Glasgow
SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > G
Glasgow Distillery
Was the first new distillery in Glasgow started in february 2015. Build by Liam Hughes, Mike Hayward and Ian McDougall and backed by Asian investors.
The first whisky produced was unpeated (50ppm), also triple distillation is practised only one month a year.
Glasgow distillery isequipped with one mash tun, 14 wash backs a 5400 ltrs with a fermentation time of a minimum of 72 hours, 2 wash stills each 2500 ltrs,
2 spirit stills each 1400 ltrs and also one 450 litr gin still produced by bcarl in Germany.
Two of the stills and seven of the wash backs are installed in Novembr 2019 double the capacity to 500.000 ltrs spirit a year.
the first product was a gin; Makar and some years they also sold whiskies under the name of Prometheus.
In 2018 came the first own product called the 1770 Glasgow Single Malt.
GLASGOW 1770 TRIPLE DISTILLED: RELEASE NO.1
SMOOTH & COMPLEX
Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Triple Distilled Release No.1, is an incredibly smooth and complex addition to the Glasgow 1770 Signature Range.
Crafted from the finest malted barley; distilled three times in our traditional copper pot stills; combined with the incredibly pure water of Loch Katrine and fully matured in virgin oak casks, Glasgow 1770 Triple Distilled Release No.1 is non-chill filtered and natural in colour, a truly sophisticated single malt.
Glasgow 1770 is always non-chill filtered and has natural colour only
DOUGLAS LAING TO BUILD GLASGOW DISTILLERY
28 July 2017
Independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co has revealed plans for a £10.7m whisky distillery in Glasgow.
Douglas Laing & Co distillery
Pacific Quay: Douglas Laing & Co's malt whisky distillery will be located at the riverside development
The as yet unnamed distillery, which will be built at the Pacific Quay development on the banks of the River Clyde adjacent to Festival Park, will produce ‘considerably more than’ 100,000 litres of single malt spirit each year.
In addition, the site will feature a whisky archive, bar and bistro, visitor centre, warehousing and bottling plant, and act as the new head office for Douglas Laing & Co’s blending and bottling operation.
The distillery will be fitted with traditional swan neck wash and spirit stills, with fermentation taking place in wooden washbacks.
Chris Leggat, finance director for Douglas Laing & Co, said the distillery will produce a ‘gritty, urban style of malt’.
‘We won’t be making a traditional Lowland whisky; the exact opposite in fact,’ he said. ‘We’ll be looking for more strength and a style more toward the Speyside and Highlands. Our whisky will be unique for one produced in the Lowland area of Scotland.
‘We’re looking at a whisky that’s designed for the palate of what we believe consumers are interested in. We’ve been making whisky for almost 70 years, so we’re playing to our strengths and maximising our knowledge of the industry.’
The family-owned and operated business, which is currently based near Finnieston in the city, is to receive a Scottish government grant of £855,000 through the Food Processing Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) grant scheme.
Cara Laing, director of whisky at Douglas Laing & Co, said the company was keen to build its own distillery in order to secure long-term stocks of its own whisky, although independent bottling would remain the core focus of the business.
Riverside development: The new distillery will sit opposite the soon-to-open Clydeside distillery
She said: ‘Instead of being perceived as an independent bottler, we will become a distiller, owning the production process from start to finish – from barley to the bottle.
‘We have long held this ambition for the company to operate its own distillery and bottling operation. We are proud of our Glasgow heritage and the company, founded and based in the city, are delighted to announce this project on the banks of the Clyde; in the heart of Glasgow.’
Due to open in late 2018, Douglas Laing & Co’s distillery will sit across the River Clyde from the soon-to-open Clydeside distillery, and will be the city’s fourth whisky distillery, joining the existing Strathclyde grain plant and Glasgow single malt distillery.
Planning is at an ‘advanced’ stage and is awaiting permission from Glasgow City Council. However, the company anticipates that work will begin on the site by the end of the year, and a name will be announced in due course.
Family affair: Douglas Laing & Co is run by Fred Laing (second right) and his daughter Cara, along with board members Danny MacLennan and Chris Leggat
‘As we approach our 70th anniversary, we are seeking the step-change which will see us relocate to help us achieve our global growth aspirations,’ Laing added.
‘It's an exciting time at Douglas Laing and this development is the perfect way to celebrate our seven decades in the whisky industry.’
Douglas Laing & Co was founded in 1948 by Cara Laing’s grandfather, Fred Douglas Laing, as a blender and bottler. The company is now run by Cara Laing and her father, Fred Laing.
