Back in April of 2023, our sibling publisher Internet Archaeology published a new paper – “A Quick Buck: An Early Licensed Whisky Distillery at Blackmiddens Farm in the Cabrach”.
The paper details the first investigation of a whiskey distillery site in the Scottish Highlands. The paper provides a detailed account of the historical and archaeological background to the site and distillation more generally. An excavation of the site was carried out in 2020 by Cameron Archaeology and Peter Bye-Jensen, with help from a team of enthusiastic volunteers, with a second smaller season in 2021 by the authors. These investigations were supported by Forestry and Land Scotland and the Cabrach Trust. This paper provides a detailed account of the archaeological evidence uncovered, as well as aerial views and a 3D model of the site for readers to explore. This paper was published back in April of 2023 and was featured in the latest ADS Annual Report.
Read the full paper for free on the Internet Archaeology website:
Bratt, D.D.M. and Bye-Jensen, P. 2023 A Quick Buck: an Early Licensed Whisky Distillery at Blackmiddens Farm in the Cabrach, Internet Archaeology 61. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.61.3
Abstract:
Blackmiddens Farm distillery, also known as Buck distillery, has recently been the focus of historical research and excavation. At the time of the first season of fieldwork Blackmiddens/Buck was the only farm distillery to have been excavated in the Highlands and Islands. The site represents a short-lived period of distilling in the Scottish Highlands in which whisky-making operated in a legitimate commercial capacity but as a complement to a larger agricultural unit. The excavation of Blackmiddens and historical research into it and the distilleries in the surrounding area have given us an insight into this short but vital transitional phase in the history of whisky-making in the region.
