The Myth, Whisky, Rum, Bagpipes, Blarney and Clurichauns – The Madcap Magus of Blackness Distillery
All Photographs the Author’s Own Unless Otherwise Stated.
These days, there are many distillery tours to choose from, producing a variety of spirits from craft gin to artisan whisky and rum. We’ve been on a fair few of them, all enjoyable and each with their own USP. However, for something truly unique, so far, nothing has beaten the Blackness Distillery.
The distillery is nestled in the tiny village of Blackness near Linlithgow, West Lothian. It is just a five-minute walk away from the ‘ship that never sailed,’ Blackness Castle, the 15th century fortress and former garrison, so called because its gloomy fortifications resemble a massive stone ship. The castle will be recognisable to Outlander fans as Fort William, where several dramatic scenes were filmed including Jamie’s lashing by Captain Randall, his father’s death and the dramatic rescue and escape of Claire from Black Jack when she and Jamie plunged into the waters below. It is a popular tourist spot for Outlander afficionados who might like to amble the short distance along the coast towards the village and find a warmer welcome at the Distillery and Lobster Pot pub and restaurant which dominate the village square, both owned by Colm and Sheena O’Rourke.
Blackness Castle – ‘The Ship That Never Sailed.’ A favourite of Outlander Fans as it doubles for Fort William in the series.
The Old Barn Converted into the Distillery
On arrival, visitors to the distillery will be met by Sheena and guided through the stunning gardens of their home and business where your eye will be caught by a motley group of kilted and bonneted stone gentlemen and other statues overseeing your entry. As you walk towards the picturesque, converted barn, visitors are accompanied by her husband Colm demonstrating impressive skill on his bagpipes. To the slower stragglers, Sheena calls, ‘Hurry along there, before he loses his puff!’
A motley group of kilted gentlemen in the gardens of Blackness Distillery eye your arrival with suspicion.
Colm later tells me in his inimitable style that he only learned to play the bagpipes specifically for the distillery project and could only cope with doing so while under the influence of drink! He strongly advises that to fully appreciate his performance, audiences should be similarly inebriated.
The Stunning Gardens at Blackness Distillery
And this is the jovial tone visitors to the distillery should expect from Colm, a twinkly eyed, bearded Irishman with a penchant for weaving a touch of blarney as he delights in telling his audience about the history of the distillery and the grounds it sits upon and explaining the complexities of the distilling process.
A warning: you have to keep up and attune to Colm’s quick-witted tales and asides told in a thick, Irish brogue which result in many a laugh out loud moment. Colm is a highly energetic, seventy-five year old with an unsurpassed knowledge of his subject, while Sheena glides quietly and ably in the background supporting her mercurial husband as he regales the tour group with fascinating stories, technical explanations, all told with impeccable comic timing as the mood takes him. Beware of interrupting his train of thought as tongues are loosened while enjoying the generous number of samples of the distillery’s range of produce during the tour!
After the last visitor has been piped into the grounds, we enter the converted barn which houses the distillery and stand, first of all, in a bespoke bar displaying the array of craft spirits created by the couple. To warm up the audience, the first of several samples are served on a tray by Sheena as Colm begins his story, with the history of the house and outbuildings.
Sheena O’Rourke who glides in an out, supporting her mercurial husband and offering drinks to the visitors.
Legend has it that the Georgian house (now occupied by the couple) and the connected buildings are part of a land estate connected to the earl of Lennox, a Stewart family, who in turn were affiliated to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots. Their son, of course, became James VI of Scotland and I of England. The distillery has a coat of arms embedded into its ancient walls which is said to represent the Darnley family.
The Coat of Arms Embedded in the Wall of the Distillery, reputedly that of the Darnley Family
The Georgian Fronted House occupied by the O’Rourkes
Colm and Sheena bought the Georgian fronted house, which was semi-derelict, eleven years ago. It, and the outbuildings date back to the 17th century. Together with The Lobster Pot Pub next door (more of which later) these became a ‘Bakery, Brewhouse and Distillery’ for the village, although Colm says the dates of distilling are not known. While sampling the first spirit, a rum, Colm tells of the couple’s main passion, the aptly named Mary Queen of Scotch, a single malt whisky. Colm delights in explaining that when they applied to trademark the name, it was initially rejected as being ‘disrespectful to the crown.’ Not to be deterred from using such an apposite name for the product, however, Colm points out with glee that they successfully appealed on the grounds that ‘beheading a woman was more disrespectful than naming a whisky after a local girl.’ The whisky is now 18 months into the necessary 3-year ageing process. Mary Queen of Scots features in other products, including ‘Virgin Mary New Make Spirit’ and Blended Mary Malt Whisky.
We move into the next room, where the magical process of turning various ingredients into spirits begins and Colm introduces us to the traditionally male and female stills, named Lucifer and Lilith. Here, we discover that it is actually Sheena who is the technical mastermind of the process with her passion for distilling and skills in producing recipes. She is, Colm tells us, one of the few female practitioners. Colm, on the other hand comes from a distilling family and his ardour rests with the conservation of distilling traditions, its history and spiritual background. To consider the production of spirits in a ‘spiritual’ sense, we only have to look at the art of alchemy and ancient practices, for instance, where distillation is said to symbolise transformation and purification. It is also said that the process mirrors the spiritual journey of purification of the soul and separates ‘pure’ essences from the impure. Some have suggested that by extracting the ‘spirit’ or ‘soul’ of a plant, we are connected to nature’s essence, its rhythms and celestial influences. (Footnotes 1 & 2).
