St. Magdalene distillery was a producer of

single malt Scotch whisky Single malt Scotch refers to single malt whisky made in Scotland. To qualify for this category, a whisky must have been distilled at a single distillery using a pot still distillation process and made from a mash of malted barley. Therefore, a s ...

that operated between 1798 and 1983.

History

St. Magdalene was established at least by 1798 (and possibly as early as 1765). During its early life, it was known as "Linlithgow" after the town in which it was built, and was originally located at Bonnytoun. It moved to the St. Magdalene site in 1834, to be close to the

Union Canal Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. Before the distillery existed, the site was home to a leper colony, convent, and hospital at various points in time between the 12th century and the distillery's 18th-century founding. The distillery took its name from St Magdalene's Hospital, a lazar house which once stood upon the site. For the majority of the 19th century the distillery was run by the Dawson family, initially by Adam Dawson (1747–1836), who had trained as a

maltster Malting is the process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt. The malt is mainly used for brewing or whisky making, but can also be used to make malt vinegar or malt extract. Various grains are used for malting, most ...

and was the youngest son of a sheep farmer from Kippendavie near Dunblane. Adam Dawson and his wife Frances McKell had ten children, including James Dawson the prominent champion of Aboriginal interests. Another son, John Dawson (1796–1878), continued the distillery business along with his brother Adam Dawson Jnr (1793–1873). By 1856 the distillery was capable of producing of whisky per week, and employed around 30 people. The sale of the distillery to

Distillers Company The Distillers Company Limited was a leading Scottish drinks and pharmaceutical company and, at one time, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was taken over by Guinness & Co. (now part of Diageo) in 1986 in a transaction which was later f ...

in 1912, was brought about by the untimely death in January 1912 of John Kellie Dawson, son of Adam Dawson Jnr, from

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

at the age of 43. St. Magdalene was renovated in 1927. After St. Magdalene closed in 1983, some of the buildings were converted into apartments. They retained their distinctive pagoda roofs, and are protected as category C

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

References

External links

St Magdalene Scotch Whisky Distillery: St Magdalene Distillery, Linlithgow
ScotchWhisky.net {{DEFAULTSORT:St Magdalene (Whisky Distillery) 1798 establishments in Scotland 1983 disestablishments in Scotland Scottish malt whisky Distilleries in Scotland Category C listed buildings in West Lothian Listed distilleries in Scotland British companies disestablished in 1983 British companies established in 1798