In 2018, Hunter Laing & Co – the company belonging to Fred Laing’s brother, Stewart Laing – is due to open its own whisky distillery on Islay.
The Glasgow Distillery Company has launched its latest limited edition single malt, a peated Speyside whisky sourced from an unnamed distillery.
Prometheus 28-year-old from Glasgow Distillery Company
Limited release: Only 888 bottles of Prometheus 28-year-old are available
The 28-year-old whisky is the third expression in the company’s Prometheus range, which launched in 2015 with a 26-year-old, and also includes a 27-year-old expression from the same distillery.
Liam Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Glasgow distillery, said only 888 bottles would be released: ‘Only a limited number of barrels are available of this very special spirit, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.’
Matured exclusively in Sherry casks and bottled at a cask strength of 53% abv, the whisky is said to deliver ‘hints of citrus with red apple and pear’ on the nose, and ‘sweet malt, raisins and walnuts’ on the palate.
Hughes added: ‘The smoky notes deliver a unique flavour experience.’
Prometheus 28-year-old is available from Glasgow distillery’s website for £699 per 70cl bottle.
Its launch follows that of Glasgow distillery’s first single malt last month, a three-year-old whisky named 1770.
The distillery in Glasgow’s Hillington Business Park began production in March 2015
GLASGOW DISTILLERY REVEALS SIGNATURE RANGE
March 2019
Glasgow distillery will launch the 2019 edition of its 1770 single malt next month as the first expression in the brand’s Signature Range, before introducing peated and triple-distilled whiskies over the next year.
Glasgow distillery's 1770 Signature Range includes single malt, peated malt and triple-distilled malt
Three styles: The Signature Range showcases the three styles of whisky made at Glasgow distillery
The 2019 Release of the distillery’s 1770 Single Malt is an unpeated expression matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and finished in virgin oak casks, before being bottled at 46% abv.
It follows last year’s limited 2018 Release, which was launched as a limited run of only 5,000 bottles and sold via ballot to commemorate the first whisky produced in Glasgow in over 100 years.
Liam Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Glasgow distillery, said: ‘The ballot for release number one was heavily oversubscribed, so we are delighted to be able to bring the 2019 Release to the market.’
The whisky is said to evoke flavours of ‘pear, toffee, vanilla and marzipan’, with additional notes of ‘pineapple, pepper and liquorice’.
Pre-orders are now open for the 2019 Release, priced at £49 per 50cl bottle, which will ship around the UK and internationally from April.Glasgow distillery has also unveiled two further expressions which will join the 1770 Signature Range over the next 12 months.
The 1770 Peated, which is scheduled for release later this year, is being matured in ex-Sherry butts and finished in virgin oak before being bottled at 46% abv. It’s said to contain ‘smoky, chocolate, dried fruit’ notes with ‘hints of pepper’.
Flexible operation: The distillery produces three styles of single malt whisky, as well as gin
Glasgow distillery will also launch a 1770 Triple Distilled expression in ‘early 2020’.
Matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks, the whisky will also be bottled at 46% abv and is said to carry ‘floral, butterscotch and biscuit’ notes.
Both future releases will be launched as initial limited batches of ‘around’ 5,000 bottles, before being added to the Signature range in larger numbers going forward.
Hughes added: ‘Innovation is very important to us, and the announcement of the 1770 Signature Range is no different.
‘We’re proud to be one of a select few distilleries in Scotland to have three different styles of single malt as part of their core whisky offering.
‘Individually unique and collectively brilliant, the full range of 1770 Whisky will provide consumers with an understanding of what we are about at Glasgow distillery – creating handcrafted premium products to enjoy.’
Glasgow distillery was founded in 2012 in the city’s Hillingdon Business Park, and began producing single malt spirit in early 2015.
The distillery is already undergoing an expansion to increase its distilling capacity to 500,000 litres of spirit per year.
GLASGOW DISTILLERY DOUBLES WHISKY CAPACITY
August 2019
Glasgow distillery has doubled its production capacity with the installation of two new stills, which it has named after two prominent Glaswegian artists.
Glasgow distillery's stills, Margaret and Frances
Sister stills: Margaret and Frances will help Glasgow distillery increase its whisky making
The pot stills, which are the same size and shape as the distillery’s existing pair, have been installed alongside a new, 12,000-litre, stainless steel washback.
