From one of Scotland's smallest distilleries comes one of the country's mightiest malts. That’s the tagline for Strathearn Distillery, operated by family-owned bottler Douglas Laing, who purchased the distillery outright for an undisclosed sum in October 2019 – making it the company’s first distillery acquisition. The distillery is located in the village of Methven, close to Crieff in Highland Perthshire, an area with a rich whisky-distilling heritage.
The Highland single malt Scotch whisky is produced in small batches from Maris Otter malt, making one of if not the only distillery to still this grain, one which produces a creamy, malty new-make spirit. It’s mixed with local Highland water in one of Scotland’s smallest mash tuns and then undergoes a long fermentation of 144 hours. The liquid is then distilled in a slow and deliberate way in an 800-litre wash still, and a spirit still with a 400-litre charge, with spirit cut points determined by taste, not alcohol strength. Strathean fills first-fill bourbon, wine, port and sherry casks and each whisky is bottled without colouring or chill-filtration. The company also bottles its new make so you can get an idea of what to expect from the spirit.