The Clydeside Distillery

Ever since the Kinclaith stills at Strathclyde fell silent, Glasgow has been without a malt whisky distillery. The city's whisky renaissance recently took another step forward with The Clydeside, the second distillery to open there in over 100 years. Owners, Morrison Glasgow Distillers have been synonymous with single malts for generations. The family’s independent bottling business, A.D. Rattray, traces its roots back to 1868. For their latest project, the family worked closely with the late Dr. Jim Swan to refine wood selections and develop a ‘light but fruity spirit’, less grassy than other Lowland malts, instead veering toward a spicier Speysider. The concept was "...to reflect Glasgow’s past in bringing tobacco and spices to the UK." An inaugural distillation took place on the 6th November 2017 and the distillery's first whisky was bottled in 2021.

Like other newcomers (think Lochlea, Raasay or The Hearach), Clydeside's presentation is sleek and modern, designed to stand out on the shelves. A nautical theme is evident on the labels, split in half by a horizontal stripe, echoing the Plimsoll line along a ship’s side indicating the maximum depth to which it may be safely immersed when loaded with cargo. The whiskies arrive reasonably priced and it's pleasing to note that they're bottled at a minimum of 46%, without chill filtration.