Port Dundas was a Lowland grain whisky distillery in Glasgow owned by Diageo, which closed the distillery in 2010. Founded at the side of Glasgow’s Forth & Clyde canal in 1810 or 1811 by the Macfarlane family, Port Dundas began life as a malt whisky distillery. Grain distillation was begun around 1845 and Port Dundas quickly became one of the most important producers of grain whisky for blending.
The Port Dundas distillery was the one of the original members of the grain whisky cartel formed in 1877 as Distillers Company Limited, which was taken over by Guinness in 1986 and eventually morphed into Diageo. Port Dundas was modernised and refitted after a silent period during WWII, and a further extensive modernisation and expansion occurred in the 1970s. In 2009, however, the distillery was condemned to closure after Diageo decided to expand grain whisky production at Cameronbridge. Port Dundas was shuttered in its bicentenary year, 2010, and the site was demolished in 2011.
During its lifetime, Port Dundas’s single grain whisky contributed to dozens of blended Scotch whiskies, particularly Haig, White Horse, Black and White, J&B, Johnnie Walker and Bell’s whisky. The distillery was producing 39 million litres of grain spirit per year by the time of its closure, so there is reason to expect that stocks will be available for some time yet.