Dufftown ( gd, Baile Bhainidh ) is a

burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several listed 19th century buildings and serves as a regional centre for agriculture, tourism and services. The town is well known for its whisky based economy, as it produces more whisky than any other town in Scotland and is home to several existing and former distilleries.

History

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

part of

Banffshire Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...

, Dufftown is in the ancient parish of Mortlach ( gd, Mòrthlach). There is evidence of

Pictish Pictish is the extinct language, extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited num ...

settlement in the area and in approximately 566 AD, St.

Moluag Saint Moluag (c. 510 – 592; also known as ''Lua'', ''Luan'', ''Luanus'', ''Lugaidh'', ''Moloag'', ''Molluog'', ''Molua'', ''Murlach'', ''Malew''

established the first Christian church in the area, the site of the present

Mortlach Parish Church Mortlach Parish Church is a church within the Church of Scotland serving the parish of Mortlach, in Moray, close to the village of Dufftown. The site of the church has long been associated with Christianity, going back perhaps as far as 566 when ...

. In the Middle Ages, Mortlach (in Latin ''Murthlacum'') was an

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

. The Diocese of Mortlach was one of Scotland's 13

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

bishoprics. The names of four bishops of the see are known: Beóán of Mortlach (fl. 1012), " Donercius", " Cormauch", and Nechtan, who transferred the see to

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

in April 1132, during the reign of King

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...

. Balvenie Castle dates from the 13th century and is the second oldest building in the area, having been restored by

John Comyn John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red (c. 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...

, Earl of Buchan and existing in use until 1746 when it was abandoned following the

Jacobite Rebellion , war = , image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg , image_size = 150px , caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766 , active ...

. Another building of historical significance is the primarily 15th century Castle of Auchindoun, which towers within the earthworks of an earlier prehistoric hill fort. Mortlach Parish Church

While there was an earlier hamlet at Laichie and Mortlach, Dufftown as a Burgh was founded in 1817 by

James Duff, 4th Earl Fife James Duff, 4th Earl Fife, KT, GCH (6 October 1776 – 9 March 1857), was a Scot who became a Spanish general. Biography James was the elder son of the Hon. Alexander Duff, who succeeded his brother as third Earl Fife in 1809. He was educated ...

and was named after him. The town was established to help develop the Earls estate and provide both housing and employment for soldiers returning home from the Napoleonic War. The new town included the historic Mortlach settlement. The town was planned in the form of a right-angled cross or grid, with the streets running north, south, east and west from a square in the middle. This was in a similar format to other earlier Highland new town settlements such as nearby

Grantown-on-Spey Grantown-on-Spey ( gd, Baile nan Granndach) is a town in the Highland Council Area, Counties of Scotland, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairng ...

and

Tomintoul Tomintoul (; from gd, Tom an t-Sabhail, meaning "Hillock of the Barn") is a village in the Moray council area of Scotland in the historic county of Banffshire. Within Cairngorms National Park, the village lies close to the banks of the River ...

. Properties were allocated on a Feu basis, with farming strips running away from each property, the first feu was number 3 Balvenie St. By 1841, the town had grown to a population of 770 and the Clock Tower was built for use as a gaol and as the Burgh chambers between 1839 and 1847. A public hall was built in 1879 and this became a picture house (cinema) in the 20th century in the 1930s, before closing in the 1970s (the building survives as a restaurant). In 1890, Stephens cottage hospital was founded with funds from Lord Stephen and in 1902, a new public school was built for the town. The town continued to grow into the 19th century, reaching 1,823 people by 1901. However, by 1952, the population of Dufftown had decreased to 1,460.

Geography

Dufftown lies in the centre of a long glen (valley) amid the surrounding hills, which include the granite mountain of

Ben Rinnes Ben Rinnes ( gd, Beinn Ruaidhneis) is a mountain in Banffshire, in northern Scotland. The mountain is popular with hikers. The mountain is 20 km² in total and is located 8 km southwest of Dufftown. The mountain has one main path and c ...

