March Whiskies of the Month: Scottish Heritage
Whisky is a major part of Scottish industry today and has been for hundreds of years. For our March Whiskies of the Month, we wanted to highlight other heritage industries that have shaped Scotland throughout the years. Each whisky we have chosen reveals a different connection, exploring how Scotch whisky has interacted with these industries across the country.
Lowland – Clydeside Stobcross
Clydeside is a Lowland distillery, situated on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow. In 2017, the distillery opened in the Pumphouse in the old Queen’s Dock, originally built in the 1870s to relieve pressure on already overcrowded quays in Glasgow’s city centre. With growing industrialisation, Glasgow’s ports became an essential part of Scotland’s trade, and naturally shipyards for repairing and building ships soon followed. Between 1800 and 2000, over 30,000 boats were built on the Clyde and particularly in the late 19th century, the shipyards on the banks of the Clyde were considered to be some of the best in the world.
One of the foremost Clyde shipbuilders was the firm, Robert Napier and Sons. The distillery sits just across from the site of Napier’s original shipyard and has honoured this legacy by adopting both his name for one of their core expressions and his personal mantra: “Quality, quality, quality.” Clydeside Distillery has really embraced the connection to the old Queen’s Dock, with their bottle design being based on the hulls of ships, and their font and logo inspired by the shape of the dock itself.
Tasting notes: Tropical fruit, floral notes, hint of white pepper.
Highland – Old Pulteney 12 Year Old
Another waterside distillery, Old Pulteney is positioned in Pulteneytown, an area in the south side of Wick, one of the most northeasterly towns in Scotland. Pulteneytown was developed by Sir William Pulteney of the British Fisheries Society, with the aim of building a new harbour and hub for herring fishing. The herring industry took off during the 19th century, and Wick in particular became a thriving port and the capital of herring fishing in Europe during this time. Over 1000 boats were based in Wick during the 1862 herring fishing season, to catch these ‘silver darlings.’
Old Pulteney Distillery was opened by James Henderson in 1826, employing local fishermen during the off-season and being served in the many local pubs and bars to fishermen from near and far. It is nicknamed the ‘Maritime Malt’, partially for the salty note to the whisky, but also due to the distillery’s position right on the coastline; originally the distillery was only accessible by sea, with boats taking barley into the distillery and whisky out of it!
Tasting notes: Honey, salted caramel and citrus
Speyside – Tamdhu 12 Year Old
Speyside has long been a region known for whisky, home to many of Scotland’s most famous distilleries. One of the key reasons for the boom of whisky making in Speyside was the Strathspey Railway. In 1840, the first railway line from the south to Aberdeen opened, and over the next 20 years, additional connections were built linking smaller towns to both Aberdeen and Inverness. The Strathspey Railway officially opened in 1863 between Keith and Boat of Garten as part of the line running between Inverness and Aberdeen.
As a result, many Speyside distilleries lobbied for railway stops near their warehouses. This made it easier for casks and workers to reach the distilleries, and it also allowed whisky to be transported quickly to blending houses in Perth and to Edinburgh and Glasgow for export around the world. New distilleries opening in Speyside during this period, often chose locations close to stops on the Strathspey line, such as Tamdhu, which opened in 1897. Tamdhu was in fact, built around the Dalbeallie stop, to allow sherry casks from Spain to be sent directly into the distillery grounds.
Tasting notes: Raisins, banana, cinnamon, berry jam.
Islay – Kilchoman Machir Bay
Kilchoman is a family run farm distillery on the western side of Islay, being the first distillery to open on the island in over 100 years when it was founded in 2005. They use an area of over 2300 acres for a mix of purposes; raising sheep and cattle as well as, of course, growing their own barley. Kilchoman’s farm produces up to 440 tonnes of barley each year, and each autumn’s harvest is dried on their own floor maltings, using peat harvested from the island.
The draff left over from the mashing process is used to feed the farm’s cattle, reflecting their sustainable, field‑to‑bottle approach. This farm-grown barley is the heart of their 100% Islay range. By comparison, Machir Bay and the rest of the core range, rely mainly on barley from trusted mainland maltsters, but each still includes a measure of Kilchoman’s own barley. Nowadays, it is quite rare for a distillery to complete every stage of whisky making from farming to bottling on site, but historically many farms opened small distilleries as a side business. By using excess barley crop, and creating animal feed in the meantime, this was an efficient way for farmers to make extra money during the winter.
Tasting notes: Citrus fruits, peat smoke, vanilla
Blend – J.G. Thomson Rich Blended Malt
J.G. Thomson is a blender and independent bottler based in Leith, Edinburgh. While the brand was revived in 2021, its roots stretch back to the 1700s, when J.G. Thomson & Co was one of Leith’s leading wine and whisky exporters. Situated in Leith, the closest port to the capital at the time, they were perfectly positioned to receive casks arriving into Scotland and to access whiskies heading out to international markets.
During the 19th century, blended whiskies from Leith took off in popularity, and Leith’s bonded warehouses and bottling plants made it a natural hub for Scotland’s blended whiskies.
Tasting notes: Raisins, figs, orange peel, dried spices.
Luxury – Deanston 18 Year Old
Deanston Distillery opened in 1966 on the site of an old carding mill which had been in the same spot on the bank of the River Teith for almost 200 years. Powered by the river’s flow, Deanston Cotton Mill became a leader in Scotland’s textile industry for its time, housing Europe’s largest waterwheel and adopting gas lighting long before many others.
James Smith, one of the mill’s managers, built housing for its workers nearby, creating one of the best examples of a planned company village in Scotland. This approach was echoed at other successful textile mills of the era, including New Lanark and Catrine.
Tasting notes: Raisins, figs, orange peel, dried spices.