Stirling Distillery

About the distillery

Stirling Distillery is located at the foot of Stirling Castle in The Old Smiddy on Lower Castlehill, and it is one of the most compact distilleries in Scotland. Here, gin, the upcoming single malt, and the town’s old spirits history come together at the same address. The venue is both a production site and a place for visitors, where everything from tastings to guided tours takes place in the shadow of the castle.

History

The story begins with June and Cameron McCann, who ran an art gallery and a gift shop in Stirling. During a local gin festival, they discovered the town didn’t make gin itself, and on their 26th wedding anniversary, October 28, 2015, they distilled the first batch of Stirling Gin in a 2.4-litre copper still, which was named Jinty. After about fifty recipe adjustments, they found the balance between juniper berries, citrus, angelica root, foraged nettles, and basil.

The distillery quickly outgrew the small start. From 2015 to 2018, it took over a larger still, Flora, and in 2019 The Old Smiddy opened as Stirling’s first legal distillery at Castle Rock. The building, which was originally a smithy from 1888, was rebuilt internally around copper stills and at the same time welcomed visitors. In 2021, Sons of Scotland arrived as an independent bottling range, shifting attention toward whisky. On October 3, 2023, mash for its own whisky was brewed for the first time since 1852, and on November 27 of the same year, the first cask was filled. In 2025, the distillery’s new make was named Best Scottish New Make Spirit at the World Whiskies Awards, and the first Stirling single malt is expected to be released in 2027.

Ingredients and production

Stirling whisky is based on 100% Scottish malt barley, which is already malted when it arrives. The grain is milled and mashed with warm, clean water, so the starch dissolves into fermentable sugars and becomes wort. From there, the wort goes to fermentation, and it is precisely fermentation that is a deliberate choice: the distillery runs longer than many others to create more fruity esters, more depth, and greater complexity before the spirit ever reaches the still.

The distillation takes place in copper pot stills at The Old Smiddy. The copper is described as active in the process because it reacts with the spirit and helps remove sulfur while shaping a cleaner, more fruity expression. After distillation, the new make spirit is filled into selected casks, and the entire production is kept on a very small scale with fewer than 20,000 litres per year. A strong emphasis is placed on handcraft throughout—from selecting the casks to the finished bottle.

Maturation and cask types

Maturation takes place in a traditional dunnage warehouse, where casks sit in a cool, earth-floored environment that has been used for Scottish whisky for centuries. Here, the spirit works slowly with the wood through summer and winter, when it expands and contracts. It is the wood that provides by far the most of the color and a large part of the character, and the distillery emphasizes that each cask is chosen by hand. The first fill was on November 27, 2023, so maturation is still ongoing ahead of the first release.

Whiskies

On the whisky side, the range is still in its early phase. Sons of Scotland already exists as an independent whisky range, and there is also attention on The Beautiful Game Edition Whisky, which was highlighted as the last bottles of a limited single malt release. The actual home-distilled whisky is still maturing and is planned as the first Stirling single malt in 2027. This provides a portfolio where the whisky story is still being built, while the gin side already has several clearly defined bottles and expressions.

Whisky style and tasting profile

Stirling Gin is built on fresh juniper berries, wild nettle, and crisp citrus, with an herbal, lightly sweet, and well-balanced profile. Battle Strength turns up the juniper, cracked black pepper, and citrus zest, making the expression more spice-forward and long—peppery at the finish. Pink Gin is more perfumed, with rose, pink grapefruit, and a soft floral edge, while Winter Gin goes in the direction of allspice, cinnamon, ginger, orange, and a distinct apple strudel feel.

Visit the distillery

The distillery is open to the public, and visitors can book tastings, guided tours, and gin school sessions at The Old Smiddy. Walk-In Mini Tastings are also available, so you can drop by without booking for that experience. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 11am–5pm and Sunday 12pm–5pm. The venue is at the foot of Stirling Castle, and the visitor experience is closely linked to production on site.

The listed opening times are Mon to Sat 11am to 5pm, Sunday 12pm to 5pm.
See times and book a visit.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

The distillery’s approach is clear: they stick with 100% Scottish malt barley, longer fermentation, and copper as an active tool in shaping the spirit. Casks are selected individually, and the bottles are made, filled, and labeled by hand on site. The same small-scale approach is repeated in the story of the distillery as Scotland’s smallest whisky distillery.

Awards and recognition

• Best Scottish New Make Spirit (2025, Winner)

• Visitor Attraction of the Year (2023, Winner)

• Great Taste 2022 (2022, Stirling Gin)

• London Spirits Silver (Silver, Stirling Gin)

• USA Spirits Silver (Silver, Stirling Gin)