(2,755 feet) to the southeast. The

River Fiddich The River Fiddich ( gd, Fiodhach / Abhainn Fhiodhaich) is a right bank tributary of the River Spey in northeast Scotland. It rises on the eastern slopes of Corriehabbie Hill in Glenfiddich Forest and flows northeastwards beneath the A941 road, p ...

( gd, Fiodhach / Abhainn Fhiodhaich) is a right bank tributary of the

River Spey The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...

that runs through the glen, giving its name to the whisky Glenfiddich. The Fiddich is joined on the eastern edge of the town by the Dullan Water which drains

Glen Rinnes A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

. The geological composition beneath most of Dufftown is that of metamorphosed

Dalradian The Dalradian Supergroup (informally and traditionally the Dalradian) is a stratigraphic unit (a sequence of rock strata) in the lithostratigraphy of the Grampian Highlands of Scotland and in the north and west of Ireland. The diverse assemblag ...

sedimentary rocks with subsidiary volcanic rocks. The Isla Way is a 13 mile walking path that links Dufftown and the surrounding area with

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

Climate

Dufftown has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

typical of

Northern Scotland Northern Scotland was an administrative division of Scotland used for police and fire services. It consisted of Highland, the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands, and the Western Isles. The police service (Northern Constabulary) used ''Norther ...

, characterised by relatively mild, damp winters and cool cloudy summers. The area averages 76 air

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

s a year. Like much of Europe, Dufftown's climate is insulated somewhat by the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

, a warm ocean current originating near the gulf of Mexico. This warm ocean current makes Dufftown's climate significantly milder during the winter than expected for its latitude.

Whisky in Dufftown

Dufftown is located on the

and is the location of several

Scotch whisky Scotch whisky (; sco, Scots whisky/whiskie, whusk(e)y; often simply called whisky or Scotch) is malt whisky or grain whisky (or a blend of the two), made in Scotland. All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distil ...

distilleries Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

. It produces more

malt whisky Malt whisky is whisky made from a fermented mash consisting primarily of malted barley. If the product is made exclusively at a single distillery (along with other restrictions), it is typically called a single malt whisky. Although malt whisky ca ...

than any other town in Scotland and lays claim to the assertion that it is the “Whisky Capital of the World”, as the term is widely found in news and tourism media and can also be found on signposts on the way into the town. Accordingly, there is a popular rhyme that goes ''‘Rome was built on seven hills, Dufftown stands on seven stills.’'' The largest and best known of the many surrounding distilleries is the

Glenfiddich Glenfiddich () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhaich'' meaning "valley of the deer", which is ...

distillery that distills

single malt

. The Glenfiddich distillery is owned by

William Grant & Sons William Grant & Sons Ltd is an independent, family-owned Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky and other selected categories of spirits. It was established in 1887 by William Grant, and is run by Grant's descendants as of 2018. It is the ...

, Dufftown's largest employer. This proliferation puts it on the famed Malt Whisky Trail, which also includes

Glen Grant Distillery Glen Grant is a distillery founded in 1840 in Rothes, Speyside, that produces single malt Scotch whisky. Previously owned by ''Chivas Brothers Ltd'', best known for their Chivas Regal blended scotch whisky, Glen Grant was purchased by the It ...

Marypark Marypark is a hamlet in Moray, Scotland. It is south-west of Charlestown of Aberlour Aberlour ( gd, Obar Lobhair) is a village in Moray, Scotland, south of Elgin on the road to Grantown. The Lour burn is a tributary of the River Spey, and ...

, and

. The town has a small whisky history museum and heritage centre, which is currently undergoing restoration, as the museum extends into a neighbouring property. Whisky Heritage Centre, Dufftown

The following distilleries have produced whisky in Dufftown:

Active distilleries

Balvenie The Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, owned by William Grant & Sons. History William Grant was born on 19 December 1839 in his father's house in Dufftown. At seven he began herding ...

