Port Dundas once stood proud atop the highest point in Glasgow, its red-brick warehouses and towering chimney overlooking the Forth & Clyde Canal, a testament to industrial ambition in the heart of the city. Located within a hub of docks and railways, the distillery’s setting was as much about connectivity as character, its spirit shaped by urban grit and the pulse of a blending powerhouse.

Founded in 1811 by Daniel MacFarlane as a malt distillery and joined two years later by Brown, Gourlie & Co., Port Dundas would soon embrace innovation. By the mid-1840s, both sites had installed Coffey stills, converting the operation to grain whisky. Following a merger with Cowlairs in the 1860s and absorption of Dundashill in 1877, the distillery grew to become Scotland’s largest, boasting multiple coffey and pot stills and once the tallest brick chimney in the world. Its fermentation, continuous distillation through Coffey stills, and ageing primarily in ex-bourbon casks produced a sweet, creamy spirit with whispers of vanilla and cereal. At its peak it yielded about 39 million litres annually, supplying blends such as Johnnie Walker, White Horse, Haig, Bell’s, and J&B.

Despite surviving two fires in the early 20th century, wartime closures, and a thorough 1970s modernisation, the distillery closed in 2010 when Diageo consolidated grain production at Cameronbridge. Demolished in 2011, Port Dundas lives on only through rare independent bottlings, ghostly echoes of Glasgow’s blending heyday and a reminder that even the mightiest sites can vanish when their purpose is fulfilled.