Illicit Whisky Still Fragment Found in Scottish Highlands

Archaeologists in the Scottish Highlands have discovered a copper fragment from an illicit whisky still in the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve. The piece, identified as An Gearradan—the connecting piece between the arm and head of the still—was found near a stone bothy believed to have been a secret distillery operating after Scotland banned unlicensed distillation in the 1780s. The excavation, part of the Pioneering Spirit project sponsored by The Glenlivet distillery, has identified 30 sites of illegal distilling. Derek Alexander, the National Trust for Scotland's head of archaeology, noted that the still was likely dismantled in haste to avoid excise officers, leaving the connecting piece behind. Whisky distillation in Scotland dates to at least 1494, when a tax record mentions malt for Friar John Cor to make aqua vitae. The bothy features a hearth, evidence of burning, and a stone-capped drain, indicating its use as a distillery. The find is rare, as illicit distillers typically left little trace.