November 1916 The Highland Railway Company

 

We've reached November 1916, although my first thought was what happened to October 1916 in the pile of bills we've been digesting. One for the Glen Mhor mystery folder, which seems to be bursting at the seams.

Perhaps as a consolation prize, we actually have two invoices from November 1916, one of which is excitingly labelled as relating to the Muirtown Canal Basin. That's next up, but for now we're firmly on the railway tracks with the Highland Railway Company's shipments. And what a sizeable, blockbuster invoice it is!

It appears that this was a particularly active month at the distillery, as the season reached its peak. There is no other plausible explanation for this on our timeline, other than orders for filling were robust and Glen Mhor was a highly sought-after product by blenders. This indicates that business was thriving. 

2nd November

1 Drum oil, by waste, Aberdeen.

3rd November 

3 hogsheads of yeast, Edinburgh

6th November

3 bags yeast, Manchester

10th November

2 hogsheads yeast, Lothian Road, McEwan

1 hogshead yeast, Lothian Road, McEwan

11th November 

3 bags yeast, Liverpool Road, Salford, Hamlyn

13th November

1 cask, High Street

2 butts, 2 hogsheads, Camden, Ford?

17th November

20 butts

20 hogsheads, Kilmarnock, JS (presumably Johnnie Walker & Sons)

1 hogshead yeast, Lothian Road, McEwen

18th November

2 hogsheads yeast, Lothian Road, ???

20th November

3 bags yeast, Liverpool Road, Salford, Hamlyn

22nd November

10 hogsheads, Buchanan Street, Thomson & Co.

6 hogsheads, plus 8 hogsheads, Buchanan Street, Thomson & Co.

23rd November

25 hogsheads (65787), South Leith, McCallum

8 hogsheads, South Leith, Ford? (possibly the same owner as the Buchanan address mentioned on the 13th November?)

24th November

1 hogshead yeast, Lothian Road, McEwen

30 hogsheads, North Leith, JTG? Co. (possibly Thomson, again?)

25th November

2 hogsheads of yeast, Lothian Road (Edinburgh)

25th November

3 bags of yeast, Liverpool Road, Salford, Hamlyn

28th November

10 hogsheads, North Leith, Cockburn & Campbell

30th November

40 hogsheads, Kilmarnock, JW & Son

Received as per att?: Canal Basin

3 bags yeast, Liverpool Road, Salford, Hamlyn & Co.

Then it looks like a series of prior omissions are included, including some for the missing month of October, which might explain why there isn't an invoice amongst our documents.

13th October

5 hogsheads whisky, Leith

30th November

1 hogshead of yeast, Edinburgh

30th October

59 bags barley changed ???? should have been (this seems to be a correct from the October invoice we haven't seen)

1st November

5bd and ??? to Dudgeon, Dunbar (this could be yeast, as the Belhaven brewery in Dunbar, had a range called Dudgeon)

18bd, Wilson, Dunns

16th November

8 hogsheads whisky, Lawson Smith, Leith

28th November

1 ??? Langs, Glasgow

X deduct

13th October

5 hogsheads to Leith, paid

Working 2-4

Yeast 7-3-6

E&B 14-17-4

WB 4-14-9

Barley 10-13-4

Coal 27-12-4

£65-3-1 (paid by cheque)

The list is extensive and with significant corrections and additions. However, this one-page document illustrates the trade in fillings and the essential raw materials required to operate a distillery, including coal, casks, barley, and yeast. This provides insight into the thriving business around Glen Mhor during the First World War, a stark contrast to the subsequent year when Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn merged to become the first US military base on UK soil.

The next item on the agenda is the canal basin invoice from the same month. It will be interesting to see what it reveals.