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 Tourist Information, Clock Tower and Dufftown's Main Street |
The village of Dufftown dates back to 1817 when it was built by the Earl of Fife, James Duff. Nearby Mortlach, in the the valley of the Dullan Water, was already a long-established settlement by this time, but has since been overshadowed by its later neighbour.
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Mortlach is probably at least a thousand years older than Dufftown. The earliest parts of Mortlach church date back to at least the 700s, though most of what is on view today is from a major rebuild in the 1200s. There was also a monastery here by 1200, and in 1228 a parish school was in operation.
 The Whisky Shop |
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 The Huntly Road |
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 Glenfiddich Restaurant |
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 Anne Higgins, Kiltmaker |
The immediately surrounding area is also steeped in history. Balvenie, a mile to the north, is home to Balvenie Castle, which dates back to the 1200s. The name of Balvenie comes from the Gaelic for village of monks, suggesting there was a monastery established here, too, before the castle was built. The castle is the subject of a separate Feature Page.
Two miles east of Dufftown is Auchindoun. This was the site of defensive works built as early as 1000, which were later developed into Auchindoun Castle, a tower house built in the 1400s. This was the base of Adam Gordon, who in 1571 burned down Corgarff Castle and killed 28 women, children and servants of the Forbes clan. The Forbes later destroyed Auchindoun Castle in retaliation.
Dufftown promotes itself as the Malt Whisky Capital of the World, and no one seems inclined to challenge that claim. In the village or its immediate area there are five operating distilleries. These are Dufftown, Mortlach, Glendullan, Balvenie, and Glenfiddich, while within a short distance are four more at Allt-a-Bhainne, Pittyvaich, Glenallachie, and Convalmore (though Pittyvaich is mothballed and Convalmore has been converted to bonded warehousing).
Of these, only Glenfiddich offers a visitor centre, but it is an excellent one. You can find out more from our Feature Page for Glenfiddich Distillery.
Dufftown feels like the planned village it is. Its focus is the main square: quite literally as this is at the intersection of the roads running into and through Dufftown. In the centre of the square is the distinctive clock tower, also home to the village's Tourist Information Centre. Dufftown Museum, at 24 Fife Street, houses a collection of exhibits, much of which is related, unsurprisingly, to the history of distilling.
If you want to find out what all the fuss is about, you could do far worse than calling in at the Whisky Shop, facing on to the main square. And, perhaps, afterwards so you can look the part, the kiltmaker just down the street. Dufftown also lies at the end of a short spur linking it to the Speyside Way long distance footpath.
Just beyond Glenfiddich Distillery on the road to Craigellachie is the old Dufftown Railway Station. This is now a terminus for the Keith and Dufftown Railway which, from April to October, runs weekend services for the 45 minute trip to Keith. Their telephone number is 01340 821181.
