Cameron Bridge

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Many thanks to DIAGEO at their Cameron Bridge Distillery for facilitating the camera's location  and to The River Leven Angling Club, Green Action Trust, Sustrans - Places for Everyone, Fife Council, Transport Scotland and The Leven - Growing with the Flow for capitally funding its installation. The River Leven, located in Fife, Scotland, originates from Loch Leven and flows into the Firth of Forth at the town of Leven. This river is known for its abundance of brown trout and also supports a run of sea trout and Atlantic salmon. The estuary of the River Leven is home to bass and mullet. In the past, the water of this river was utilized to power linen mills situated along its banks, particularly near Markinch. Additionally, three paper mills, namely Smith Anderson in Leslie, and Tullis Russell and John Dixon of Markinch, relied on the river for their operations. A tributary of the River Leven is the River Ore, also located in Fife.Cameronbridge, recognized as the largest grain distillery in Europe, holds the distinction of being the oldest as well. Its history intertwines with the remarkable and somewhat overlooked whisky distilling dynasties of the Haig and Stein families. The first recorded instance of a Haig producing whisky dates back to 1655 when Robert Haig was reprimanded by the church elders for distilling on the Sabbath. In 1751, John Haig, Robert's great-great-grandson, married Margaret Stein, whose family was already involved in whisky production at their distilleries in Kilbagie and Kennetpans.Four of John and Margaret's sons pursued distilling careers, establishing their own distilleries in central Scotland and Ireland. The youngest son, William, founded Kincaple and Seggie in Fife, while his eldest son, John, established Cameronbridge in 1824. This period witnessed rapid growth in whisky production and the emergence of new distillation methods. Prior to this, Lowland distillers were limited to producing whisky through pot stills due to technology and legal constraints. However, advancements were being made, and in 1829, John Haig installed the patent still invented by his cousin Robert Stein, who operated a similar still at Kilbagie. One of the Stein stills remained in operation at Cameronbridge until 1929.Shortly after, Irish engineer Aeneas Coffey improved upon Stein's design with his own patent still. John Haig promptly incorporated one of Coffey's stills at Cameronbridge. When Alfred Barnard visited in the 1880s, two Stein stills, two Coffey stills, and a pot still (used for making 'pot still Irish' whiskey) were operational. Despite its larger scale, Cameronbridge continues to utilize the same Coffey still design to this day.In 1865, John Haig joined forces with eight other grain distillers, formalizing their alliance as the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) in 1877. Haig collaborated with the owners of Port Dundas, Carsebridge, Glenochil, Cambus, and Kirkliston, collectively controlling 75% of Scotland's grain distilling capacity. This partnership not only granted the new company a dominant position in supply, eventually leading to a monopoly, but also the authority to set prices. Over time and through various mergers, DCL would evolve into Diageo.Cameronbridge remained a pivotal component of DCL's grain division and became Diageo's sole wholly-owned grain distillery after the closure of Port Dundas in 2010. Since 1998, the distillery has also been responsible for the production of Gordon's and Tanqueray gins, as well as Smirnoff vodka. In 2007, Cameronbridge underwent further expansion as part of a £40 million investment.Notably, Cameronbridge stood out among the grain distilleries for many years as the only one with its own brand, Cameron Brig. While other distilleries attempted their own brands, only Cameron Brig persevered. In 2014, the distillery gained prominence as the supplier of whisky for Haig Club, a single grain whisky brand associated with David Beckham and Diageo.The Farson Digital's webcam is strategically positioned within the Diageo Distillery to monitor river levels for the local fishing club and potential flooding.