Belview
A distillery briefly active in the ‘Glasgow collection area’ in the 1820s.
Glasgow
Distillery
Glasgow’s first standalone malt distillery for over 100 years has its own ‘metropolitan’ style.
Glasgow distillery
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The spirit produced by Glasgow distillery’s two copper pot stills is light and fruity, and following maturation in ex-Bourbon casks will result in a whisky typical of a Speyside distillery. However, with no precedent of a typical Glaswegian whisky style to work from, the distillery’s founders are keen to forge their own ‘metropolitan’ style. The team are already distilling both peated and unpeated malt, and experimenting with laying whisky down for full maturation in ex-Port and Sauternes casks.
Glasgow History
Glasgow was once a city with a vibrant distilling trade, but by the 21st century only one distillery (Strathclyde, which produces grain whisky) remained.
In 2012 the Glasgow Distillery Company was formed to bring malt whisky distilling back to the city for the first time in 37 years, following the closure of Kinclaith distillery, situated within Strathclyde’s walls, in 1975.
By the following year the group leased a site at Glasgow’s Hillington Business Park in and initially installed a single still to kickstart production of its Makar Gin immediately. The brand was launched in late 2014 and is now exported to several overseas markets in Europe and the US.
Malt whisky production began in spring 2015, and the distillery’s first single malt was released as a limited edition in 2018.
The first widely available release was launched in April 2019 as part of the 1770 range, which will also feature a peated malt and a triple-distilled whisky.
In June 2018, Glasgow distillery announced plans to double its production capacity to more than 1m bottles a year ahead of schedule, with the installation of two new copper pot stills from Carl in Germany – exact replicas of the plant’s existing pair. Seven washbacks would also be added, taking the total to 11.
Glasgow Facts
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- Capacity (mlpa) i
- 0.4
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- Condenser Type i
- Shell and tube
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- Fermentation Time i
- 72 hours
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- Filling Strength i
- 63.40%
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- Grist Weight (t) i
- 1.1
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- Heat Source i
- Steam
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- Malt Specification i
- Peated and unpeated
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- Malt Supplier i
- Various
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- Mash Tun Type i
- Lauter
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- New-make Strength i
- 68%
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- Single Malt Percentage i
- 100%
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- Spirit Still Charge (l) i
- 1,400
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- Spirit Still Shape i
- Boiling ball, descending lyne arm
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- Spirit Still Size (l) i
- 1,400
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- Stills i
- 4
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- Warehousing i
- On-site
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- Wash Still Charge (l) i
- 2,400
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- Wash Still Shape i
- Boiling ball, descending lyne arm
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- Wash Still Size (l) i
- 2,400
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- Washback Charge (l) i
- 4,800
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- Washback Size (l) i
- 5,600 (one at 12,000)
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- Washback Type i
- Stainless steel
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- Washbacks i
- 5
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- Water Source i
- Loch Katrine
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- Wort Clarity i
- Clear
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- Yeast Type i
- Various
Owner
Current owner
- The Glasgow Distillery Company 2013 - present
Contact
- Address
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Hillington Business Park
1 Ainslie Rd
Glasgow
G52 4RU
United Kingdom - Visitor Opening Hours
- Not open to the public
Map
See also
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Distillery
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Distiller
Glasgow Distillery Company
Modern group created to build and operate Glasgow’s first distillery for over 100 years.
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Distiller
Morrison Glasgow Distillers
Holding company overseeing the construction and operation of the Clydeside distillery in Glasgow.