Single malt whisky distillery opens in Glasgow

Liam Hughes and Ian McDougall from The Glasgow Distillery Company. Picture: Hemedia

Craft spirits producer, The Glasgow Distillery Company, which launched its first spirit, Makar Gin, last year is now branching out into the whisky market.

The company recently acquired its state-of-the-art distillation equipment, including a wash and spirit stills, and production of a single malt has now begun.

A release date and a name for the whisky have not been set, but the firm revealed it will produce almost 100,000 litres a year.

Drinks industry veterans Liam Hughes and Ian McDougall decided to launch the spirit after realising there was growing interest in the UK for craft drinks and a market gap in Glasgow.

Liam said: “The last single malt distillery in Glasgow closed in 1903, so it’s been more than a hundred years since the city had its very own single malt distillery.

“With the rise of craft distilleries in the US there’s been a lot of new distillers opening in the UK, and right across the globe there’s a huge interest in craft distillers, so it became our inspiration to make our own.

“There used to be 40 distilleries in Glasgow but they all closed down and the last one closed in 1903, so we were able to use that to call ourselves the Glasgow Distillery Company.”

The Glasgow Distillery Company, which has unveiled a new distillery in the city. Picture: Hemedia

As well as sourcing the “best available equipment”, the company will be guided by consultant distiller David Robertson, formerly of Macallan whisky.

The spirit will be left to rest in ex-bourbon casks and kept in the company’s Glasgow-based warehouse for at least three years.

Liam said: “We’ve sourced some fantastic modern stills and people who are the best in the market to help us set everything in place and get the ball rolling.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from people abroad who are contacting us as there are not many new distillers which have opened in Scotland over the last few years.

“This has made people very excited to follow our progress and see what we’re going to come up with as we move forward.

“People keep asking when it is going to be ready, but I just have to tell them ‘when it’s ready’ because I really don’t know the exact date.

“By law it has to stay in wooden casks for three years before you can sell it as whisky so it will be a few years before we can expect to start selling it to the public.”