Category: distillery visit

Distillery Visit | Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey is one of the gems of the American whiskey industry and home to a family dynasty that spans three generations. Recently, Matt was invited to Kentucky to visit the distillery and new visitor centre, which are about one hour’s drive south of…



Wild Turkey is one of the gems of the American whiskey industry and home to a family dynasty that spans three generations. Recently, Matt was invited to Kentucky to visit the distillery and new visitor centre, which are about one hour's drive south of Louisville, and meet the names behind the brand.

________

When driving through Kentucky in May you could almost think you were in Scotland. Green rolling hills and farms zip by. But once you hit the town of Lawrenceburg, where the Wild Turkey distillery is located, this changes. Now you are definitely NOT in Scotland. The quaint main street is lined on either side with old colonial buildings, each adorned with a fluttering Stars & Stripes flag. Now you know that you are well and truly in Kentucky - the heartbeat of the American whiskey industry. 

Wild Turkey is located on the edge of Lawrenceburg and is one of two distilleries in the town - Four Roses is the other. It is a huge facility and a site that boasts a distillery capable of producing a staggering 41.5 million litres (11 million US gallons) of whiskey per year, 32 rick houses (that’s the American name for a whiskey warehouse) and a brand-new visitor centre to welcome tourists and whiskey fans alike. 

The Wild turkey brand has a slightly unorthodox history. It was first bottled by spirits wholesaler Austin Nichols in 1941 and featured whiskey from the Old Hickory distillery in Tyrone, Kentucky. Its origin is said to have come from the previous year when an Austin Nichols executive took some cask samples for guests on a turkey shoot. When he got asked back the following year, he was asked to bring more of "that wild turkey bourbon". The rest is history. 

Vintage bottles of Wild Turkey dating from the 1960s to early 2000s.

Fast forward 70 years and Wild Turkey is now one of the best-selling and most-awarded bourbon whiskey brands in the world. The current distillery was built in 2010, just one year after owners Gruppo Campari took control of the brand. They are also in the process of building a massive extension which is due to open in 2026 and will increase capacity by 50%. Most of the time is spent producing their famous bourbon, with 2-3 days per month allocated to the production of rye whiskey.

Bruce Russell, our tour guide and host, with Matt.

Our guide was Bruce Russell, the brand's Associate Blender, who took us through each stage of the whiskey making process. Wild Turkey bourbon has a mash bill - the name given to the mixture of cereals used - of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley. Their rye whiskey on the other hand has a mash bill of 52% rye, 36% corn and 12% malted barley. The first part of the process for making their bourbon, which was what was being sees the cereals are put through a hammer mill – this apparatus is common in American whiskey production and gives a courser grind than a Scottish roller mill. It is also often used in brewing beer. 

The cereals are cooked, rather than mashed as they are in Scotland, to extract the desired enzymes and sugars. This is a key difference between whiskey production in America and elsewhere. The corn takes the longest time and requires the highest temperature (around 200C), then the rye is added and the temperature lowered, and finally the malted barley. The temperature is lowered further. 

One of the cookers at Wild Turkey.

The mash is cooled before being transferred to an open top fermenters (these are called washbacks in Scotland). There are 24 of these at Wild Turkey and each holds a whopping 30,000 US gallons (113,500 litres). The proprietary yeast strain, which is recorded to date from just after Prohibition, is added and left for just over three days (78-80 hours). This converts all natural sugars to alcohol with the result a 12-15% ABV ‘beer’ – this is higher than wash produced in Scotland, which is around 7-8% ABV.

The fermenters.

The still at Wild Turkey is absolutely HUGE. There are no picturesque copper pot stills here as you find in a Scotch single malt distillery. This is a column still standing 52 feet tall (15.8 metres) but with just a 5-foot diameter (1.5 metre). It is operated 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The alcoholic beer is heated, solids and all, and evaporates before being condensed back to a higher percentage spirit. 

The column still and spirit safes.

The first distillate is redistilled a second time.The distillery runs the still at a very high temperature to create the desired lower strength of spirit (the legal maximum for bourbon is 160 Proof/ 80% ABV). Wild Turkey comes off its second distillation at 130 Proof/ 65% ABV). This is then reduced further to 115 Proof/ 57.5% ABV with water, before being put to barrel for maturation. Oh, and when we say ‘very high temperature’, we mean it - that still house was the hottest EVER. It was absolutely roasting in there. 

Rickhouse A.

Next is a visit to Rickhouse A, which dates from the 1880s. They have 32 in total on site, which are massive and have many casks stored on racking. The ones at Wild Turkey are five storeys high and can hold 15,000 barrels at any one time. The temperature rises with each storey as you climb up. They also have several palletised rickhouses, where casks are stacked up to the roof. These hold 20,000 barrels. The scale is immense. Our group was treated to a sampling straight from two barrels - both eight years old, one bourbon and one rye.

Bruce pulling a bourbon sample for us from a barrel.

