New Bonded Warehouse Opened in Inverness 15th January 1960
A stunning lead photograph from an extraordinary discovery. My thanks to Mark Davidson for directing me to Peter at @uk_whisky on Instagram, who shares a daily post tied to that date in whisky history.
Mark quickly brought the image to my attention, and I realised it wasn't part of this research project. I reached out to Peter for further details and the original source, which I will now present and delve into, discussing this incredible newspaper article from the Highland News and Football Times published on January 15th, 1960.
This image alone can convey a wealth of information and transports us back to the articles I wrote about the two warehouse structures that emerged on the southern edge of the Glen Mhor distillery site in the early 1960s, on land that was previously utilised as a nursery.
I first introduced these warehouses in 2023 in this specific article, and it's definitely worth your time to read it before diving into this one - especially the recollections of Dave, who recalls the founding of these warehouses. Thanks to this newspaper article, we can incorporate more specific dates and details regarding their establishment, thereby enriching our understanding of Glen Mhor.
I can't express how thrilled I am about this discovery. Just when you think every stone has been overturned and every door has been knocked on, new information surfaces. May this continue for a long time! It might be a bit sad to admit how exciting this find is, but it's a fantastic way to kick off 2026, both for me personally and for any enthusiasts of Glen Mhor or whisky history as a whole.
To begin with, the article I will transcribe below features a variety of images that we will evaluate individually. Considering the worn quality of these images, which are over sixty years old and printed on aged newspaper stock, some additional A.I. technology was utilised to refresh them for your enjoyment, but first let's focus on that lead image in the article and the original description underneath:
'A Mackinlay and a Birnie are seen rolling in the first cask into the newly completed bonded warehouse. On the left is Ian Mackinlay, a great grandson of one of the founders. The Birnie is William, eldest son of the other founder, John Birnie.'
To begin with, this is a lovely detail showcasing both families that have played a role in Glen Mhor's history. William serves as a direct connection to his father John, reaching back to the 1890s when the distillery was established, as well as the revival of Glen Albyn in the 1880s and the remarkable early years of Speyside distilleries like Benrinnes before that.
Ian can reflect on his heritage as part of a blending house that achieved considerable success; perhaps not to the extent of the Whisky Barons, but still a noteworthy venture. In many respects, this marks the onset of a decline. Although they are here to commemorate the inauguration of the warehousing, the first new buildings on the Glen Mhor site since the 1920s, this achievement would not have been feasible without the increasing participation of D.C.L.
Taking a moment to reflect, the article indeed echoes the 1890s when proprietors and distilleries leveraged local newspapers to announce not just their achievements but also their investments. This was a type of marketing that blenders skilfully employed, engaging in a strategic competition with their rivals.
Reflecting on the photograph, it appears that the cask in question is a sherry butt brought out for the event; I can't help but wonder what became of that cask. It's known that both founders were quite sentimental, and the 1907 Wine and Spirit Trade Record mentioned that they had kept one hogshead remaining from the original distillation (1894), which they kept as a 'curio' - their phrasing, not mine.
Beyond the figures we can gauge the extent of the new warehouse and its modern style of racking. This will be in contrast to the existing warehousing at Glen Mhor which dates back to the 1890s and was traditional dunnage in style. Alan Winchester previously calculated how efficient these warehouses were in this remarkable article based on figures from June 1950. Noting how dry the original warehouses were for the region and losses were low; making them a tough act to follow.
As you can see, there's a lot to absorb and talk about here, and regrettably, I could go on for days discussing Glen Mhor, so let's begin with the transcription and my thoughts as we step through it...
300,000 gallons of whisky will be stored here
'The company of Mackinlays & Birnie was first formed round about the year 1890 as a partnership between James Mackinlay and John Birnie, when Glen Mhor Distillery was built. Charles Mackinlay (brother of James) was also named in the partnership. This partnership continued until the year 1906 when it was formed into a private limited liability company, Messrs John Walker & Sons Ltd. coming in as co-shareholders. The position has not altered in any way since, apart from the fact that John Walker & Sons Ltd. have now been absorbed by the Distillers Company Limited.
In 1920 Mackinlays & Birnie Limited purchased Glen Albyn Distillery and the two distilleries now work as one unit. Strangely enough, although they are side by side, they both produce a different type of whisky even although the same water, peat and so on are used. This, of course, is common in all malt distilleries - the reason cannot be accounted for and is possibly 'spiritual!'
This 'spiritual' element resonates with the insights William Birnie shared earlier, referencing an unpublished interview titled 'A Broadcast' from July 1953 and later, 'Try Touring A Touring Scotch Distillery'. It truly reflects his style and is ideally suited for both newspaper and marketing purposes.
