Our distillery opened in March 2018 – the first Scotch Whisky distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837.
We’re dedicated to capturing the true spirit of the Borders, and bringing whisky-making back to the region.Our hometown of Hawick has a famous history of manufacturing – it’s where cashmere is king and where tweed was invented. There is a spirit of invention and enterprise in the town that inspires us in everything we do.
BUILDING ON TRADITION
The distillery’s founders have a keen sense of environmental and social responsibility, and wanted to support regeneration efforts in our corner of rural Scotland. Rather than erect a soulless new-build on the town’s outskirts, they chose to invest in refurbishing an existing building in the heart of the town, creating employment opportunities and a tourist attraction.
The distillery is an award-winning conversion of Hawick’s former electrical works, a prominent landmark in the town since 1903. Thousands of visitors tour the distillery (link new window) every year, enjoying the sunny and airy feel beneath the glass roofs of our Mash and Still Houses.
NATURALLY GOOD WATER
The quality of Hawick’s water was a key element in the success of the town’s knitwear and Tweed industries. Now, we make use of this excellent water to distil our spirit.
For the water which goes into the spirit, we draw from an underground lake deep beneath the site. The lake’s water takes between 50 and 70 years to filter down from the hills through the rock. Even if it never rained again (unlikely in the Borders!) the lake contains enough pure water to last the distillery for thousands of years.
And right outside our front door, the River Teviot offers a sustainable source of fast-flowing water – perfect for cooling the spirit as it comes from the stills, an important stage of the production process.
TIMELINE
2015 - Gray Macpherson Architects were appointed by The Three Stills Company Ltd in November 2015 to design The Borders Distillery in Hawick. This will be the first distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837.
It is located in a Grade C listed building, built in around 1900 to house the Hawick Urban Electric Company. The administration buildings with street frontage and views over the river Teviot will provide a strong presence for the Distillery Headquarters and Visitor’s Centre.
Source: Gray Macpherson Architects link with before and after photo gallery. (new window)
March 2018 - The first spirit starts to flow off the still and whisky production begins.
22nd April 2018 - Official Opening
1st May 2018 - The Borders Distillery opens for visits by the public.
2018 - WS:00 New Make Spirit (link new window)is released for sale, the first in the Workshop Series of bottles.
Sept 2022 - The release of the first whisky distilled at The Borders Distillery from their Workshop Series
'WS:01 BORDERS MALT & RYE'
Limited to 8,000 individually numbered bottles, it is the first Scotch Whisky Blend to leave the Scottish Borders in 185 years. Link in New Window to The Borders Distillery Official Blog post
October 2023 - The Borders Distillery announce (link new window) the 2nd release in their Workshop Series
'WS:02 THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT'
Limited to 8,400 individually numbered bottles globally.
For this second edition of the Workshop Series, we’ve blended whiskies with very short fermentation times of 55 hours and very long ones of 150 hours. Both whiskies were twice distilled and then matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels before being married with a splash of our single grain whisky.
TODAY (October 2023)
The Borders Distillery have released several blended scotch whiskies: Links to Whisky Resource entries.
Borders WS:01 Malt & Rye Single Distillery Blended Scotch Whisky
The Borders Distillery Lower East Side Blended Malt Whisky
The Borders Distillery Clan Fraser Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky
Borders WS:02 The Long and Short of It Blended Scotch Whisky
