Port Charlotte distillery (also known as Rhins distillery and Lochindaal distillery) was a

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 All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley.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 ...

distillery 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 heati ...

on the island of

Islay Islay ( ; gd, Ìle, sco, Ila) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The isl ...

, off the west coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

from 1829 to 1929. The distillery was based in the village of Port Charlotte southwest from the Bruichladdich distillery.

History

Port Charlotte Distillery was a purpose-built distillery, founded in 1829 when it was operated by Colin Campbell. In 1831 McLennan & Grant took over for 1 year. George McLennan continued until 1835 when he was declared bankrupt. It was then operated by Walter Graham around 1837. Later the distillery was owned by Hector Henderson and James Lamont of ''Henderson, Lamont and Company'' until 1852 when they went bankrupt. The lease was sold on with 29 years left for £750. It then operated as the Rhins Distillery & company with John McLennan in charge until 1855. On 18 May 1861 a fire broke out in the kiln at the distillery which resulted in the destruction of the kiln and about 20 bushels of malt. The villagers managed to extinguish the fire before the rest of the distillery was damaged. In 1864 the Inland Revenue officer, Francis Gill, who was stationed at the distillery was found drowned on 5 September in Laggan Bay. From 1855 the distillery was operated by John B Sheriff of Glasgow and from 1895 ''J.B. Sherrif & Co Ltd'' until 1921. In 1921 it was acquired by Benmore Distilleries Limited which was taken over in 1929 by the Distillery Company Ltd. This resulted in the closure of the distillery. However, the buildings have remained intact.

Revival

The brand has been revived, although the distillery as such remained closed. Whisky distilled at nearby Bruichladdich is matured in oak casks at Port Charlotte. Whiskies currently bottled there include: *Port Charlotte Scottish Barley, ABV 50%. *PC 11 Heavily peated, ABV 59.8%.Port Charlotte PC 11
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References

Whisky distilleries in Islay 1829 establishments in Scotland 1929 disestablishments in Scotland 2011 establishments in Scotland History of Argyll and Bute British companies disestablished in 1929 British companies established in 2011 British companies established in 1829 Food and drink companies established in 1829 Food and drink companies established in 2011 Food and drink companies disestablished in 1929 {{Scotland-company-stub