Archaeologists have unearthed an “illegal” whisky hidden in a remote gully for over 200 years.
Part of a copper still, as well as stones and a timber post from a small building – called a bothy – that once housed the equipment were also uncovered.
An illegal whisky trade boomed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries following 1788’s Excise Act, which banned the use of small household stills.
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National Trust for Scotland (NTS), archaeologists and volunteers made the discovery on Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve near Killin, Perthshire.
Archaeologists had suspected a stone structure in the gully on a stream called Lawers Burn had concealed an illicit still.
An excavation revealed remains of the bothy, including a hearth, a drain beneath a stone floor, and a timber post that had supported the building’s roof.
The team was excited to uncover a piece of copper alloy that they believe had been used as a collar to connect two parts of the still.
NTS said there were now five known illicit still bothies on the reserve, but this was the first site where a piece of copper still had been found, as reported by Need To Know.
The trust’s head of archaeology, Derek Alexander, said: “This is a wonderful example of how archaeology can tell a gripping story of spirit smuggling that would otherwise have been lost to time.
“In the early 19th century, illicit whisky distilling in these hills became a real battle of wits between excise officers and distillers.
“To find the remains of stills in these upland areas, you need to think like an excise officer.
“Those who distilled spirit in this bothy will have picked the location carefully to make sure they were well hidden.
“This bothy is well concealed along one arm of the Lawers Burn, nestled in a burn gulley where there’s a slight bend in the burn to shield the site from both upstream and downstream.
“The people who distilled here knew what they were doing and it’s possible the still was never seized by the authorities.
“If the still had been found by the excise officers, the still would’ve been taken away and destroyed.
“So, the fact we’ve found this connecting piece here suggests the still was dismantled in a hurry and its components whisked away by the smugglers as they dispersed.
“The connecting piece may have been forgotten in the rush and left behind.
“Distillers of illicit whisky would’ve travelled light and left little trace of their activity, and so a find like this is especially rare and exciting.
“It gives us a glimpse into an activity that was once rife in the hills of Ben Lawers and which was seen by many as an act of community resistance.”
Other sites have been discovered over the years.
Parts of the foundations of a small building that had housed a still were found by forestry workers in Glen Affric, near Cannich in the Highlands, in 2008.
The site was later recognised as a monument of national importance.
In 2019, experts identified two ruined farmsteads in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park as illicit whisky distilling sites.
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