Lochside was a brewery from 1786 until its closure in 1957. It incorporated a white tower – a classic German brauhaus design – that was reinterpreted by Charles Doig in 1899. The site was then bought by Joseph Hobbs (who owned Ben Nevis distillery) and he set about installing a Coffey still, swiftly followed by four pot stills in 1961.

His son, Joe Junior, retained ownership until 1973 when Spanish distiller Destilerias y Crianzas [DyC] bought it as a source for the some of the malt it used in its top-selling DYC blend. The Coffey still was decommissioned and the distillery ran until the early 1990s when DYC [by then part of Sherry and wine firm Pedro Domecq] was itself taken over by Allied Distillers.

Lochside was considered surplus to requirements by its new parent, it was closed and sold to developers before being demolished in 2005.