A long-forgotten illicit still hidden in Glen Affric has now been recognised as a monument of national importance.
The site near Badger Falls in Glen Affric was rediscovered by Forest Enterprise Staff (FES) in 2008 and has now been recognised by Historic Environment Scotland.
The archaeological find dates back to the late 1700s and is hidden away in a difficult to access area of the picturesque glen.
Giles Brockman, of the FES team in Inverness, Ross and Skye, said: “Scotland’s National Forest Estate is home to an immense archive of social history dating back many centuries and covering many different story lines.
“There are literally hundreds of such sites scattered across the land that we manage.
“Recording them, investigating them and conserving them is an important but little known part of our work.
“This particular site could date back to the 1700s and could shed light on the area’s past.
“It’s not an easy site to visit – probably only really accessible to the more adventurous visitor – but we are very pleased to see it awarded scheduled monument status.”
Illicit stills were a response to Excise Act of 1788 which banned household stills and prompted the creation of illegal whisky made from malted grains.
These were expensively taxed meaning distilleries had stopped using them – which meant the illegal spirits were often of better quality.
The Glen Affric still would have sat in a small building which was concealed by rock face and adjacent to a small burn.
The footprint of the building survives in the woodland in a gully above the River Affric.
The trade in illegal whisky declined after the Excise Act of 1823 reduced the price of legal distilling.
By the time of the first Ordnance Survey map of the area, surveyed in 1872, the still at Badger Falls had been forgotten.
Mr Brockman added: “It is an evocative reminder of a once widespread Highland practice, when illegally producing whisky and defrauding the tax man weren’t seen as criminal activity but as a social enterprise – at least by the general population.”
