Falkirk Distillery
Itinerary
10:05 – 10:32: Train (ScotRail: Dunblane): Edinburgh Waverley – Polmont
10:32 – 10:55: Walk: Polmont – Falkirk Distillery
11:00 – 12:00: Tour: Standard Tour
12:15 – 12:35 Walk: Falkirk Distillery – Polmont
12:40 – 13:04: Train (ScotRail: Edinburgh): Polmont – Edinburgh
Journey
The journey to the Falkirk Distillery was a short and easy one today. I caught the train from Edinburgh Waverley to Polmont, which was a quick trip of under 30 minutes. Falkirk Distillery is one of the many new distilleries in the lowland region, and it has only been producing spirit since 2020. It is independently owned by George Stewart, and I’ll admit, I knew very little about it before visiting, as I hadn’t seen any of their whisky in shops or had the chance to taste it, so I was curious to learn more.
The train arrived on time, and from Polmont Station, the distillery is about a 20-minute walk. The route is quite easy as long as you ignore Google Maps, as it took me through a housing estate, where I got a bit lost. The best way is to exit the station, cross the bridge, and follow Station Road onto Salmon Inn Road. From there, continue straight for around 10 minutes until you reach Polmont Road. Cross over, then head downhill onto Grandsable Road, passing the cemetery until you spot the distillery on your right.
The Falkirk Distillery has a good-sized shop on site, but the site is still very much a work in progress, with plans for a restaurant to open in 2026. Check-in for the tour was in the small front office, just to the right as you enter the estate. When I arrived, there was still some building work as the car park was resurfaced, but its a decent-sized site.
Falkirk Distillery only recently began offering tours, and for now, they’re by appointment only. I booked mine a few days in advance, though they do accept walk-ins when staff are available. As it turned out, I had the whole place to myself, so I got a private tour around the place. My guide was Ray, the distillery manager, and he was fairly knowledgeable about the distillery and the whisky process. He helps in the shop, runs the tours, and even designs the labels for the whisky bottles.
The tour started with a short video from the distillery’s founder, sharing how the distillery came to life and the vision behind it. Then we stepped into the main distillery building, which is bright, clean, and filled with a mix of new and old equipment. Although Falkirk is a new distillery without much of a whisky history, the same can not be said for some of the equipment. The mash tun, for instance, is over 60 years old and was transported in one piece all the way from Speyside with a police escort. After the mash tun arrived on site and was installed, the distillery was built around it. It has a wonderfully weathered look with a copper lid, and inside, instead of using the more common lauter tun system, it relies on a traditional rake-and-plough setup, which is quite rare in Scotland.
The two stills were also sourced second-hand from Glen Grant distillery in Rothes. They may look a little rustic, but together they produce up to 1.5 million litres of spirit a year. There’s one wash still and one spirit still, and both contrast quite nicely with the modern surroundings.
Before finishing up, Ray took me through to the bottling area, where every single bottle is hand-filled and labelled on site. It’s a lovely touch that reflects just how small-scale and hands-on the operation still is. Outsourcing isn’t cost-effective yet, so everything is done right there in-house (Ray even helps design the labels!).
From there, we stepped into the dunnage-style warehouse. The moment the door opened, the air was thick with the sweet, rich scent of the angel’s share, that wonderful whisky aroma that clings to the walls and floors. I have been to many dunnage warehouses, but this one had some of the strongest and most enjoyable aromas. The final stop on the tour was the tasting, held in the distillery shop. There is a long wooden table for the tasting, and I was poured three drams to sample. Since Falkirk’s whisky is still quite young, I wasn’t expecting anything too complex, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The first dram was the inaugural release, just over three years old. Despite its youth, it wasn’t nearly as harsh as I had expected. There was no fiery burn, just a gentle warmth, though the flavours still felt like they needed a little more time to fully develop. The second dram was their latest release, a mix of sherry and bourbon casks, and this one really stood out. It had lovely sweet, fruity notes from the sherry, with hints of honey on the nose and soft fruit on the palate. Definitely one I could sit with for a while.
The final dram was something special as I got to pour it myself straight from a small cask in the shop. The tap was a little stiff, so it took a good pull, and then the whisky came rushing out, leaving me with a very generous measure. This one was fully sherry matured, and the rich Christmas cake flavours immediately came through, sweet, spicy, and full-bodied, with a gorgeous deep amber colour. I was told this whisky will be part of an upcoming release, and based on that taste, it is definitely one to watch out for.
Before leaving, I decided to pick up a bottle of their five year old whisky, the only one available at the time. With how hard it is to find Falkirk whisky in shops right now, it is well worth grabbing a bottle if you make the trip out there.
