PHOTOS: The ruins of an old Scotch whisky distillery

(Forests and Lands Scotland/AOC Archaeology)

These ruined stone buildings tucked away in the forests of the Scottish Highlands would have been ideal for making illicit whisky.

These ancient buildings, which date back to the 17th century, were virtually forgotten until the Scottish *** agency Forests and Lands planned a digital survey of the site in order to harvest trees near the loch, 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Glasgow, and a local historical organization told the agency about the ruined buildings.

Highland Whisky (Edwin Landseer)

Making whisky from malted barley is a traditional agricultural activity in the Highlands of Scotland.

But *** small whisky stills were banned from the late 17th century, and heavy taxes were levied to monetize the whisky trade from them. Many Highlanders responded by making whisky illegally where *** they could not find it.

*** Smugglers (Getty Research Institute)

*** Officials known as "smugglers" - tax enforcers - searched for and confiscated illegal whisky and distillers in the Scottish Highlands. Scottish Highlands to seize illegal whisky and distilling equipment.

Excise officers enforced taxes and prevented smuggling; they often became a hated figure in Scottish society as a result.

Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, who was a smuggler himself, wrote a song suggesting that many smugglers should go to hell:

Historical map of Dale (Ordnance Survey 1860-1863)

Hidden in the forests above the loch, the stone buildings are not entirely unknown.

This 1860s map shows them as two groups of farm buildings, a few hundred feet apart: the Great Bruch and the Little Bruch, or week, the Bruch-Scottish word Bruch denoting a medieval landholding.

Stone ruins (Scotland's forests and lands)

Today, both sets of stone buildings lie in ruins in the forest. Their roofs have now collapsed, but the stone walls are well preserved.

This is a review of the smaller of the two groups of buildings, from Wee Bruach in the south-west.

Forest Setting (Forests and Lands of Scotland/AOC Archaeology)

While investigating using a digital laser scanner, the archaeologists took care to emphasize the Douglas fir forest around the ruined buildings, a distinguishing feature of the site.

Three-dimensional laser scans of the buildings were combined with laser scans of the surrounding forest to give an overall map of the site.

Destroyed kilns (Image credit: Forest and Land Archaeology Scotland/AOC Of particular interest

are the two large brick kilns, one next to each group of farmhouses, which could have been used to dry the grain grown, or to roast barley for whisky.

The head of the kiln at Week Bruch has collapsed, but its central chamber or bowl is intact; and the central bowl of the kiln at Great Bruch has collapsed, but its front and flue are intact.

Grain Drying Kiln (Forest and Land Archaeology Scotland/AOC Archaeology)

By combining digital data from laser scans of the two destroyed kilns, archaeologists have been able to reconstruct the appearance of a complete kiln.

Artist's impression (Forests and Lands Scotland/Alan Blaby)

The smaller of the two destroyed sets, the ones at Bruch on Monday, are more complete.

Laser-scanned 3D data of the buildings of Bruach Week has now been used to create an artist's impression of what it might have looked like in the late 18th and early 18th centuries.

Wee Bruach (Forests and Lands of Scotland/Alan Braby)

The artist's Interpretation shows that the building at Bruach of the Week was a working sheep farm, which, on the face of it, was a legitimate activity.

, but at the same time, it may be hiding its most lucrative enterprise from the *** tax man - illegal whiskey distilling."