Carsebridge
Translation: Bridge on the fertile shore
Region: Lowlands
Where once the heart of Grain whiskey beat ...
It was golden times, mid-19th century, for the town of Alloa and its neighbors Clackmannan and Tullybody. Here on the River Firth, a stone's throw east of Stirling, economic life was pulsating. In 1850 Alloa was connected to the railway network, the port was booming. Sawmills, shipbuilders and textile industry had settled successfully. In addition, Alloa was famous for its breweries, coal mining and glass processing. But perhaps most of all for its whiskey industry: Three of the largest grain whiskey distilleries were located here. In addition to Carsebridge also the Cambus and the Alloa distillery.
Past, over ... All three distilleries are now closed or demolished and the former splendor of Alloa has remained little. Only the 500-year-old Alloa Tower towers over the city where once the heart of Grain whiskey once struck.
A little history
The distillery was founded as the Kerse Bridge Distillery in 1799 by John Bald. When the name was changed from Kerse Bridge to Carsebridge, it's hard to say today. But it is clear that Malt Whiskey was first produced here. Only with the growing need for grain whiskey, which was needed as a raw material for the booming blends, was set in 1852 to the production of grain whiskey. For this purpose, the classic pot stills were replaced by the then new columnar Coffey stills.
In 1877 Carsebridge was one of the five founding members of Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL). In 1966, the distillery was owned by Scottish Grain Distillers Ltd. over. To increase production capacity, a third Coffey Still was installed. Carsebridge was around 1980, the largest grain distillery in Scotland.
In 1983, however, Carsebridge, like so many distilleries during that time, was closed and the buildings demolished in 1992. On the site today is a commercial area. One of the Coffey Stills is still in use at Cameronbridge Distillery.
What do I actually have in the glass?
There are no original bottlings of the distillery. In this respect, the typical character can be difficult to name, as the Einzelfassabfüllungen the Independents are quite different. Vanilla flavors and delicate notes of caramel and spice, however, are usually found.
3 reasons to love Carsebridge
1) Because the old single grains are a poem.
2) Because Carsebridge lasted almost 200 years.
3) Because the town of Alloa with its 500 year old tower is an interesting distillery address.
The one drama for the lonely island
Carsebridge bottlings are hard to come by - no wonder a distillery closed in 1983. If you have the chance to purchase one of the bottles of Douglas Laing's "Clan Denny" range, do not hesitate. That's a lot of enjoyment for comparatively little money.
numbers and facts
Address: Alloa, Clackmannanshire FK10 1DN
Founded in 1799 by John Bald as Kerse Bridge
Status: demolished (since 1992)
Owner: last Scottish Grain Distillers Ltd
Capacity: (formerly) approx. 40,000,000 liters
3 Coffey stills
Water: (formerly) Gartmorn Dam
Visitor Center: -
Telephone: -
Website: -
