Kinclaith Whisky

The Kinclaith distillery hardly suits the traditional image of a Scotch whisky distillery. Indeed, rather than being a quaint, long-established huddle of buildings, Glasgow’s last malt whisky distillery, Kinclaith lies in the Strathclyde grain distillery complex. Owned by Long John International, at the time under Seagar Evans ownership, Kinclaith was sold in 1975 to Whitbread and subsequently closed down to provide more space for the Strathclyde complex. During the Lowland distillery’s 18 years of existence, the majority of the Scotch whisky it produced was used in Long John blended products. There, naturally, have been no official releases, though there are some independent bottlings, Signatory and Gordon and MacPhail being notable in this respect. Despite its industrial surroundings, Kinclaith single malt whisky remains a rare treat. The Kinclaith distillery draws its waters from Loch Katrine, the Strathclyde complex in which Kinclaith stands was establish in 1927 and produces a copious 40m litres annually, currently under the watchful eye of Pernod Ricard since their acquisition in 2005.