Scotland’s Ghost Distilleries Are Resurrecting Some Seriously High-End Whisky

If you’re a fan of Scotch whisky, there may seem to be more distilleries out there now than from just a few years back. However, these aren’t shiny new operations that just popped up in the mossy land of haggis and damp castles. Many have whisky beyond 40 years old, already bottled and ready for anyone with several thousand dollars lying around.

These once-shuttered, mildewing structures that dot Scotland’s untamed landscape are known as “ghost distilleries.” They’ve long since ceased production, but their valuable whisky has been left behind. These bottles are now in high demand. Some have even begun to create new whisky. 

Many of Scotch whisky’s best-known names, with histories that stretch centuries, have faced uncertain times and have been forced to shut their doors for years. From Glenlivet to Ardbeg and beyond, the biggest names in single malt have periodically been mothballed. While some of these iconic brands returned to the market years back, there’s a new wave of historically important names in scotch that are reopening their doors.

Diageo, the company behind 40% of all global Scotch whisky production, has seen three of its former distilleries reopen. Port Ellen, Brora, and Rosebank Distillery, which is now owned by Ian Macleod Distillers, have seemingly risen from the dead in recent years. And they’re producing some very high-end whiskies.

The collector’s choice

While scotch has been on the rise since 2019, the post-pandemic world hasn’t been so kind. Single malt isn’t selling like it did five years ago. Instead, tequila has grown globally, while bourbon and Jameson Irish whiskey currently rule the whiskey roost. Mezcal, hard seltzers, and the nonalcoholic segment seemingly dominate the market.

Though single malt sales haven’t skyrocketed at the speed of agave spirits, Scotch whisky has become one of the world’s most collectible items.

Between 2010 and 2020, Scotch whisky investments rose by 564%, a far higher percentage than that of classic cars, fine art, and gold. Last year, a rare bottle of The Macallan 1926 single malt sold for $2.7 million.

When Diageo sought to expand its already massive range of single malts, it looked to names that have continued to be loved long after being forced to shutter.

“We brought them back because they became cult whiskeys, and they should never have closed in the first place,” says Ewan Morgan, U.S. luxury ambassador and head of education for Diageo. “If we’re being completely honest about it, had it not been for the financial climate and the decline of scotch in the 1980s, late ’70s, those facilities wouldn’t have closed. They would’ve continued to make whisky. They were making fantastic whisky.” 

Both Port Ellen and Brora closed in 1983. But each brand’s reputation has grown after their distilleries closed.

“Like many other distilleries in the early 1980s, Port Ellen was shuttered due to the decreased demand for whisky,” says Ali McDonald, Port Ellen distillery manager. “[The distillery] closed its doors in the face of economic and financial difficulties.” 

Morgan notes the irony of the growing interest in Port Ellen and Brora long after they ceased production. “The interest and the fervor behind those brands never waned,” he says. “In fact, it grew, if anything, whereas, Port Ellen went into blends for the most part. It didn’t really become a single malt of any note until after it had closed.”

Rosebank Distillery had a similar evolution.

“Rosebank was never a massive single malt brand,” says Gordon Dundas, brand development and advocacy director at Ian Macleod Distillers. “It was mainly the independent bottlers who got it into the glasses of connoisseurs in the ’80s, the ’90s, and the [2000s]. That’s what built Rosebank’s reputation as a great single malt.”

Bringing the distilleries back to life

While collectors helped spark the return of these ghost distilleries, the process of bringing them back to life has been years in the making, especially in a market that’s only become more cluttered. These projects are not about a quick buck. They’re about building, or rebuilding, legacies.

The purchase and redevelopment of Rosebank Distillery was done with the future in mind. “This is not a sell-the-distillery-next-year type thing,” says Dundas. “This is the legacy of Ian McLeod into the next 50 years. This is what this is about.”

Rebuilding these distilleries has required significant investments. Modern structures were built, intended to blend with the classic elements of their heyday. 

“The newly reimagined Port Ellen distillery features an ultra-modern design with an unobstructed line of sight through the transparent glass stillhouse to the stunning coastline of Islay, across the bay to Carraig Fhada lighthouse,” says McDonald. “At the center of this rebirth are two new pairs of copper pot stills that produced the first Port Ellen in over 40 years. The Phoenix stills, recreated as an exact replica of the original stills from 1983, will run alongside a smaller set of experimental stills to allow for innovation to flourish from inception.”

Brora Distillery’s careful restoration sought to preserve original details while integrating modern distilling knowledge with the help of Diageo experts. 

Andrew Flatt, Brora brand home host and distillery ambassador, says that during the rebuild, “the Brora community was crucial in the restoration of the distillery. Interviews with the old distillery workers and the wider community were conducted by archivist Jo McKercher, and these helped piece together many aspects of how the distillery operated.” 

Ian Macleod purchased Rosebank in 2017, but it wasn’t until this past June that its doors opened. “We’ve taken all of the old elements that we could and we’ve put them into the new distillery,” says Dundas.

Ghost distillery Scotch whiskies

Port Ellen, Brora, and Rosebank Distillery all have new bottles currently maturing as well as a few expensive releases available for purchase.

Port Ellen Distillery

Port Ellen Gemini: Presented as two dimensions of Port Ellen, each housed in a crystal decanter. The 44-year-old Scotch whiskies were drawn from three 1978 European oak casks selected long ago for this experiment, before being split into two whiskies that took divergent maturation paths. 

Brora Distillery

Hidden Depths: 1982, 39-Year-Old Single Cask – Distillery Exclusive. Only 150 were made available for sale.

Untold Depths: 1977, 44-Year-Old Single Cask – Distillery Exclusive. Released in July 2024. Only 150 bottles available.

Brora Triptych: A limited-release, three-bottle collectors’ set of Brora expressions from 1982, 1977, and 1972, that celebrate the restoration of the distillery. Just 300 were made available globally.

Rosebank Distillery

30-Year-Old – Legacy Release One: A hand-selected vintage from 1990, three years before the distillery was shuttered.

31-Year-Old – Legacy Release Two: Composed of scarce stocks produced just before the Falkirk site was mothballed in 1993.

32-Year-Old – Legacy Release Three: This is the third and final expression in Rosebank’s first global series of legacy releases.

Rosebank Vintage 1989: The 33-year-old distillery exclusive is from the oldest year of the legacy stock.