Illicit whisky still uncovered after 200 years

Archaeologists have uncovered the site of secret, illegal whisky distilling that had likely lain hidden in a remote gully for more than 200 years. The team unearthed part of an illicit still used to make whisky, as well as stones and a timber post of the small building - called a bothy - that once housed the equipment. 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. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) archaeology team and volunteers made the discovery on Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve near Killin. Archaeologists had suspected that 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 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. The trust's head of archaeology

May 11, 2026 → May 11, 2026