By George Mair
A DISTILLERY known as “the spiritual home of whisky” is set to release its first bottles of Scotch in more than 500 years - and help conserve the remains of the historic abbey where it began.
Lindores Abbey in Fife is where the first ever written record of Scotch whisky distillation took place in 1494.
Its owners reopened a distillery there in 2017, and began the process of producing Scotch.
Now, 527 years after whisky was first documented, lovers of Scotland’s national drink will be able to buy bottles of the Lindores single malt for the first time.
Matured for three years, the Lindores Single Malt MCDXCIV (1494) Commemorative release and the MCDXCIV core release will be available in shops on July 2.
Drew McKenzie Smith, founder of Lindores Abbey Distillery, said: “This is the first time in 527 years that the public can taste whisky from the spiritual home of Scotch. That was the dream, so it is the end of one journey and the start of another.”
Lindores Abbey was founded in 1191 by David Earl of Huntingdon, on land overlooking the River Tay given to him by his brother King William I.
Visited by Kings and Queens, warriors and statesmen, it is said that Sir William Wallace and 300 men took refuge there after defeating an English force in 1298.
The first written record of Scotch whisky distillation was documented in the exchequer rolls of King James IV, who commissioned ‘Fra’ (brother) John Cor of Lindores Abbey, to turn “eight bols of malt” into Aqua Vitae as it was then known.
Mr McKenzie Smith’s great grandfather bought Lindores Abbey Farm, including the ruins of the old abbey, in 1913.
It was only 20 years ago however that he discovered the location’s remarkable connection to whisky when an historian visited to research a book on the spirit and the past came to light.
Mr McKenzie Smith was inspired to reintroduce distillation to its “spiritual home”, but also to use the incredible historic link to help protect the abbey’s remains.
He said: “When I set out on this journey, my raison d’etre was to somehow preserve the abbey itself.
“It is a beautiful ruin but it’s 800-plus years old and covered in ivy. We want to preserve it for another 800 years and to do that, the whisky has to match the history.”
In 2020, Lindores Abbey Distillery won the “Best New Make Spirit” category at the World Whiskies Awards.
Mr McKenzie Smith said: “That gave us great encouragement that we were heading in the right direction. Since then we’ve done hundreds of tastings and we have a product we can be very proud of.
“The whisky-buying public around the world will hopefully, first and foremost, enjoy the whisky, but they will also be having a direct impact on conserving the abbey where whisky was first recorded.
“We already have some projects in mind to repair walls with special limestone mortar and recently commissioned a survey, which will become the first bit of serious conservation.”
The new Lowland single will be available to buy from shops ranging from Fortnum & Mason in London, to the Fife whisky specialists including Luvians Bottle Shop in Cupar and St Andrews and The Wee Couper of Fife in Anstruther.
The spirit has been described as having citrus, red fruit and a malty character on the nose, and notes of vanilla, caramel and butterscotch to taste.
The new Lowland single will be available to buy from shops ranging from Fortnum & Mason in London, to the Fife whisky specialists including Luvians Bottle Shop in Cupar and St Andrews and The Wee Couper of Fife in Anstruther.
Gary Haggart, distillery manager, said: “Just over three years ago, we began the process of making our very own Scotch whisky, with the intention of making it the very best spirit we could.
“We are delighted to have achieved our goal and are immensely proud of the outstanding single malt which we now have at Lindores -- to be able to share it with the public now is a true privilege, and we hope that they enjoy their drams as much as we enjoyed making them.”
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