 2020
Show these numbers as a table
DecadeDistilleries founded
1740s1
1760s2
1770s6
1780s5
1790s13
1800s2
1810s31
1820s56
1830s32
1840s10
1850s4
1860s3
1870s11
1880s7
1890s40
1900s1
1920s1
1930s5
1940s1
1950s8
1960s17
1970s5
1990s4
2000s5
2010s32
2020s22

Where the working distilleries are

170 active distilleries by region.

Highlands: 70 Highlands 70 Speyside: 51 Speyside 51 Lowlands: 31 Lowlands 31 Islay: 10 Islay 10 Campbeltown: 3 Campbeltown 3 Ayrshire: 1 Ayrshire 1 Lanarkshire: 1 Lanarkshire 1 Outer Hebrides: 1 Outer Hebrides 1 Southern Highland: 1 Southern Highland 1
Show these numbers as a table
Active distilleries by regionCount
Highlands70
Speyside51
Lowlands31
Islay10
Campbeltown3
Ayrshire1
Lanarkshire1
Outer Hebrides1
Southern Highland1

The biggest distilleries

Annual capacity in litres of pure alcohol, for the 143 active distilleries that publish a figure. The grain distilleries dwarf every malt.

Cameronbridge: 110.0m LPA Cameronbridge 110.0m Girvan: 110.0m LPA Girvan 110.0m North British: 72.0m LPA North British 72.0m Strathclyde: 39.0m LPA Strathclyde 39.0m Invergordon: 36.0m LPA Invergordon 36.0m Glenfiddich: 21.0m LPA Glenfiddich 21.0m Glenlivet: 21.0m LPA Glenlivet 21.0m Loch Lomond (Grain): 18.0m LPA Loch Lomond (Grain) 18.0m Macallan: 15.0m LPA Macallan 15.0m Roseisle: 12.5m LPA Roseisle 12.5m Ailsa Bay: 12.0m LPA Ailsa Bay 12.0m Glen Ord: 11.9m LPA Glen Ord 11.9m
Show these numbers as a table
Largest distilleries by annual capacityCapacity (LPA)
Cameronbridge110,000,000
Girvan110,000,000
North British72,000,000
Strathclyde39,000,000
Invergordon36,000,000
Glenfiddich21,000,000
Glenlivet21,000,000
Loch Lomond (Grain)18,000,000
Macallan15,000,000
Roseisle12,500,000
Ailsa Bay12,000,000
Glen Ord11,900,000

Who owns the capacity

Total annual capacity of the active distilleries held by each group.

Diageo: 233.2m LPA Diageo 233.2m William Grant & Sons: 150.0m LPA William Grant & Sons 150.0m Lothian Distillers: 72.0m LPA Lothian Distillers 72.0m Pernod Ricard: 71.7m LPA Pernod Ricard 71.7m Pernod Ricard group: 39.0m LPA Pernod Ricard group 39.0m Whyte & Mackay Ltd.: 36.0m LPA Whyte & Mackay Ltd. 36.0m Emperador Inc: 16.0m LPA Emperador Inc 16.0m Edrington Group: 15.0m LPA Edrington Group 15.0m Bacardi: 13.7m LPA Bacardi 13.7m Moet Hennessy (LVMH): 9.5m LPA Moet Hennessy (LVMH) 9.5m
Show these numbers as a table
Owner groups by total capacityCapacity (LPA)
Diageo233,225,000
William Grant & Sons150,000,000
Lothian Distillers72,000,000
Pernod Ricard71,700,000
Pernod Ricard group39,000,000
Whyte & Mackay Ltd.36,000,000
Emperador Inc16,000,000
Edrington Group15,000,000
Bacardi13,700,000
Moet Hennessy (LVMH)9,500,000

The new wave

44 Scottish distilleries founded since 2015 — more than the whole of the 20th century managed after 1900.

FoundedDistilleryRegionStatus
2026 Castletown Mill Highland Active
2025 Drummygar Highland Active
2025 Knockhill Lowland Active
2025 Kythe Lowland Active
2025 Levenbank Lowland Active
2025 The Bothy Highland Active
2024 Balmaud Highland Active
2024 Benbecula Highland Active
2024 Cabrach Speyside Active
2024 Lerwick Highland Active
2024 North Uist Highland Active
2023 Dunphail Highland Active
2023 Laggan Bay Islay Active
2023 Port of Leith Lowland Active
2022 8 Doors Highland Active
2022 The Cairn Speyside Active
2021 Portavadie Western Highlands Under Construction
2020 Bonnington Lowland Active
2020 Burnobennie Eastern Highland Active
2020 Falkirk Lowland Active
2020 Jackton Lowland Active
2020 Reivers Lowlands Active
2019 Ardnahoe Islay Active
2019 Ardross Northern Highland Active
2019 Holyrood Distillery Lowland Active
2019 Stirling Southern Highland Active
2018 Borders Lowlands Active
2018 Lochlea Ayrshire Active
2017 Aberargie Lowland Active
2017 Ardgowan Lowland Active
2017 Glenwyvis Highlands Active
2017 Isle of Raasay Highland Active
2017 Lindores Abbey Lowland Active
2017 Nc'nean Western Highland Active
2017 The Clydeside Lowland Active
2016 Deerness Northern Highland Active
2016 Dornoch Northern Highland Active
2016 Gartbreck Islay Stalled
2016 Lone Wolf Speyside Closed
2016 Torabhaig Highland Active
2015 Arbikie Highlands Active
2015 Glasgow Lowland Active
2015 InchDairnie Lowlands Active
2015 Isle of Harris Outer Hebrides Active

The ghosts

163 Scottish distilleries are closed or lost. These are the most recent to stop, of the 15 with a recorded closing year.

ClosedDistilleryRegionFounded
2017 Loch Ewe Highlands 2004
2002 Dumbarton Lowlands 1938
1998 Imperial Speyside 1897
1994 North Port Highlands 1820
1993 Cambus Lowlands 1806
1993 Pittyvaich Speyside 1974
1992 Lochside Highlands 1957
1991 Inverleven Lowlands 1938
1989 Littlemill Lowlands 1772
1988 Caledonian Lowlands 1855
1986 Glen Mhor Speyside 1892
1985 Glenesk Highlands 1897
1985 Millburn Highlands 1807
1985 Garnheath Lowlands 1784
1985 Lomond Lowlands 1956