Glasgow distillery now has the ability to produce around 440,000 litres of alcohol a year, the equivalent of one million bottles of whisky.
The news follows the launch of Glasgow distillery’s first single malt, 1770, in April this year.
The expression forms the first of three new core range releases, the second of which, a peated single malt, is due for release in September 2019.
The third, a triple-distilled malt, will be launched in ‘early 2020’.
Glasgow’s two new stills have been named after sisters Margaret and Frances MacDonald, both artists living in the city in the late 19th century.
Having established a studio in the mid-1890s, the sisters became known for their industrious artworks.
They eventually collaborated with Charles Rennie Mackintosh and James Herbert MacNair, becoming collectively known as ‘the Glasgow Four’.
Liam Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Glasgow distillery, said he was inspired to name the stills after hearing about the MacDonalds’ preference for working with metal.
‘They were mastering very manual – often dirty materials – at a time when women hadn’t even achieved the vote and were socially expected to have children and be homemakers,’ he commented.
‘It seems incredibly fitting that we name our two new stills after sisters who specialised in hands-on, technical art practices such as metalwork and paved the way in traditionally male dominated practices.
‘I couldn’t help but draw some parallels between these women and women who work in the whisky industry nowadays, particularly in production.
‘In its own way, distilling is an art and is an art that is respected worldwide. But on a day-to-day basis in a distillery, it can be very hands-on and technical.
‘It is also an industry that is traditionally male dominated.’
Giving stills a female name is a tradition widely adopted by the global whisky industry.
Glasgow’s two original whisky stills are named Tara and Mhairi after relatives of the distillery’s founders.
Glasgow distillery has plans to expand further ‘in the near future’ with the installation of more washbacks.
GLASGOW DISTILLERY READIES FIRST SINGLE MALT
March 2018
The Glasgow Distillery Company has announced the launch of 1770, its inaugural single malt whisky and the first produced by an independent distillery in the city in more than a century.
Glasgow Distillery co-founders
City boys: Glasgow Distillery co-founders Liam Hughes, Mike Hayward and Ian McDougall
The single malt, which takes its name from the year that the original (and long-closed) Glasgow distillery was founded, will have a run of only 5,000 50cl bottles, allocated via a ballot with online registration.
However, a few Glaswegians will have the chance to try the whisky prior to its 3 June release date, and their comments will help shape the official tasting notes for the single malt.
Bottled non-chill-filtered at 46% abv, 1770 was matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks, then finished for a short time in virgin oak. The first casks completed their minimum ageing period of three years earlier this week.
‘Glasgow constantly influences us,’ said Liam Hughes, CEO and co-founder of The Glasgow Distillery Company.
‘When we talk about the city to those who don’t know it, we say it’s more industrious than industrial – it’s somewhere that doesn’t stand still and always strives to go one better. And that was our inspiration for 1770.’
Anyone interested in buying a bottle from 3 June should register for the ballot on the Glasgow Distillery website. The whisky will be delivered later this year.
The Glasgow tasting event will take place at the distillery on Wednesday, 21 March from 5pm. To be in with a chance of attending, people should visit the 1770 Whisky Facebook page and comment on the dedicated Glasgow Tasting post by Friday 16 March. Winners will be contacted directly.
The distillery is planning to follow 1770 with the release of peated and triple-distilled single malts in 2019 and 2020 – part of a programme of limited annual releases
GLASGOW DISTILLERY UNVEILS FIRST PEATED MALT
August 2019
Glasgow distillery has introduced its first peated whisky, which will join its new 1770 range of single malts.
Glasgow distillery 1770 peated malt no.1
Smoky starter: Glasgow distillery’s first peated malt is now available to pre-order
The 1770 Peated has been matured for around three years in first-fill ex-Sherry casks and finished in virgin oak.
Bottled at 46% abv the expression is described as having notes of ‘flamed orange zest and rich caramel toffee leading to various dark earthy fruits’.
It is the first peated bottling from the Glasgow distillery, which began operation in the Hillingdon area of the city in 2015.
Its release in late September will follow the launch of the distillery’s unpeated 1770 Single Malt in April this year.
The two expressions will be joined by a third, a triple-distilled, unpeated malt in 2020, collectively forming the Glasgow distillery 1770 range.
Liam Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Glasgow distillery, said: ‘Our peated run was originally a much smaller percentage of our overall production but when the first spirit came off the stills, the distillers told me I had to taste it.
‘Within the hour, Mike [Hayward, distillery co-founder] and I ordered three times the quantity of peated malt we had originally planned.
