Beyond Lockerbie: The Remarkable Whisky Distilleries of Dumfries and Galloway

Most people know Lockerbie for one reason. On 21 December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky over this small market town in the south of Scotland. Two hundred and seventy people died. The wreckage fell on the town. It is one of the most devastating events in modern Scottish history, and the community of Lockerbie has carried that weight with extraordinary dignity ever since.

We are not going to pretend that never happened. It would be disrespectful to do so. But there is another story in this part of Scotland that almost nobody outside the whisky world talks about, and Stewart and I think it deserves to be told.

Dumfries and Galloway is the southernmost region of Scotland. It is not Speyside. It is not Islay. It does not have the marketing budgets or the global name recognition of those regions. What it does have is three distilleries with histories that are, in their own way, just as remarkable as anything you will find further north. Each one of them was rescued from closure, sometimes more than once. Each one of them is making whisky that deserves serious attention.

If you are planning a trip to Scotland and you want to go somewhere that most whisky tourists have not yet discovered, this is it.

Annandale: Ninety Years of Silence, Then a Comeback

Annandale Distillery sits in the town of Annan, about ten miles from Lockerbie. It was founded in 1836 by George Donald, making it one of the oldest distillery sites in Scotland. In 1893, Johnnie Walker and Son bought it. They ran it for thirty years, then closed it in 1924. The buildings were left standing, well preserved, and largely untouched for the better part of a century.

In 2007, Professor David Thomson and Teresa Church bought the site. They spent seven years restoring it. The visitor centre opened in November 2014, and the first casks were filled that same month. After ninety years of silence, Annandale was making whisky again.

The distillery produces two single malts. Man O' Words is the unpeated expression, named after Robert Burns. Burns was not just Scotland's national poet. He was also an exciseman based in Dumfries, which means he spent his working life collecting whisky taxes in this very region. The name is earned. Man O' Sword is the peated expression, named after Robert the Bruce, who was the 7th Lord of Annandale and once had a castle near the distillery site.

The first peated cask was filled by Doddie Weir, the Scottish rugby legend who was later diagnosed with motor neurone disease. When Doddie returned to broach that cask in December 2017, 99 bottles were auctioned to raise money for his My Name'5 Doddie Foundation. The distillery eventually handed over a cheque for £27,800 to Doddie's charity. It is the kind of story that tells you something about the people behind this place.

Annandale is Scotland's only single cask single malt distillery. Every bottle comes from a single cask. No blending between casks, no averaging out. What you get is exactly what was in that one barrel. VisitScotland gave the visitor centre a five-star rating. Jim Murray gave the Man O' Words and Man O' Sword his Best Single Cask Single Malt award for whiskies ten years and under. The distillery has also become the first in Scotland to achieve net-zero production.

If you visit, the distillery is a short drive from Lockerbie and well worth building into a day trip.

Bladnoch: Found by Accident, Saved by an Australian

Bladnoch is the most southerly whisky distillery in Scotland. It sits on the banks of the River Bladnoch, near the town of Wigtown in Galloway, and it has been making whisky since 1817. That makes it one of the oldest continuously licensed distilleries in the country, though the word continuously requires some qualification.

Bladnoch has been closed more times than most distilleries would survive. It shut during the Second World War. It closed again in 1993 when United Distillers decided it was surplus to requirements. The buildings sat mothballed.

Then a Northern Irishman named Raymond Armstrong came on holiday to the area in 1994. He stumbled across the distillery and, according to the story, his original plan was to convert the buildings into holiday accommodation for police officers from Northern Ireland who needed somewhere safe to escape the Troubles. He fell in love with the place instead. He spent years tracking down the old equipment, which had been wrapped in plastic and put into storage, and he got the distillery running again in December 2000.

Bladnoch closed again in 2014. In 2015, it was purchased by David Prior, an Australian entrepreneur who had just sold his yoghurt business for fifty-two million pounds. Prior is believed to be the first Australian ever to buy a Scotch whisky distillery. He brought in Dr Nick Savage as Master Distiller. Savage had previously worked for William Grant and Sons and, before that, was Master Distiller at The Macallan. The visitor centre opened in September 2019 and was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, who are now the King and Queen.

The current range includes Samsara, a no age statement expression with a light, floral Lowland character, the 15-year-old Adela, and the 25-year-old Talia. If you want to understand what Lowland whisky can be at its best, Bladnoch is the place to start.

Galloway Distillery: The Outlander Connection

The newest of the three is Galloway Distillery in Newton Stewart. It was founded in 2017 as the Crafty Distillery by Graham Taylor, his father Billy, and their friend Craig Rankin. They started with gin, producing Hills and Harbour Gin using botanicals sourced from across Galloway. In 2022, they made their first whisky run, using only Scottish barley and fermentation times of up to 168 hours, which is unusually long and produces a more complex spirit.

