About Inverleven (silent)
(in-ver-LE-ven) Inverleven was a Lowland single malt Scotch whisky produced inside the Dumbarton grain distillery complex in West Dunbartonshire. It was established in 1938 by Hiram Walker & Sons, mainly to supply malt whisky for blends such as Ballantine’s, rather than being developed as a widely marketed single malt in its own right.
The Inverleven stills stopped production in 1991, and the wider Dumbarton site later closed and was demolished for housing. Surviving Inverleven is now limited to older official and independent bottlings, making it a true lost distillery whisky. The complex also housed an experimental Lomond still, later moved to Bruichladdich on Islay, where it became known as Ugly Betty and is now used to distil The Botanist gin.