Menstrie is a village in the area of Clackmannanshire in Scotland. It is about 5 miles (8 kilometres) east-north-east of Stirling and is among a string of towns that, because of their area at the base of the Ochil Hills, are collectively described as the Hillfoots Villages or just The Hillfoots. The owners of Menstrie as soon as processed woollen from lamb farmed on the Ochils. In 1800, entrepreneurs from Tullibody set up a carding and rotating mill on the east side of the Menstrie Burn to manipulate its soft water as well as power, absent from their very own town. In the early 19th century a straight road was built on the flat ground of the carse or floodplain to by-pass the old Hillfoots Road and also improve the transportation of products to and from the Hillfoots villages. Menstrie's Long Row as well as Ochil Road rest on the old course along the foot of capitals. The new road, currently the A91, came to be an emphasis for building and construction of churches, homes, mills and also shops. By the mid-19th century, the Elmbank and also Forthvale mills stayed in business on either side of the Menstrie Burn. In 1841, Menstrie's population had to do with 500 but had actually raised to more than 900 by 1881. In the 1860s a business, which included the owners of local mills and a distillery, financed a branch railway line via Menstrie to a terminus in Alva. This joined the old North British Railway (N.B.R.) line between Alloa and also Stirling at Cambus. Menstrie had its own traveler station at the North end of Tullibody Road. Practically nothing of the station remains and also the train branch line, which continued to lug products after the Beeching Axe, fell under disuse throughout the mid-1980s in favour of road transport. The Glenochil Distillery had opened up in the middle 18th century on the site of the Doll Farm to the east of the village, beside the Dams Burn. Manufacturing has actually continued on this site for more than 250 years though production of whisky stopped about 1930. Yeast, initially a by-product of whisky fermentation, had slowly end up being the major item and went with manufacture of whisky and bread. Soft water, locally readily available, is still valuable. An extensive bound storehouse location remains for storage of whisky as it grows in barrels before bottling, while bakers' yeast has actually given way to fermentation products originated from yeast. The whisky as well as yeast organisations are currently operated by separate firms, specifically Diageo, (followers to Distillers Company) and also Kerry Group. The last carries out product development in addition to making at the Menstrie site. Elmbank Mill, Menstrie in March 2010. The Forthvale Mill no longer stands but the Elmbank Mill, having actually been used for some years as offices by the Water Board, now houses local business. A furniture manufacturing facility, The Charrier, stood near the Menstrie Burn yet was destroyed by fire in about 1968. A street nearby currently births its name. In the mid-20th Century, Menstrie (pop. 1200 - 1300) was home to families whose menfolk worked the Clackmannanshire Coalfield and other mines in Central Scotland. As the mining and also textile markets have decreased, Menstrie has actually become a commuter dorm, topping the surrounding farmland. At the Censuses in 1991, 2001 as well as 2011, Menstrie's population was 2274, 2083 and 2804 respectively. For 2016, the population was approximated as 2872.