In 2025, the distillery was acquired by Sam Heughan and his business partner Alex Norouzi. Heughan is best known as Jamie Fraser in the television series Outlander, which has introduced millions of people around the world to Scottish history, culture, and landscape. He had already launched the Sassenach Spirits brand in 2021, and the acquisition brought production of Sassenach gin, whisky, and vodka in-house at the Newton Stewart site.

The distillery was renamed Galloway Distillery. Expansion plans have been approved by Dumfries and Galloway Council, with a commitment to net-zero production built into the design. It is a small operation by Scottish standards, with a capacity of around 25,000 litres, but the ambition is clear.

For Outlander fans, a visit to Galloway Distillery is an obvious draw. For whisky enthusiasts, the interesting question is what the whisky will taste like once it has had enough time in cask to show its character. The early signs are encouraging.

Getting There

Dumfries and Galloway is not difficult to reach. The A74(M) motorway runs through the region and passes close to Lockerbie, making it easily accessible from Glasgow, Edinburgh, and the north of England. Direct trains from Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Carlisle stop at Lockerbie and Annan.

Annandale Distillery in Annan is the natural first stop if you are coming from the east or from England. Bladnoch in Wigtown is further west and takes around an hour to drive from Annan. Galloway Distillery in Newton Stewart is another thirty minutes beyond that. The three distilleries form a loose triangle across the region and can be covered in a full day if you are driving, or over two days if you want to take your time.

Wigtown is worth a stop in its own right. It is Scotland's National Book Town, a small place with an extraordinary number of independent bookshops. If your travelling companion is not a whisky enthusiast, Wigtown gives them something to do while you are at Bladnoch.

Why This Region Matters

Stewart and I have been to a lot of distilleries. We have done the Speyside trail, we have been to Islay more times than we can count, and we have made the journey to Orkney. But Dumfries and Galloway is the region that surprises people most, because nobody expects it.

The Lowlands are the forgotten region of Scottish whisky. They do not have the peat smoke of Islay or the sherry richness of Speyside. What they have is a lighter, more delicate style of whisky that rewards attention. It is not trying to be anything other than what it is.

And the stories behind these three distilleries are genuinely remarkable. A distillery closed for ninety years and brought back to life. The most southerly distillery in Scotland, discovered by accident and saved twice. A craft distillery acquired by one of the most recognisable faces in Scottish television.

Lockerbie is known for a tragedy. That will not change, and it should not be forgotten. But the town is also the gateway to a part of Scotland that is quietly building something worth visiting. The whisky is good, the people are welcoming, and the landscape is beautiful in the way that the south of Scotland always is: understated, green, and easy to underestimate.

Go and see for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there whisky distilleries near Lockerbie?

Yes. Annandale Distillery in Annan is approximately ten miles from Lockerbie and is the closest whisky distillery to the town. Bladnoch Distillery near Wigtown and Galloway Distillery in Newton Stewart are both within an hour's drive. All three are open to visitors.

What is Annandale Distillery known for?

Annandale is Scotland's only single cask single malt distillery, meaning every bottle comes from a single barrel with no blending between casks. It was founded in 1836, bought by Johnnie Walker in 1893, closed in 1924, and restored and reopened in 2014. It produces two whiskies: the unpeated Man O' Words, named after Robert Burns, and the peated Man O' Sword, named after Robert the Bruce.

What is the most southerly whisky distillery in Scotland?

Bladnoch Distillery, located near Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway, is the most southerly whisky distillery in Scotland. It was founded in 1817 and has been through several closures and revivals. It is currently owned by Australian entrepreneur David Prior and produces a range of Lowland single malts.

Who owns Galloway Distillery?

Galloway Distillery in Newton Stewart is co-owned by Sam Heughan, the Scottish actor best known for playing Jamie Fraser in the television series Outlander, and his business partner Alex Norouzi. They acquired the distillery in 2025 and renamed it from Crafty Distillery to Galloway Distillery. It produces Sassenach gin, whisky, and vodka.

What style of whisky is made in Dumfries and Galloway?

Dumfries and Galloway is part of the Scottish Lowlands whisky region. Lowland whiskies are typically lighter, more delicate, and less peated than whiskies from Islay or the Highlands. They tend to show floral, grassy, and fruity notes. Annandale produces both peated and unpeated expressions, while Bladnoch focuses on an unpeated Lowland style.

Is Dumfries and Galloway worth visiting for whisky tourism?

Yes, and it is one of the most underrated whisky destinations in Scotland. The three distilleries in the region each have compelling stories and are genuinely worth visiting. The area is easily accessible by road and rail from Glasgow, Edinburgh, and the north of England, and the wider region offers excellent walking, cycling, and the National Book Town of Wigtown.