Dufftown Dufftown ( gd, Baile Bhainidh ) is a burgh in Moray, Scotland. While the town is part of the historic Mortlach parish, the town was established and laid out in the early 19th century as part of a planned new town settlement. The town has several ...

* Glendullan *

* Kininvie * Mortlach

Former distilleries

* Convalmore * Parkmore * Pittyvaich

Culture and Community

Dufftown hosts a highland games event every July which attracts many tourists. The town acts as the epicentre for an annual whisky festival called ''The Spirit of Speyside''. In April 2021, a new regeneration project for the town entitled ''Destination Dufftown'' was launched. In response to recent economic decline in the town, the project aims to encourage new visitors to the town through a plan for new facilities for the town including a leisure centre, new accommodation for visitors, camping facilities and new shops.

Community facilities

The Stephen Hospital is a local community hospital serving the town under the responsibility of

NHS Grampian NHS Grampian is an NHS board which forms one of the fourteen regional health boards of NHS Scotland. It is responsible for proving health and social care services to a population of over 500,000 people living in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray ...

. The hospital has 20 beds, was built in 1890 and extended in 1976 and 1984, including the addition of a local health centre. Dufftown library is a small community library on Balvenie Street in the town. The library was scheduled for closure in 2013 but the council decided to keep the library open following a legal challenge from the public. Tininver Park is a local community park in Dufftown with a play area that was upgraded in 2021. Dufftown Golf Club is an 18 hole course located on the south-western edge of the town.

Popular culture

According to the third film in the ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' series, ''

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of W ...

'',

Hogwarts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scotland, Scottish boarding school of Magic in Harry Potter, magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Pot ...

, the main setting of the series, is said to be close to Dufftown by

Hermione Granger Hermione Jean Granger ( ) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's '' Harry Potter'' series. She first appears in the novel ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997), as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. After Harry and Ron ...

, when the town is mentioned in an article in ''

The Daily Prophet The fictional universe of British author J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series of fantasy novels comprises two distinct societies: the Wizarding World and the Muggle world. In the novels, the Muggle world is the world inhabited by the non-m ...

''.

Landmarks

Dufftown's notable buildings include

Balvenie Castle Balvenie Castle is a ruined castle 1 km north of Dufftown in the Moray region of Scotland. History Originally known as ''Mortlach'', it was built in the 12th century by a branch of the powerful Comyn family (the ''Black Comyns'') and was ...

, which was partly built with stones from the ruins of nearby

Auchindoun Castle Auchindoun Castle is a 15th-century L-Plan tower castle located in Auchindoun near Dufftown in Banffshire, Scotland. History While there is evidence of prehistoric or Pictish earthworks in the grounds of the castle, the remains most visible toda ...

. The street plan of Dufftown is mainly four main roads meeting at the

Dufftown Clock Tower Dufftown Clock Tower is a stone tower with a clock at the crossroads in the centre of Dufftown, Banffshire, at the focal point of the town square. It became a Class B listed building in 1972. The town was a planned settlement, developed from 18 ...

. Built in 1839, the Clock Tower is in square form, with three floors and a crenulated roof. It was previously used as a prison but is now a tourist information centre. The town contains many

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

buildings, some of which are Category B and C listed in status. As well as the Clock Tower, notable examples include the former Clydesdale Bank at Number 1 Balvenie Street (built 1880), a three bay house at 49 Fife Street (built 1830-40), the Police Station and House on York Road (built 1897), the B-listed Maravale House at 68 Fife Street (mid 19th century) and 51 Fife Street (an early 19th century house with walls and gatepiers). The Dufftown War Memorial to persons killed in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

is located on Balvenie Street. The memorial is in the form of a bronze gothic cross on a granite-ashlar pillar and there is a garden of remembrance adjacent to the memorial.

