Disaster struck on Sunday. High pressures caused a bust up, a major split occurred, resulting in a large scale out-flow.

The broken pipe carries mash water from the loch in the hills behind the distillery to the mash house. Monday morning mash and there was no water.  The pipe pressure was once reported as powerful enough for a firehouse jet to reach 90 feet vertically.

Duncan was on to it right away, finally tracing the break to a joint in the pipe as it runs by the roadside past the Academy. The damage may have occurred when a large digger used the road on Friday, the weight being sufficient to damage the pipe which was laid 128 years ago.  Douglas is fitting a new pipe section and normal service will be resumed shortly.