A large, palatial structure that has been alternately characterized as appearing like a power station and a Baltic hydropathic hotel sits on either side of two crescents of whitewashed homes, which once housed the distillery's staff. This distillery was also constructed to benefit from the rise of whiskey in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The number of stills has increased from four to eight when it first opened. All have purifiers connected, which serves to lighten the spirit and give it, when grown, a noticeably strong edge. It started being bottled as a single malt immediately after it joined the Chivas Brothers range, but despite this, it has never garnered a lot of support. However, two bottlings made exclusively for the French market in 2014 imply that this may change. The construction of Sir Albert Richardson's design, who was the president of the Royal Academy at the time, began in 1959 (Tormore started distilling in 1961). At the time, Tormore was a part of Long John Distillers, and the company's namesake mixes, which were popular in North America, mostly used its product. As a result of Allied Distillers purchasing the Long John stable in 1989, it is currently one of the malts used in Ballantine's. Currently, Chivas Brothers includes Tormore (as well as Ballantine's) (Pernod Ricard).