Bed and Breakfast in Dumfries

Why the Name Ferintosh?

Ferintosh is a name with strong Scottish/Burns/Whisky roots. Ferintosh was the name of a distillery and its whisky in the 18th century. According to Robert Forsyth (The Beauties of Scotland, 1805), Ferintosh whisky 'was much relished in Scotland.' The anonymous editor of Nimmo's 1867 edition of The Complete Works of Robert Burns wrote in his illustrative note to the poem 'Scotch Drink', 'as Ferintosh whisky was cheaper than that produced elsewhere, it became very popular, and the name Ferintosh thus became something of a synonyme for whisky over the country'.

Bonnie Prince Charlie is reputed to have drowned his sorrows in Ferintosh whisky after the Jacobite defeat at Culloden and Sir Walter Scott was a great admirer of Ferintosh and wrote in a letter that he had 'plenty of right good and young Highland Ferintosh'.

Ferintosh received its most memorable praise from Robert Burns in his poems 'The Authors Earnest Cry and Prayer' and 'Scotch Drink'. Ferintosh distillery was closed in 1784 with the introduction of new excise regulation and Burns penned his despair over the closure.

Thee, Ferintosh! Oh, sadly lost!
Scotland lament frae coast to coast!
Now colic grips, and barkin' hoast
May kill us a';
For loyal Forbes's charter'd boast
Is ta'en awa'!

Robert Burns, 'Scotch Drink', 1785

We feel that with its ties to Scottish heroes like Bonnie Prince Charlie, Sir Walter Scot, and Robert Burns and with its ties to the world's greatest beverage, Ferintosh is a perfect name for a Scottish Guest House in Dumfries!