The Distillery where alchemy, magic and science combine?
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'Lucifer' and 'Lilith,' the 'male' and 'female' stills
Colm, in his story of the distilling procedure, is clearly attuned to the spirituality of the process. Don’t be shocked if you see a bearded Irishman on Blackness Beach conducting ancient rituals on some moonlit night when the planets are aligned! With my interest in the paranormal (though I neither profess to have seen or spoken to ghosts) I had unusually, felt my hair being touched while in the bar area, and while listening to Colm in the distillery, I felt the temperature drop around me then return to normal in a way I couldn’t explain. It was fascinating therefore when Colm mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that he was convinced that the distillery was haunted and that there had been many reports of strange activity. While checking on the process at night, he had noted strange activities and interference to the works.
Colm in full swing of his stories
Ethereal spirits aside, we learn much from Colm, interspersed with laughs, about the production of their many bottled spirits, largely a variety of rums, including the Jacobite Outlandish Spiced Rum, Flower of Scotland Pink Rum, Sheena’s Raspberry Rum (a bottle of which my other half bought and recommends), Blackness Bay Honey Rum Liqueur and Blackness Single White Rum. Sheena appears on cue throughout the tales as Colm’s unassuming and lovely assistant, never boasting her true skills, as she hands out samples of several of these goodies and setting him back on track when he digresses from the main story.
Picture: Courtesy of Blackness Distillery Website
Picture: Sheena's Raspberry Rum, Courtesy of Blackness Bay Distillery's website
When the tour finally ends, the audience’s faces a little pinker, their speech slightly more slurred, as we had booked the tour and meal in The Lobster Pot next door, we walked back through the garden, passing the ancient statue of Robert Burns, who Colm explained was said to have spent some months in the main house after he fell out with the landed families for deriding Bo’ness town.
The Lobster Pot came on the market after the O’Rourkes bought the house and distillery. They had spent forty years designing and fitting out Irish pubs in Britain and had experience of running various pubs and a small pub company, so it made sense to buy The Lobster Pot which they acquired to run as a retirement business. It is the dominant feature of the village square, painted a vibrant yellow with a sign claiming somewhat improbably that Blackness on Sea is twinned with St Tropez!
The Lobster Pot Restaurant and Pub
Inside is a quirky and clearly popular venue for locals and tourists alike. As the name suggests, lobster is its speciality, offering a variety of dishes from lobster and chips to lobster thermidor. If the world isn’t your lobster, however, there are plenty of other options to suit all tastes. For those who opt for the distillery tour and meal option, there is a set menu. Attached to the restaurant is the village shop, reminiscent of days gone by, when those of us of a certain age can remember the charms of the local ‘Open All Hours’ store.
Once inside, the Lobster Pot, the world becomes a whimsical place, indeed. On every surface, including the ceiling, there are paintings, hanging lobsters (plaster and crocheted ones), seafaring and fishing accessories, such as figureheads, diving helmets, nets and creels. Close examination of the paintings reveals some very surreal images; the village square is depicted, for example, showing perhaps an earlier time, with people merrily dancing, children playing, musicians, a dancing dog and a human with an antlered head in an old-fashioned swimsuit, carrying an ice-cream. Another shows a gentleman and a woman in old fashioned costume. The man is wooing his lady friend with flowers but seems to wear only a hooded and caped top with nothing below except a fish to protect his modesty! There is another in the square in front of The Lobster Pot with revellers, drinking and dancing in various types and degrees of clothing and a man with a stag’s head waving to the viewer and dressed in his Sunday best. They seem to be the product of a frantic and imaginative mind. I later discover they are all painted by Colm. Of course they are! He tells me that he only paints pictures when he has had too much to drink, and he paints what comes into his head. He is certainly a prolific artist, but I won’t speculate on his drinking habits. Suffice to say that a distillery on your doorstep must be a temptation!
The Whimsical Interior of the Lobster Pot, adorned with Colm’s Surreal Artwork
Colm tells me that his late sister insisted that she had discovered evidence of intermarrying between the O’Rourkes and leprechauns in the 17th century when tracing the family’s ancestry. He wonders if ‘Clurichaun Activity’ has followed him to Scotland which might explain the haunting in the distillery. Clurichauns are apparently mischievous fairies from Irish folklore which are known for their bacchanalian love of drinking, haunting breweries, pubs and wine cellars. One can’t help thinking that the Clurichauns have less likely followed Colm than that he may well be the embodiment of a Clurichaun. His sister may have been on to something!
It is certainly a fascinating day out at Blackness Distillery offering a mix of distilling information, copious samples, history, comedy, the surrealism of The Magus and maybe, just maybe a little touch of Irish magic dust. As we left Blackness Village, we couldn’t help wondering if it was all just an illusion, ready to disappear, like the village of Brigadoon, protected from outside influences where time barely passes, reappearing occasionally to reveal the enchantment of Colm and his Clurichaun ways.
Footnote/References
Understanding the SPIRITUAL SIDE OF DISTILLATION - Carrier of Light
The Art of Distillation - The School of Evolutionary Herbalism