Campbeltown
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Campbeltown waterfront |
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Campbeltown shown within Argyll and Bute | |
Population | 4,852 2011 census |
OS grid reference | NR 71800 20300 |
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Lieutenancy area |
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Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Campbeltown |
Postcode district | PA28 |
Dialling code | 01586 |
EU Parliament | Scotland |
UK Parliament |
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Scottish Parliament |
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Campbeltown; (i/ˈkæmbəltən/; Scottish Gaelic: Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or Ceann Locha) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran (an anglicization of the Gaelic, which means "head of the loch by the kirk of Ciarán"), it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell (Earl of Argyle) was granted the site in 1667. Campbeltown became an important centre for shipbuilding and Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing port.
Campbeltown is one of five areas in Scotland categorised as a distinct malt whisky producing region, and is home to the Campbeltown single malts. At one point it had over 30 distilleries and proclaimed itself "the whisky capital of the world". However, a focus on quantity rather than quality, and the combination of prohibition and the Great Depression in the United States, led to most distilleries going out of business. Today only three active distilleries remain in Campbeltown: Glen Scotia, Glengyle, and Springbank.