Pioneering Spirit prevails at archaeology awards

The Pioneering Spirit project, a partnership between the Trust and The Glenlivet, began in 2020 and is the first project of its kind. This nationwide archaeology and research programme is working to uncover the hidden history of whisky-making in the Scottish landscape, from its illicit beginnings to the rise of industrial distilleries. It’s seeking to unearth both old and new stories, as well as ground the knowledge and the mythology of illicit whisky-making back to the very places it happened.

To date, the team has identified 30 sites of illicit whisky production across the landscapes in our charity’s care, and it is expected there are more. Illicit stills have so far been uncovered in Trust places including Torridon, Kintail, Grey Mare’s Tail Nature Reserve and Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve. We’ve also been exploring the beginnings of licensed whisky production at The Glenlivet’s home in Speyside.

The awards were voted for entirely by the public, and the winners were announced as part of the Current Archaeology Live! 2025 Conference.

Derek Alexander, Head of Archaeology, said: ‘We were in excellent company in this category, so we’re thrilled to win the award. This was a unique project for us because, in addition to investigating sites cared for by the Trust, we also looked at the original site of The Glenlivet Distillery at Upper Drumin, which belongs to Crown Estate Scotland. We worked closely with their countryside ranger while there.

‘Over this four-year project, a team of Trust archaeological volunteers and locals have undertaken around a month’s worth of excavation on the site. We uncovered the distillery’s foundations, including the remains of the still room where George Smith set up his first legal distillery in the courtyard of his farm in 1824, along with a range of other infrastructure and artefacts that paint a picture of the industrial evolution in whisky-making.

‘The Pioneering Spirit project has benefited greatly from the input of volunteers and from our partners at The Glenlivet, who have been able to provide invaluable insights and knowledge into the whisky-making process.’

The second of two articles on the project has just been published in the newest edition of Current Archaeology, Issue 421, April 2025. It focuses on the results of the Trust’s excavations on illicit whisky bothy sites at Mar Lodge Estate NNR, Torridon, Ben Lomond and Ben Lawers NNR.