Previously, when visitors to Glasgow would ask about whisky made in the city, the closest they would get would be to be given a dram from Auchentoshan down near Clydebank, or Glengoyne to the north of the city.
However that all changed in 2014, when the Glasgow Distillery Co. opened, becoming the first independent distillery to open in the city in more than a century.
What's more, once they'd set about creating their award-winning Makar Gin, they then released what was Glasgow's first major single malt since the last single malt distillery closed in 1902.
The first edition of the Glasgow 1770 whisky, named for the year the original Glasgow Distillery was founded, was released in 2018, and since then they have released not one but three core whiskies – the original, a peated expression and a triple distilled expression – for people to enjoy.
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However, unlike the Clydeside Distillery site close to the SEC on the banks of the River Clyde, which was set up with tourism in mind, the Glasgow Distillery Co. opened in the southside at Hillington Industrial Estate with a singular focus on production, that has since seen them release not only Makar Gin and the Glasgow 1770 range but also a blended malt whisky, a vodka and a selection of rums.
Global Marketing Manager Seb Bunford Jones stated: "From the beginning, our founders Liam Hughes and Mike Hayward really wanted to create a diverse range of premium spirits, and while single malt whisky is the most prominent, we also produce Makar Gin, Banditti Rum and G52 Vodka – which contains no artificial flavours or sugars.
"It was really important for us to have a wide variety so that when we were talking to distributors around the world, or speaking to bars in and around Glasgow and further afield, we were able to offer them a great quality single malt from Glasgow but also a range of other spirits too."
And this has led to them being a bit of a hidden gem, with many Glaswegians not really knowing where their proud new single malt hails from in the city, due to the fact that the distillery isn't set up for visitors.
As Seb explains: "Currently, we are just a small team of 16 based in Hillington, and while we would love to welcome visitors to us and we get a lot of requests to come and visit our distillery, we are not quite able to accommodate them just yet.
"However, we are in the process of expanding our site, so watch this space."
More exciting times ahead for Glasgow's whisky fans it seems, and in the meantime, you can aways enjoy their exciting Glasgow 1770 Single Malt whiskies. Slainté!
