Gavin D Smith on Coleburn & Dallas Dhu

The last decade of the 19th century saw the Victorian blended Scotch whisky boom reach its peak, with Speyside at its distilling heart. No fewer than 26 of the 33 Scotch malt distilleries established during that 10-year period were constructed in that north-eastern corner of Scotland. 

The principal style of spirit being produced in the area was not too heavy or smoky, and possessed of a fruity elegance that suited the blenders’ requirements. An additional element that worked in Speyside’s favour was the excellent railway network that connected the region’s distilleries to the blending houses of Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and beyond that, to the eager markets of England.  

Among the new Speyside distilleries that were constructed during the 1890s were Coleburn and Dallas Dhu, separated by 18 miles, with the former being located some five miles south of Elgin, and the latter less than two miles from Forres. 

The creation and fortunes of the two establishments have been closely linked and both are now in the process of being restored to production after more than four decades of silence. 

Coleburn was founded by the Dundee blending company of John Robertson & Son during 1897, and the distillery was built to a design of Charles Doig, with its pair of pot stills being fired up during 1899. 

An undated picture of Coleburn-Glenlivet Distillery although it was never formally called Coleburn-Glenlivet. 

In 1915 the plant was sold to the Clynelish Distillery Company, jointly owned by John Risk, who also had an interest in Brora, John Walker & Sons, and the Distillers Company Limited (DCL). A decade later, DCL and John Walker & Sons merged, and DCL bought Risk’s share in the company, bringing both Clynelish distillery and Coleburn into DCL’s newly formed Scottish Malt Distillers subsidiary. Soon after, DCL licensed Coleburn to its subsidiary, J&G Stewart of Edinburgh, which it had acquired in 1917. 

Stewart was responsible for the popular Usher blend, and Coleburn contributed to that and Johnnie Walker Red Label, along with other DCL brands. The 1960s saw the construction of a new mash house and replacement of worm tubes with shell and tube condensers. 

Nonetheless, when DCL undertook a drastic cull of distilling assets as whisky supply outstripped demand during the 1980s, Coleburn was one of those distilleries chosen for closure. Despite its 1960s’ improvements, the site required additional expenditure on plant to maintain its viability, and like many of its fellow DCL casualties, Coleburn had not been enlarged during the 1960s’ boom, retaining its original complement of one pair of stills. The distillery closed in 1985. 

Like Coleburn, Dallas Dhu was the work of Charles Doig, being established in 1898 and coming on stream the following year, in common with Coleburn. Dallas Dhu was built for local landowner and entrepreneur Alexander Edward, who had also been involved in the creation of Craigellachie distillery and had founded Aultmore and Benromach. 

The first casks were filled on 3rd June 1899, but by that time, Edward had sold Dallas Dhu to the Glasgow blending company of Wright & Greig Ltd, which produced the Roderick Dhu blended Scotch. Perhaps he was shrewd enough to see that ‘boom’ in the whisky industry could not last forever, and, indeed, ‘bust’ appeared very soon afterwards. 

The distillery was originally to be called Dallasmore, but Wright & Greig changed that to Dallas Dhu to highlight the link with their prize blend. For a brief period after the First World War, Dallas Dhu was owned by Glasgow blenders JP O’Brien, but when that firm went bankrupt in 1921, the distillery was acquired by Benmore Distilleries Company Limited.  

Benmore invested heavily in Dallas Dhu, including building a railway siding off the adjacent Inverness-Perth junction railway, but in 1928 Benmore sold it to DCL, meaning that Dallas Dhu ultimately joined Coleburn in DCL’s SMD subsidiary, though the former was silent for several years during the 1930s due to the prevailing global economic downturn. 

Dallas Dhu reopened in 1936, with SMD going on to install new washbacks and worm tubs, but a major fire in April 1939 destroyed the stillhouse, and distilling did not resume until 1947. 

Like Coleburn, Dallas Dhu quietly produced malt for blending during the succeeding decades as demand for blended Scotch whisky grew, most notably in the USA. However, the 1980s over-supply issues saw it share the same fate as Coleburn, and the last cask was filled at Dallas Dhu on 16th March 1983.  

Dallas Dhu Distillery, 2025 

The distillery was ripe for closure when DCL wielded its axe as, like Coleburn, it had not been enlarged during the 1960s, partly due to the perceived unreliability of its water supply.  

