Glasgow Distillery 1770 Single Malt Whisky
Glasgow, Scotland, is the quintessential industrial city, a place where many paths intersect and where trade, shipping, and techniques are exchanged. For whisky historians, as many as 30+ distilleries once called the city home pre-Prohibition, counting both producers and rectifiers (many of whom may have overlapped). Then, as the US market evaporated, so too did Glasgow’s whisky scene. Thirty became zero, and for nearly 100 years the city was devoid of local, made-in-Glasgow whisky.
Glasgow lies in the Lowlands, one of Scotland’s officially designated whisky regions. In my opinion, the Lowlands are the perpetual black sheep, sporting many fewer distilleries than regions like Speyside and with the ones there less famous than those on, say, Islay or the Highlands.
When I think Lowlands, I think Auchentoshan, despite there now being about a dozen active distilleries in the region that could just as easily be representative (such as Bladnoch, Daftmill, Glenkinchie, or Girvan). Rosebank deserves an honorable mention as the once-named “King of the Lowlands” while it is revived, though the original distillery hasn’t produced in decades.
Lowland whisky is generally thought of as light in character, somewhat grassy, oily, and sometimes just a bit barnyard-y. Volume-wise, it’s known more for the grain whisky produced at places like Girvan to be used in blends than for single malts. Auchentoshan, Rosebank, and the rest are starting to change that, but there is a long way to go to gain a reputation like that of Speyside or Islay (or at least a share of the market and consumer mindspace).
In exploring Glasgow Distillery, I asked Sebastian Bunford-Jones a simple question: where does “Glasgow” whisky overlap (or not) with “Lowland” whisky? Glasgow Distillery is firmly within the city limits, whereas many of its regional compatriots mentioned above are in exurban or rural areas. The best way to describe the divide, then, is to identify Glasgow Distillery’s whiskies - the 1770 line - as firmly Glaswegian, embodying not only the Lowland style in its 1770 Original but also the frequent use of peat by rectifiers in the area in the 1770 Peated and the lighter style of the Lowlands in the 1770 Triple Distilled.
As the first legal distillery in Glasgow for a century, Glasgow Distillery had to walk a fine line: embody the past and be a revival, or start fresh and potentially redefine what Lowland whisky is for a new generation of consumers. Thankfully, they chose a neither/both approach: honor the past, incorporate it when possible, but don’t be so tied to it that innovation is stifled. The result is some truly excellent whisky.
You can hear more about Glasgow Distillery’s revival and their impact on The Whiskey Ring Podcast Episode 163 with Sebastian Bunford-Jones!
At this point, I want to give a quick shoutout to the Drammers Club, through whose tasting event I got to try Glasgow Distillery for the first time.
Now, onto my notes for each of their core products. As a note, there is a dedicated wood program for each of these:
The Original is ex-bourbon maturation finished in virgin oak
The Triple Distilled is also ex-bourbon maturation finished in virgin oak
The Peated is virgin oak maturation and finished in PX sherry casks
Thank you to Glasgow Distillery for providing these bottles free of charge. The original tastings were purchased by the author. All opinions are my own.
Glasgow Distillery 1770 Single Malt Whisky “The Original”: Specs
Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Producer: Glasgow Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow Distillery 1770 “The Original” MSRP: $64.99
Glasgow Distillery 1770 Single Malt Whisky “The Original”: Tasting Notes
Eye: Golden straw, thin rims and lots of thin legs.
Nose: Oooh I like that nose! Very fresh, fresh cut grass, deep vanilla and cream soda, French vanilla ice cream, orange peel, black licorice taffy.
Palate: Palate is ambrosia fruit salad, that black licorice taffy really carrying through without being at all bitter, watermelon candies, Jolly Ranchers, the brighter notes of a pomegranate. Mouthfeel is mildly coating and medium bodied, hits in the middle of my tongue and rolls back. Sherbet, like an Irish style that’s super rich for 46%.
Finish: Finish has that beautiful mix of vanilla, black licorice, and cherry jell-o, short side of medium.
Overall: Really delicious, rare to get new mixes of flavors anymore, I want to learn more about this.
Final Rating: 7.6
Glasgow Distillery 1770 Single Malt Whisky “Triple Distilled”: Specs
Classification: Triple Distilled Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Producer: Glasgow Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow Distillery 1770 “Triple Distilled” MSRP: $64.99
Glasgow Distillery 1770 Single Malt Whisky “Triple Distilled”: Tasting Notes
Eye: Lighter, grassy hay color. No rims, barely any legs.
Nose: Nose is lighter black licorice and mint off the stem, lighter overall than the original, cherry Jolly Ranchers and jell-o. A bit more proof up the nose. Why am I getting so much pomegranate today? Intense red fruit, slightly tart.
Palate: Palate is creamy cherry ice cream, black cherries studded throughout. Meyer lemon, pink lemonade, cherry lime Rickies. Mild proof on the front third of my tongue but not the tip, mild astringency, too, pink grapefruit pith or peel expressed. Mouthfeel is deceptively filling, somewhat coating like grapeseed oil (drying and moisturizing at the same time).
Finish: Finish is lots of feeling on the back third of the tongue and throat, catches me off guard. Pink lemonade but also lots of grapefruit pith for bitterness. The dried cherries in dark chocolate come back around.
Overall: I like the original better but this has a place. Frankly, looking at my own tasting note history, I tend not to rate triple distilled whiskies as highly, likely because the mouthfeel is lighter (mouthfeel being the #1 determinant of whether I give a positive rating, statistically). So let’s say this: it is a very good whisky, and if you’re looking for a lighter profile a la Irish but with a stronger grassiness and red fruit, this is a solid pickup for low risk cost-wise.
Final Rating: 6.5
Glasgow Distillery 1770 Single Malt Whisky “Peated”: Specs
Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Producer: Glasgow Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow Distillery 1770 “Peated” MSRP: $64.99
Glasgow Distillery 1770 Single Malt Whisky “Peated”: Tasting Notes
Eye: Amber red richness, almost brown.
Nose: Oh man does that smell good. Sweet pork barbecue, deep dark woodsmoke, no dirt or earthiness. Fruitwood smoking a whole pig, so sweet and rich. A tang in the background like vinegar in a bbq sauce just to brighten and cut through the sweet richness and fattiness. I want a candle of this nose.
Palate: Palate is more fiery, less smoky, a little black pepper spice studded into pork belly or a pastrami. Lovely salinity adds so much to the flavor, heightening the rest. Diesel engines in a pleasant way. Bacon and pork drippings off a slow roasted hog. Luau in a glass. Mouthfeel is a little thinner than I’d like, carries the flavors but you can tell it could do so much more with a few more proof points. Moderately mouth filling, oily coating, sweet fruit smoke throughout. Front third of the tongue heat continues to grow.
Finish: Finish is the pork bark, crispy bits that’s sweet and crunchy and smoky all at once. Dipped in a little bbq sauce for a vinegar kick.
Overall: Wow - this is fantastic. The classic sherry-peat matchup that is a knockout when done right. Keeps getting better with each sip. If I had to buy only one of these three, it would be the Peated.
Final Rating: 6.5
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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