‘The quality of the spirit we were tasting was so good, we just knew we needed more.’
Bottles of the 1770 Peated Release No.1 are now available to pre-order from the Glasgow distillery website for £49.
Hughes added that the new 1770 range ‘shines a light on modern distilling’.
He said: ‘Glasgow is really important to us, not just because we are the Glasgow distillery, but because Glasgow is now part of a new chapter in the world of single malt Scotch whisky, which is really exciting.’
Glasgow distillery was founded in 2012 and began producing single malt in 2015.
Its opening brought malt distilling back to the city for the first time since the 1975 closure of Kinclaith, which was situated within the Strathclyde distilling complex.
After just four years of operation, Glasgow has already doubled its production capacity with the installation of two new stills
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GLASGOW SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
2 0 1 9 RELEASE
LIMITED EDITION
Non Chill Filtered
46 %
Matured in Finest First Fill ex-Bourbon Casks
& Finished in Virgin Oak
Distilled at Glesgow Distillery
Handcrafted in our copper pot stills Tara and Mhairri
1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky combines the
highest qualityrit, matured in Scottish Barley and the
Exceptionally pure water of Loch Katrine to create the
finest spirit matured in First Fill ex-Bourbon Casks
Finished in Virgin Oak and nowChill Filtered 1770 Glasgow
Single Malt is ingredibly smooth, fruity, and complex
a Single Malt of sublime quality that contiues the Rise
of a new Whisky Area in Glasgow.
Red Berries
Pear
Toffee
Vanilla
Marzipan
Biscuiy
Honey
Pineapple
Hints of Pepper Liquorice
The Glasgow Distillery Co, Deanside Road, Glasgow
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GLASGOW
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
TRIPLE DISTILLED
46 %
RELEASE NO. 1
Non Chill Filtered and Natural in Colour
Smooth and Complex
Distilled at Glasgow Distillery
Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whisky Triple Distilled Release No. 1
is an incredibly smooth and complec addition to the Glasgow Signature
Range.
Crafted from the finest malted Barley, distilled three times in our
traditional copper pot stills, combined with the incredibly pure water
of Loch Katrine and fully matured in Virgin Oak Cask Glasgow 1770
Triple Distilled Release No. 1 is Non Chill Filtered and Natural in Colour
a truly sophisticated Single Malt.
Vanilla
Toffee
Dark Chocolate
Almonds
Rich Honey
Orange
Apricots
Dried Dark Fruit
Hints of Spice & Liquorice
The Glasgow Distillery Co, Deanside Road, Glasgow
GLASGOW 1770 SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Glasgow 1770 is our signature single malt and demonstrates our commitment to authenticity and quality, realising our mission as contemporary urban distillers. Honouring the heritage of single malt distilling in Glasgow by using the date 1770, paying homage to the original foundation of Glasgow Distillery, before it's closure in the 20th Century.
Proudly handcrafted in our special copper pot stills, christened: Tara, Mhairi, Margaret and Frances. Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch Whiskies combine the finest Scottish barley and the exceptionally pure water of Loch Katrine to create the finest spirit.
Matured in the finest casks, always non-chill filtered and only ever natural in colour, the Glasgow 1770 Signature Range consists of: The Original, Peated and Triple Distilled; three single malts of sublime quality that have successfully brought single malt whisky back to the city of Glasgow.
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GLASGOW
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
PEATED
RELEASE No. 1
46 %
Matured in First Fill ex – Shery Butts
and Finished in Virgin Casks
Glasgow Distillery
1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Peated Release No. 1 is a bold smoky addition
to The 1770 Range. The Finest Malted Barley
is smoked to 50 ppm with the aromatic heather
rich peat of the Scottish Higlands combined
with the exceptionally pure water of Loch Katrine
and distilled in our copper pot stills Tara and
Mhairi matured in First Fill ex – Sherry Butts,
Finished in Virgin Oak and Non Chill Filtered
.
1770 Peated Release No. 1 is a sublime and
Sophisticated Smoky Single Malt
Smoky
Vanilla
Toffee Apple
Clementine
Dried Apricots
Cocoa Nibs
Macadamia
Hints of Pepper Spice
and Dried Fruits
The Glasgow Distillery Co
Deanside Road Glasgow
THE GLASGOW DISTILLERY COMPANY
SCOTTISH WHISKY DISTILLERY OF THE YEAR 2020
Embracing the pioneering spirit of Scotland’s first licensed distillers, The Glasgow Distillery Company adopts its name from one of Glasgow’s original distilleries. In 1770, The Glasgow Distillery Company was founded at Dundashill and remained active until consequent closure at the beginning of the 20th Century.
