Lochside was initially established as a brewery in 1781.
The name came from the site it stoodon, a filled-in loch (Mary’s Loch). Lochside closed as a brewery in the early 1950s and in 1956 it was set up as a distillery producing both both grain and malt whisky – these were blended at birth, prior to maturation at the distillery. Water was sourced from an artesian well running beneath the distillery – due to its location by the sea there must have been a risk of drawing salt water. In 1973 Lochside was sold to a Spanish firm, who were looking for a good Scottish malt for blending. At the start of the 1990s Allied Distillers had taken over and they had plenty of capacity for use in the Spanish market. As a result production ceased at Lochside in 1992 and the contents of the bonded warehouse were shipped to Spain. The distillery was converted to residential living accommodation and the last landmark tower was bulldozed in 2005. Lochside was matured in bourbon casks and only sold as a Single Malt for 10 years before being sold off.