Charles Doig — Architect of the Scotch Whisky Skyline

When you picture a Scotch distillery, with its stone walls, copper stills, and that graceful roof rising above the kiln house — that image owes a lot to one man. On 3 May 1889, at a building site in Dailuaine near Aberlour, architect-engineer Charles Chree Doig sketched a humble chimney redesign. Little did anyone know it would become the most iconic architectural feature of Scotch whisky distilleries.

At the time, Dailuaine-Glenlivet was expanding, soon to be Speyside’s largest distillery. Doig, based in nearby Elgin, was working at the heart of a whisky-building boom across Scotland: barley rich lands, crisp water, access to peat and growing railway links made the Speyside region ideal for malt production — and for a new style of whisky architecture.

Reimagining the Kiln

Before Doig, distilleries used a chimney design borrowed from southern England’s hop-drying houses — the rotating, fluted “Cardinal’s hat.” Perched above the malt kiln, these chimneys directed smoke and heat upward to dry the barley spread across the perforated floor. When peat was used, the smoke also lent the whisky its characteristic smoky flavour.

But these designs had limitations: airflow was inconsistent; smoke could linger; and in Scotland’s damp climate, rain sometimes seeped into the kiln. Doig’s solution? A fixed, capped ventilator — a chimney roof drawing air from all sides, channeling smoke steadily away through slatted vents, protecting the malt from rain, and giving richer control over drying. The result: cleaner malt, a lighter, refined whisky character, and a kiln house topped with a structure as elegant as functional.

The Birth of the “Pagoda” Roof — Whisky’s Signature Silhouette

Though the innovation was formally called the “Doig Ventilator,” the public embraced a more evocative name: the “pagoda”. Technically a cupola, its silhouette soon became the hallmark of Scotch distilleries. From the late Victorian boom onwards, many distillers insisted on a pagoda roof — a mark of quality, modernity and craftsmanship.

Doig’s design signalled more than efficiency. It helped define the evolving style of Scotch: from the heavy, smoky “Strathspey” whiskies of first-generation distilleries, to the lighter, more nuanced “Glenlivet” and, by the turn of the century, “Speyside” whiskies that valued subtlety over raw peaty power. Improved ventilation, and easier access to coal via railways, allowed peat’s influence to recede — giving birth to what many now recognise as the classic Speyside profile.

Crafting Whisky and Its Homes

Doig didn’t stop at kiln ventilators. Over his career he worked on no fewer than 56 distilleries across Scotland — from the islands of Orkney and Islay to the glens of Highland and Speyside. Whether new-builds or expansions of existing facilities, his designs embraced still-houses, maltings, warehouses, even staff cottages — marrying architectural grace with production practicality.

He also addressed the many hazards of distillery life. In 1893 he patented an explosion-prevention system for malt mills, and developed an early fire-suppression mechanism — a thoughtful response in an era when distillery fires were all too common.

Humble Origins, Grand Legacy

Born in 1855 in the Angus farmland of Lintrathen, Doig was the son of a farm labourer. His early life was simple — tending sheep in Strathmore’s hills, but with a mind sharp for mathematics. That talent carried him into apprenticeship in the Perthshire village of Meigle, then north to Elgin, where he joined a surveying firm and soon became partner. By the time he visited Dailuaine, he was already shaping Scotland’s whisky-making future.

Doig’s practice did more than design buildings — it shaped distilleries to be efficient, safe and beautiful. From grand country mansions and hotels, to working distilleries, his touch blended heritage, function and style.

Remembering a Whisky Pioneer

The original ventilator he installed at Dailuaine was lost to fire in 1917 — a year before Doig’s own death. But his legacy endured. Over time, thousands of his architectural plans found their way to public archives; descendants continued his work; and whisky historians began to reclaim his place in Scotch’s story.

In 2003, whisky-makers and enthusiasts walked over 20 miles between historic distillery sites, each carrying a rare signed bottle for a charitable auction. The proceeds funded a scale model of Doig’s “pagoda head”, now on display at Edinburgh’s Scotch Whisky Experience — a permanent tribute to the man whose drawing defined an industry’s skyline.

That model, built by Elgin coppersmith Andrew Scott, later found a home in Rothes Glen — a grand mansion Doig himself designed. Today, Rothes Glen serves as a whisky-themed retreat, its walls adorned with Doig’s original plans. As one admirer put it, the pagoda had finally “come home”.

If you ever raise a glass of Scotch, take a moment to appreciate the shape above the kiln: it’s more than architecture. It’s legacy — the quiet signature of a man who helped build not just distilleries, but the very image of Scotch whisky.