Transport

The railway reached

in 1862 when the

Keith and Dufftown Railway The Keith and Dufftown Railway ("The Whisky Line") is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from , Keith (Ordnance Survey grid reference ) to () via () and Auchindachy. Originally the former Great North of Scotland Railway's Kei ...

opened a station in the settlement. The station closed to passengers in 1968 with goods traffic coming to an end around 1991. In 2003, the Keith and Dufftown Association reopened the station and the line as a preserved railway and set up their headquarters at the station. The nearest station with mainline services is

Keith railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Keith station 2015 I.jpg , borough = Keith, Moray , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid referenc ...

. The primary road through the town is the A941 (the north/south portion is locally named Balvenie St and the east portion is named Fife Street). The A941 bisects the town and meets the B9009 at the clock tower junction, where another road, Church St heads to Mortlach Parish Church.

Education

Mortlach Primary School provides education to primary school age children in the town. The school was built in 1902 and was originally the parish school serving Mortlach. Dufftown does not have its own

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

, the nearest is Speyside High School in

Aberlour Aberlour ( gd, Obar Lobhair) is a village in Moray, Scotland, south of Elgin on the road to Grantown. The Lour burn is a tributary of the River Spey, and it and the surrounding parish are both named Aberlour, but the name is more commonly used ...

Religion

The old Kirkton of Mortlach, with the historic

, is on the southern outskirts of the present town. Today, the Diocese of Mortlach, under its Latin name of Murthlacum, is a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 934 A Catholic Church, St Mary’s, was built in the town in 1824 by the priest and musician George Gordon on Fife Street.

Notable people

Leslie Benzies Leslie Peter Benzies (born 17 January 1971) is a Scottish video game producer and the former president of Rockstar North, a subsidiary of Rockstar Games. He was the lead developer on the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, taking responsibility from ...

the former president of

Rockstar North Rockstar North Limited (formerly DMA Design Limited) is a British video game development company and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Edinburgh. The company was founded as DMA Design in Dundee in 1987 by David Jones (video game developer), D ...

, which produces the famous ''

Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones (video game developer), David Jones and Mike Dailly (game designer), Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan Hous ...

'' game series amongst other games, was born in

and grew up in Dufftown. * Dame Helen Carruthers Mackenzie, health campaigner, was born here in 1859.Tom Begg, ‘Mackenzie , Dame Helen Carruthers (1859–1945)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 28 Dec 2016
/ref> *

George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, (5 June 1829 – 29 November 1921), known as Sir George Stephen, Bt, between 1886 and 1891, was a Canadian businessman. Originally from Scotland, he made his fame in Montreal and was the first Canadian ...

, one of the founders of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

was born in Dufftown. *

William Grant, Lord Grant William Grant, Lord Grant, (19 June 1909 – 19 November 1972) was a Scottish advocate, a Unionist politician, and a judge. Born to the Grant's distillery family who created Glenfiddich whisky, he was one of Scotland's Great Officers of State ...

(1909–1972), Unionist

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MPs), Lord Advocate and

Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. Originally ''clericus justiciarie'' or Clerk to the Court of Justiciary, the counterpart in the criminal courts of the Lord ...

, born in Dufftown *

William Robertson Nicoll Sir William Robertson Nicoll (10 October 18514 May 1923) was a Scottish Free Church minister, journalist, editor, and man of letters. Biography Nicoll was born in Lumsden, Aberdeenshire, the son of Rev. Harry Nicoll (1812–1891), a Free Chu ...

, writer and Free Church Minister in Dufftown

References

External links

Scotland Census 2011

Dufftown Website
*
Dufftown Golf Club

Dufftown Football Club

The Whisky Shop Dufftown

Keith to Dufftown Railway

Dufftown Highland Games

Dufftown & District Pipe BandDufftown Accommodation – Dullan Brae Accommodation

Dufftown Accommodation – Highland Spirit Bed and Breakfast – 4 star

National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE
(archive films about Dufftown) {{Authority control Towns in Moray