The Borders Distillery

The Borders Distillery in Hawick is the first Scotch whisky distillery in the Scottish Borders since 1837. It was founded by The Three Stills Company, set up in 2013 by four former William Grant & Sons colleagues: Tim Carton, John Fordyce, Tony Roberts and George Tait. Their plan was to bring whisky-making back to the region. After a £10 million investment, the distillery began production in 2018 in the restored 1880s buildings of the former Hawick Electric Company.

The distillery can produce up to 2 million litres of pure alcohol a year, with its whisky distilled in two pairs of pot stills. The Workshop Series, launched in 2022 with Borders Malt & Rye, combines the distillery's own malt and grain whiskies, including a single grain rye. That's why each release is classed as blended Scotch rather than single malt. Each one explores a different variable, from fermentation length to cask type and time in wood.

In September 2026 the distillery released its first single malt, The Borders Single Malt First Release. It's an 8 Year Old from the first spirit distilled in 2018, matured in 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Malmsey Madeira casks. It's limited to 10,000 bottles and bottled at 46%. The launch is led by Managing Director Giancarlo Bianchi, alongside senior strategic advisor David King, whose 30-year career includes Edrington, Berry Bros. & Rudd and Gordon & MacPhail.