Blackness Bay
Type: Distillery
Blackness Bay is a whisky and rum distillery beside The Lobster Pot pub and restaurant, on the shores of the Firth of Forth. Its copper pot stills are named Lucifer and Lilith, while its planned single malt has a rather different name: Mary Queen of Scotch.[2][6][7]
At a glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | Shore Road, Blackness, Linlithgow EH49 7NL, according to the producer.[2][7] |
| Protected region | Lowland, under regulation 10 of the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009. Blackness lies south of the statutory Highland line.[10] |
| Products | Whisky and rum, according to the producer.[2][7] |
| Owner | Press coverage names Colm O’Rourke as owner. The exact legal entity, effective date, previous owner and ultimate parent are not reliably established; current ownership requires verification.[4] |
| Business status | Cannot confirm. |
| Distilling status | Cannot confirm current status. |
| Visitor access | Cannot confirm current status. |
| Site status | Cannot confirm current status. |
| Stills | Twin copper pot stills, reported by the Falkirk Herald in 2024; named Lucifer and Lilith in the trade account checked in November 2026.[4][6] |
| Planned single malt | Mary Queen of Scotch. A January 2026 trade account placed the first single malt about a year away.[6] |
| Visitor experience | Tasting tours are described by the producer and Distillery Tours; check arrangements directly before travelling.[1][7] |
| Official website | Blackness Bay Distillery.[1] |
What Blackness Bay is known for
The distillery brings together a waterfront setting, a neighbouring pub and several named spirits. The producer describes Blackness Bay as independent and says it occupies the oldest building in the castle village.[1][2] The building claim is the producer’s own account, rather than an independently established architectural history.
The relationship with The Lobster Pot is part of the place’s identity, not simply a nearby dining suggestion. Press coverage identifies Colm O’Rourke as both the distillery’s owner and the pub’s landlord, while the producer offers a tour and meal experience combining the two.[1][4]
This makes Blackness Bay a distillery to understand through its people and its development as much as through a bottle. The available record follows the learning, restoration, naming and public presentation of the spirits. It does not yet provide a confirmed release date for the distillery’s own single malt.
The people and the production
A 2024 newspaper report says Colm and his wife, Sheena, spent 18 months learning to distil. The same report describes the single malt production equipment as twin copper pot stills.[4] Those details give a picture of the project’s beginnings without requiring a founding date that the record does not securely establish.
The producer says it uses malted barley from Alloa and prefers instinct and learned experience to modern technology.[1][2] That is its description of its working approach, not a measured comparison of production methods. It does not establish a particular flavour.
Lucifer and Lilith are the still names recorded in the trade account.[6] Their names are memorable enough without attaching an explanation that has not been established. Neither their names nor their copper construction supplies evidence for tasting notes, so this profile does not assign Blackness Bay a house flavour.
The visitor programme also reflects the two sides of production. Distillery Tours describes a journey from grain and molasses through to maturation in oak casks, encompassing whisky and rum rather than whisky alone.[7] For a visitor, that distinction helps explain why the distillery’s activities extend beyond the progress of its first single malt.
Mary Queen of Scotch and the trademark story
Mary Queen of Scotch is the planned single malt name. According to the Falkirk Herald, the Trade Marks Registry initially refused it, then accepted it after O’Rourke promised that the name would not be used disrespectfully or inauthentically.[4]
The distinction between those two decisions matters. An account ending at the initial refusal would leave the reader with the wrong outcome. Equally, acceptance of the name is a naming milestone, not evidence that a mature single malt has been released.
Story box: The name that survived an initial refusal
| Field | Record |
|---|---|
| Founding story | The exact founding and licensing dates are not reliably established. |
| Turning point | By 2024, the reported reversal of the trademark refusal had allowed the planned Mary Queen of Scotch name to proceed. |
| Key person | Colm O’Rourke, identified in the press as the owner, made the assurances reported in connection with the name. |
| Documented record | The newspaper account records both the initial refusal and the subsequent acceptance. |
| Sources and claim mapping | The naming decision, O’Rourke’s role and his assurances are supported by the Falkirk Herald’s 2024 report. |
| Last checked | Exact date not reliably established; the sheet records November 2026. |
Verdict: Documented
Claim: The registry initially refused Mary Queen of Scotch, then accepted it following O’Rourke’s assurances. What the record shows: The supplied press account reports both stages. Evidence gap: The underlying registry correspondence is not included in the supplied record. Earliest known source: The Falkirk Herald’s 2024 report, linked above.[4]
New make, blended whisky and the first single malt
Three names need keeping apart. The trade account identifies Virgin Mary as the new make spirit brand, Blended Mary as the blended whisky brand and Mary Queen of Scotch as the planned single malt.[6] New make is the spirit before maturation into whisky; those names should not be read as interchangeable descriptions of one product.