He would have been fully aware of the factors that distinguish the whiskies, considering the various production methods that utilised differently shaped worm tubs and stills. For instance, Glen Mhor featured a more onion-like shape, while Glen Albyn had a notably taller design, Mhor had more traditional worm tubs while Albyn had an unusual D-shaped design, along with the individual preferences of the respective teams involved.
And then there's the assertion that they function as a cohesive unit, which is certainly accurate when operating under a single owner. However, a lingering rivalry persisted - perhaps among some of the older men. We know that the Albyn team primarily frequented The Thistle Bar on Celt Street, as Marcelle Ross (daughter of Calum Munro, the stillman) noted during a fruitful interview I had with her about those times. She couldn't remember the Glen Mhor workers being present, although that doesn't imply it never occurred.
Communication was often begrudged between various levels, as Rodney Burtt reminisced about 1970, stating, 'If Scots hold grudges, this is an understatement, for the Massacre of Glencoe still evokes as much emotion today as it did in 1692! The two brewers rarely met unless by chance, and messages were passed through others with strict instructions,' which certainly doesn't paint a picture of a fully efficient working unit.
Time has a way of healing, and this is beautifully illustrated in a collection of stunning photographs from 1975 celebrating the retirement of Alexander (Sandy) Campbell. The images capture workers gathered around a cask, sharing a dram with Sandy, who is dressed in his finest tailcoat and top hat! His daughter, Gladys, reminisced during a memorable interview that this was the only occasion she could remember both teams coming together to honour a retirement, culminating in a dinner and dance for all the workers at the Muirtown hotel that evening, forever preserved in the photograph you can see in the article.
'During the past number of years, both distilleries have been greatly modernised, especially in the malting department. The distilling department has not been alteded (altered) to any great extent as distillers do not like interfering in any way in this connection as it might change the character of the whisky.
A modern fuelling system has, however, recently been installed at both distilleries so that smoke from the chimney stacks is now infinitesimal. The capacity of the Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn stills has not been materially increased although the company is now going full out to satisfy their blender clients.'
This part of the article highlights various enhancements noted on the timeline, such as the introduction of electric motors in the mashtun, malt mill, and malt elevator sections. Additionally, it mentions the arrival of Saladin boxes in October 1949. More significantly, the stills and this section of the distillery have remained largely untouched, which aligns with our research findings thus far.
The year 1960 would also bring about several other transformations, including the switchers for the washbacks being powered by electricity, marking the end of nearly 70 years of operation for the water turbine linked to the Caledonian canal. Barley would now be transported by lorry to the distillery, as D.C.L. raised their stake to 46% in the parent company. Although William Birnie openly criticised the excessive production in the distilling industry, it is evident that there is still a robust demand for Highland whisky among blenders, underlined by growing interest in both distilleries and their ownership structure.
'During recent years, Mackinlays & Birnie Limited have, of necessity, built three new bonded warehouses, one a single-storey at Glen Albyn, holding about 185,000 gallons, then a four-storey warehouse to accommodate both Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn whisky, holding about 285,000 gallons, and we now refer to the new warehouse just been opened at Glen Mhor distillery this week which is of a different type. It has a seventy foot steel span and in the middle are five tiers for butts and at each side five tiers for hogsheads.
A butt holds about 120 gallons and a hogshead, the smaller cask, holds about 60 gallons.'
This section is fascinating; it validates the existence of three recent warehouses, including the one discussed in this article, as well as what appears to be a new warehouse at Glen Albyn and another at Glen Mhor.
We are aware that two warehouses have emerged on the old nursery grounds located on the southern side of Glen Mhor. They are identical in external dimensions, each capable of holding 285,000 gallons. This aligns with the 1959 report found in the New Statistical Account of Scotland: Inverness, Ross and Cromarty, which refers to the warehouse in singular terms while mentioning the 285,000 gallon capacity - likely rounded up to 300,000 for the sake of the headline. Is it possible that each of these new structures can accommodate that volume individually?
If you direct your gaze to the top of the photograph, you'll notice a newer building attached to the back of the existing warehouses, yet this warehouse spans the width of those smaller ones. This appears to be the most probable candidate for the aforementioned Albyn structure.
As mentioned earlier, there are just two new warehouse structures at Glen Mhor, situated on land owned by the nursery that had remained unused for decades. In the photograph below, graciously provided by Donald Fisher, we can observe the two new buildings as we look back over the distillery, gazing southward towards the Caledonian Canal.
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