Bladnoch whisky distillery seeks buyer

It is hoped a new owner can be found for Scotland's most southerly distillery

A new owner is being sought to save Scotland's most southerly whisky distillery.

The Bladnoch Distillery and Visitor Centre - near Wigtown - is owned by a company based in Northern Ireland which has gone into liquidation.

The distillery entrance is currently chained off and a sign says that it is closed until further notice.

It is hoped the site can be sold as a going concern. It has fewer than 10 employees.

Bladnoch Distillery dates back nearly 200 years.

For the past 20 it has been run by Raymond Armstrong - a businessman with a passion for whisky who spotted the mothballed facility during a holiday in Galloway in 1994 and bought it from United Distillers who had closed it a year earlier.

Mr Armstrong spent six years restoring the plant, and production of its distinctive Bladnoch lowland malt re-started in 2000.

It is a popular tourist attraction with a visitor shop and guided tours.

It is understood that the parent company - Co-ordinated Development Services based in County Down - called in the liquidators last week.

Accountants Ernst and and Young have been appointed to dispose of the assets - and it is understood they hope to sell Bladnoch as a going concern.