The producer reports that, after two years of restoration, it bottled its first six-month barrel of new make spirit.[3] Six months is a milestone in that account, but it does not meet the statutory maturation period for Scotch whisky.
Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, Scotch whisky must mature for “not less than three years”. The rule does not add a further day.[11] That corrects the “three years and a day” wording used in the newspaper coverage without changing the distinction between young spirit and Scotch whisky.
The January 2026 trade account said the first single malt was about a year away.[6] That is a dated forecast, not confirmation of a release. Visitors encountering several Mary names should therefore ask which product is being discussed rather than assume that every reference concerns the distillery’s own mature single malt.
A short production and public timeline
The milestones below concern different events. A tasting tour licence, a public ceremony and a forecast for mature whisky cannot be combined into a single opening or release date.
| Date | Recorded event |
|---|---|
| 2024 | The Falkirk Herald reported that Falkirk Council had granted a licence for tasting tours.[4] |
| 2025 | A whisky “christening” was reported, involving an ear of barley and a blend of new make spirit and whisky.[5] |
| January 2026 | The trade account placed the first single malt about a year away.[6] |
Verdict: Disputed
Claim: The distillery’s opening date is disputed in the supplied record. What the record shows: An August 2025 report said it had opened “two years ago”, while tasting tour licensing was reported in June 2024.[4][5] Evidence gap: The reports may concern different stages and do not establish a precise opening date. Earliest known source: Not reliably established. Sources: Falkirk Herald, 2024; Falkirk Herald, August 2025. Last checked: November 2026; exact day not reliably established.
Verdict: Documented
Claim: Colm played the bagpipes before carrying out a whisky “baptism” at a 2025 christening. What the record shows: The newspaper reported the ceremony.[5] It is not a maturation or release record. Evidence gap: None found in the supplied sheet. Earliest known source: Not reliably established. Source: Falkirk Herald, August 2025. Last checked: November 2026; exact day not reliably established.
Visiting Blackness Bay
The published visitor offering includes tasting tours, with whisky, new make spirit and rum appearing according to the package. A separate producer-described option combines the tour with a meal at The Lobster Pot.[1][7] Choose according to the production subjects and format that interest you, rather than the number of samples.
Before travelling, use the official website to confirm booking arrangements, accessibility and age rules for the particular experience. Ask whether the visit covers both whisky and rum, and whether a meal requires a separate arrangement. Published descriptions explain the offering but do not guarantee a particular date or place.
The producer says its tours cover local history, including Jacobite and Mary Queen of Scots connections.[1] It describes parts of the wider Blackness storytelling as oral history and folklore; the sheet classifies those traditions as Legend, not independently documented distillery history.
For any tasting, request small measured samples, have water and food, and take breaks. Spitting is normal at tastings, and nobody needs to finish a glass. These measures do not remove alcohol’s risks. Do not drink if driving; see the Responsible Drinking page for further guidance.
Where to go next
- Auchentoshan: continue through the Lowland Distilleries hub with another individual profile.
- Rosebank: make this your next stop when exploring the hub by distillery name.
- Holyrood: read a separate profile rather than assume neighbouring entries share Blackness Bay’s story.
Sources
- Blackness Bay Distillery. Welcome to Blackness Bay Distillery, Linlithgow. Producer’s account, undated, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.blacknessbaydistillery.co.uk/
- Blackness Bay Distillery. Tour and Meal Experience. Producer’s account, undated, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.blacknessbaydistillery.co.uk/tours/
- Blackness Bay Distillery. News. Producer’s account, undated, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.blacknessbaydistillery.co.uk/news/
- Falkirk Herald. Tiny Blackness distillery can call their new spirit Mary Queen of Scotch. 2024, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/lifestyle/food-and-drink/tiny-blackness-distillery-can-call-their-new-spirit-mary-queen-of-scotch-4659909
- Falkirk Herald. Wetting the baby's head at Blackness whisky christening. August 2025, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/people/wetting-the-babys-head-at-blackness-whisky-christening-5285409
- Distillery Tours. Podcast: Blackness Bay Distillery. February 2026 page title; the fact sheet dates the release forecast to January 2026. Supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.distillerytours.scot/distillery-and-whisky-news/podcast-february-2026-blackness-bay-distillery
- Distillery Tours. Blackness Bay Distillery. Undated trade listing, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.distillerytours.scot/distilleries/blackness-bay-distillery
- UK Government, legislation.gov.uk. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2890, regulation 10. Supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/2890/regulation/10
- UK Government, legislation.gov.uk. The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2890, regulation 3. Supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/2890/regulation/3
This desk-researched profile uses the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing producer statements, press reporting, trade coverage and statutory provisions.
Last checked: November 2026