In 2014 The Glasgow Distillery Company re-opened becoming the first Single Malt Whisky Distillery in Glasgow for over 100 years. The Glasgow Distillery Company is re-establishing the metropolitan Scotch Malt Whisky tradition alongside the great whisky regions and bringing Glasgow Malt Whisky back to life!
Founders Liam Hughes, Mike Hayward and Ian McDougall, hope that the establishment of the first Glasgow Distillery heralds the start of a whole new age of distilling in Glasgow…
The Glasgow Distillery Company passionately invests in the best distilling equipment, sources the finest ingredients, best casks from around the world and employs an innovative team of skilled distillers. The result is a wide portfolio of handcrafted premium spirits that are available around the world.
The distilling magic happens within our unique copper pot stills christened: 'Annie', 'Mhairi' and 'Tara' - after family members of the three founders - and 'Margaret' and 'Frances', named after two of Glasgow’s most influential female artists and sisters, Margaret and Frances MacDonald.
Creating multi-award winning spirits such as Makar Cherry Gin World's Best Flavoured Gin, an Internationally acclaimed GOLD award Glasgow 1770 Single Malt Scotch WhiskyS
OUR GLASGOW CITY CENTRE POP UP IS OPEN
The Glasgow Distillery Festive Pop-Up is open in the beautiful Princes Square Shopping Centre.
Located on the ground floor, accessible directly from Buchanan Street, find our pop-up within the mall walkway between Hotel Chocolat, Levis and Reiss.
Open daily from 10am - 6pm, (with extended hours to be announced closer to Christmas) our Glasgow city centre experience is the perfect place to discover our range of premium spirits and gifts.
Speak to our team of experts who will guide you through our range of products and help you find the right bottle or gift.
At the shop, we are offering our popular Personalised bottles of Glasgow 1770 The Original and Peated - work with a team member to write your bespoke message on both the bottle label and the carton label and have them printed and applied whilst you wait.
Back after a sell-out success last year are our Glasgow 1770 Whisky Crackers, which each contain a 5cl miniature of either The Original of Peated single malt, a limited amount have been produced so grab one from the shop or online quickly before they're gone!
When purchasing from our shop you will have the option to have your item(s) wrapped in branded tissue paper and presented in a luxury gift bag, free of charge. All of our products (including Limited Edition releases) are available for sampling at the shop - so you can try them before you buy!
Capacity is 365.000 Ltrs
Today we’re delighted to present the next two releases in our Small Batch Series; two limited edition unpeated single malts that are both initially matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks before undergoing intriguing cask finishes.
As the second set of releases within our Small Batch Series, these two casks provide a focus on our unpeated single malt style and continue our exploration of flavour within whisky.
Golden Beer Cask Finish and Tokaji Cask Finish are both available from today on our online shop, will be stocked at our pop-up festive shop in Princes Square from tomorrow (Thursday 8th of December) and will soon be available within select specialist retailers. Discover more about each below:
GLASGOW 1770 GOLDEN BEER CASK FINISH
Unpeated | 356 Bottles | 58.5% ABV | 70cl
This unique expression is our first foray into beer finishes. Our fruity new make spirit was filled into a first fill ex-bourbon barrel on the 17th of April 2019. On the 9th of June this year, 2022, we filled this spirit into a Pedro Ximénez sherry hogshead that was used to mature Innis & Gunn’s Original Beer for 3 months. We bottled the contents on the 13th of October 2022.
The result is a lovely rich sherry influenced unpeated whisky with notes of dark fruits, sticky toffee and rich vanilla with a dry and hoppy finish gained from the 4 month beer finish
GLASGOW 1770 TOKAJI CASK FINISH
Unpeated | 210 Bottles | 58.1% ABV | 70cl
Cask no. 18/989 was filled with our new make spirit on the 5th of August 2018 into a first fill ex-bourbon cask before being moved into a Hungarian Tokaji sweet white wine hogshead on the 12th of January 2021. Bottled on the 14th of October 2022, this release showcases our hands-on distillation style balanced with an interesting and rare cask influence. Lovely rich honeycomb and shortbread notes are gained from the bourbon cask with a powerful fruity spice contributed by the Tokaji influence. Exceptional.