While Coleburn was stripped of its distilling plant post-closure and left to deteriorate, Dallas Dhu met a kinder fate. The site was sold to Historic Scotland (later Historic Environment Scotland) in 1986 and subsequently opened to the public as a ‘distillery museum.’ 

As Historic Environment Scotland noted, “Dallas Dhu’s significance lies in its ability to demonstrate the working conditions and lifestyles of the people who worked here in recent history. The manner in which it was taken into care immediately upon closure means that, not only does all the fixed plant and machinery remain in place, but so also do the movable items (e.g. hand tools), that give added value. It is also substantially architecturally complete. The property includes the malting and distilling factory, the bonded warehouses, and workers' housing.” 

The old stillhouse at Dallas Dhu Distillery 

While Dallas Dhu was showing visitors what a traditional, small Speyside distillery was like, Coleburn found new owners in D&M Winchester Ltd during 2004, and the firm established a whisky sales, cask storage and management services operation there. 

Long term, however, was an ambitious plan to develop the site into a ‘Destination Whisky Resort’ with associated 5-star hotel and lodging accommodation, spa and conference facilities, a working distillery and hospitality focal point. 

The initial phase involves opening a bistro and restoring distilling, with the team due to break ground on a new distillery building by the end of this year. According to a D&M Winchester spokesperson, “In February, we appointed distillery veteran Keith Cruickshank (previously of Benromach) as the Coleburn Master Distiller. His main focus is heading up the distillery project and streamlining all relevant disciplines such as architects, planners, process designers and construction, and have a fully functional distillery towards end of 2026. This as the centre part of the wider Whisky Resort Development.” 

The late Michael Jackson described the house style of Coleburn as “Dry, lively, aperitif,” and the Winchester spokesperson says that “There is great respect for the heritage of the original Coleburn distillery. While we will harness modern techniques and technologies, including a clear focus on sustainable practices, we will honour and echo the whisky’s DNA and character that was once crafted here, balancing tradition with innovation. Whilst plans are still on the drawing board, we look to invest in a two-tonne mash tun with the intention of initially producing around 100,000 litres per annum.” 

Meanwhile, since 2014, Aceo Ltd has been a tenant at the Coleburn site, leasing a dunnage warehouse on a 25-year basis. From there, the firm runs its Murray McDavid independent bottling operation. 

Coleburn Warehouse, the home of Murray McDavid 

Aceo also happens to be the company that is set to restore Dallas Dhu to productive status, and Managing Director Edward Odim says that “The aim is to breathe life back into the distillery by first getting the original equipment working and traditional whisky distilling going once again. This revived, long-lost spirit will be matured in Dallas Dhu’s well-preserved Victorian dunnage warehouses. 

“Longer-term, the plan is for a state-of-the-art visitor centre with exhibition and museum space, and a café/restaurant, to be enjoyed by visitors and the local community. There will be a cooperage displaying the art of the cooper, a working malting floor and an interactive virtual reality whisky experience that delves into the science behind Scotland’s famous spirit. But, as well as showing how whisky is made, we intend to tell the social and economic story - past and present - of whisky production in Speyside, Scotland’s largest whisky producing region.” 

Michael Jackson described the Dallas Dhu house style as “Very rich flavours. After dinner,” and Aceo’s Sharon McFadden explains that “We hope to start mashing at the distillery by the middle of next year at the very latest. We are engrossed in a very interesting debate amongst my colleagues about whether we should replicate the original single malt style of Dallas Dhu, or create something new – the wonderful thing is we can do both. We have limited stocks of Dallas Dhu, which we intend to release whilst we wait for the new Dallas Dhu spirit to flow from the distillery.” 

Restoring Coleburn and Dallas Dhu to production once again follows on from the revival of a more famous ‘lost’ DCL trio in the shape of Brora, Rosebank and Port Ellen. The whiskies produced by that trio have become revered over time, but those of Coleburn and Dallas Dhu were always very low in profile. 

The first official bottling of Dallas Dhu did not come until a 21-year-old was released in 1997 as part of Diageo’s Rare Malts series, and Coleburn followed with a fellow 21-year-old bottling in the same series three years later. Current plans are focused on enhancing visitor experiences with functioning distilleries, but who knows? In time perhaps ‘new’ Coleburn and Dallas Dhu will become classics in their own right.

Gavin D. Smith is a Master of the Quaich and one of the world’s leading whisky writers. He’s authored over 20 books and regularly contributes to top drinks publications.