Knockdhu-Duty Free Warehouse No1 Re-Build

The story of the Knockdhu distillery starts with a man of vision (who also had an eye for a good investment). In 1892 an enterprising chap named, John Morrison, bought the Knock estate. The surrounding land was full of peat and barley and the Great North Railway line ran nearby. So when springs of pure, clear water were found, John saw a golden opportunity.

Samples of the water were sent for analysis and soon negotiations were under way with The Distillers Company of Edinburgh to build a distillery. Knockdhu opened its doors in October 1894.

Almost 120 years later in January 2010 we had very heavy snow falls and the result was the collapse of one of the warehouses, with the loss of 18 Casks.

Unusually, and in no small part due to the efforts of the Distillery manager Gordon Bruce, the decision was taken to replace the warehouse with a traditional stone built design utilising stone reclaimed from the old warehouse. Two years later the replacement warehouse was completed by local craftsmen, the finishing touch being a stained glass window created by Jane Bayliss which depicts the distillery pagoda.

Muirton Control & Automation Ltd carried out the electrical design and installation for the warehouse interior and exterior lighting and power. The projects was completed in an unobtrusive manner sympathetic to the character of the building and included back lighting for the stained glass window and a new main distribution board.

At the grand opening ceremony which was attended by various company officials and local dignitaries, as well as Ally Rennie of A.J. Rennie Ltd and Ewen McDonald of Muirton Control & Automation Ltd, then Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead filled and stowed the first cask, which will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Care once it matures.

Following the official opening Gordon hosted a very well attended ceilidh in the warehouse for local people, distillery staff past and present and the contractors involved in the project. A grand night ensued and we would have to recommend this as an ideal way to finish up a project, a discount may even be appropriate!