A LANDMARK in Scotch whisky distilling has been reached today with the launch of the first single malt from a Glasgow distillery in more than a century.
The Glasgow Distillery Company will release just 5,000 bottles of its 1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which are expected to be quickly snapped up by collectors around the world.
It is the first Scotch whisky to be brought to market by the company following its launch by Ian McDougall, Liam Hughes and Mike Hayward, with heavyweight financial backing from the Far East, in 2014.
A spirit made can only legally be sold as Scotch whisky if it has been matured in Scotland in oak casks for at minimum of three years.
The Glasgow company, based in Hillington, has named its whisky 1770 in tribute to the original but long since defunct Glasgow Distillery which was founded that year.
Billed as the “new spirit of Glasgow”, the single malt is described as “refreshing and warming, with hints of pear, rhubarb and custard on the nose, and a lingering peppery yet sweet finish”. It was laid down in first fill ex-bourbon casks and finished in virgin oak for a short period, with a strength of 46 per cent alcohol by volume.
The whisky, priced £100 a bottle, will be allocated by ballot. Potential purchasers are required to register online at the distiller’s website from today. The ballot will be held on June 3.
Mr McDougall said he expects the 5,000, 50cl bottles to end up in the hands of collectors. “Because it is the first whisky [from Glasgow] in 100 years, we see a lot of people buying this to put away as a collector’s item,” he said.
The Glasgow company, which was the first independent distiller to open in the city since 1902, intends to follow its debut dram with further releases in 2019 and 2020. While its first release is a non-peated whisky, it plans to introduce a peated malt next year and follow that with a triple-distilled whisky the year after. Further, annual limited-edition whiskies are planned beyond that.
Asked whether the company would be introducing a core range based on specific age statements, such as 10 or 15-year-old, Mr McDougall said its releases would be shaped by consumer demand.
“We will let the market decide,” he said.
“We are keen not to say our whisky will be a five-year-old, an eight-year-old or a 10-year-old, because we don’t know how it is going to mature. We are not going to pin it down.
“We are releasing some spirit this year because it is really, really good, it’s fantastic. Then we will see what the market thinks.”
The spirit comes with the long-term growth potential for Scotch whisky continuing to look promising, Mr McDougall said, particularly for single malt. “The market for malt is growing and the market for blended [Scotch] has probably reduced a wee bit,” he said. “The market for craft spirits in general is in growth, so I think we are in a good spot.”
He noted that protecting Scotch whisky throughout the Brexit process is a paramount objective for the industry but conceded that, at company level, there is not much he and his colleagues can do it influence it. “We’re just cracking on and doing what we can do. Hopefully that [Brexit] will take care of itself.”
More broadly Mr McDougall, who also runs Glasgow-based accountancy practice McDougall Johnstone, signalled the owners’ satisfaction with the progress the distiller had made since its launch in August 2014.
The company now employs 28 staff and expects to take on more this year. It is also looking to add further its products to its range, which currently includes the award-winning Makar gin range that is performing well in markets such as the US and Scandinavia. The company also makes a craft vodka, G52.
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