Brands such as Wild Turkey supply their used barrels to many locations once emptied. The law states that bourbon can only be matured in new American oak, therefore casks cannot be used a second time. This may seem like a waste, but many go to Scotland to be filled with Scotch whisky. Also, to Ireland, Japan and other whisky producing countries. Other outlets include the Caribbean for rum maturation, France for Cognac and Mexico for tequila and mezcal. 

The newly opened visitor centre is excellent also – contemporary, welcoming and uses the space well. You have to drive past the imposing distillery buildings to reach it and it overlooks the Kentucky River. What a great spot. The visitor centre is named after Jimmy Russell, the legendary Bourbon Hall of Famer who began working at the distillery in 1954 and still visits almost daily. He was there on the day of our visit too, greeting and chatting with visitors and signing bottles. His son Eddie (who began at the distillery in 1981) is the current Master Distiller, with his grandson Bruce, our guide, waiting in the wings. The Russells are a true whiskey dynasty and it was a pleasure to meet them all. 

The Russell family (left to right) - Bruce, Jimmy and Eddie.

The visitor centre is impressive and features a digital timeline wall. This tracks the history of Wild Turkey and the Russells from the brand's inception back in the 1940s. There is also a mezzanine bar that gives fantastic views to the Kentucky River and serves some great cocktails (both classic and contemporary), two bespoke tasting rooms and a well-stocked shop. There is also a lovely outdoor space with fire pit and dining area for enjoying a cocktail or two at leisure. 

The Wild Turkey distillery forms part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, with the new visitor centre one of its prized jewels. The Trail was founded in 1999 by the Kentucky Distillers Association (KDA) with just seven distilleries, including Wild Turkey. Now, as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, it has expanded that number to 46. This includes traditional names, rejuvenated brands and craft artisinal distillers. The Trail attracts 2.5 million people per year and is a massive boost to Kentucky's economy, contributing an estimated $9 million.

The entrance to the visitor centre.

This visit to Wild Turkey was great and anyone of you that are in Kentucky definitely need to swing by for a tour and tasting. You will get the warmest of welcomes, generous pours and see everything for yourself. It was also fascinating to swap the familiarity of the Scotch whisky process with that of bourbon, and witness the key differences at every stage. A huge thank you to Bruce for his amazing insight and knowledge, and to the rest of the team for making everything so memorable.

Visitor Information

  • Visitor Centre opening hours - Monday & Tuesday: closed, Wednesday to Saturday: 9am - 5pm, Sunday: midday to 4pm. Also closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. 
  • Last pour at the cocktail bar one hour before Visitor Centre closing time.
  • Tours - Distillery Tour: $25 daily, Wild Turkey Premium Bourbon Tasting: $45 daily, Russell's Reserve Connoisseur Whiskey Tasting: $45 daily, Russell's Reserve Immersive Experience: $65 selected dates only.
  • Tickets available to purchase in advance via the Wild Turkey website - click here.
  • For further information on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail - click here.

Distillery Visit | Lochlea


The rolling hills of rural Ayrshire are home to one of Scotland’s most up-and-coming new single malt distilleries – Lochlea. The distillery is one of very few in Scotland to operate a true ‘field to bottle’ policy and they are beginning to make waves in the Scotch whisky world and beyond with a series of impressive early releases. Last Autumn, Matt was invited to pay a visit. 

________

The journey to Lochlea was met with very poor weather, often described in Scotland as ‘driech’. A bumpy flight from London and the following drive to the distillery through torrential rain were fairly brutal. Hats off to Sarah from Lochlea’s marketing team who came to pick us up from Glasgow and got us to the distillery safely. She really pulled the short straw that day. 

The Lochlea Distilling Co. was founded in 2015 by Neil McGeoch. Located to the south of Kilmarnock, he converted the 300 year old Lochlea Farm from beef production to growing barley for whisky making. He had taken over the farm several years earlier in 2006 but was intrigued by how to diversify and make the farm more profitable. The distillery is in the old piggery with two cattle sheds repurposed as maturation warehouses. 

The independent family-owned distillery has an annual production capacity of 200,000 litres. Production began in late-2017 with the Lochlea First Release launching in early 2022. One of keys to their initial success – they have been taken to the hearts of many whisky fans and won several impressive awards – is that all barley used for whisky production is grown on the farm. This equates to 600 tonnes per annum.

The barley for production in 2024 had been harvested just a couple of weeks prior to the visit. This year’s crop was of Laureate, a high yielding variety of spring barley. It is difficult to imagine what 600 tonnes of barley looks like until faced with it, spread across three bays in a large storage shed. And it is an impressive and slightly imposing sight. Each grain is stored at the distillery until required, with the temperate climate keeping the barley dormant.

The grain store.

Three times a year the barley is sent to Bairds for malting. This happens in 200 tonne batches, which are returned to the distillery and used as needed. It was interesting to hear that a longer term plan to open traditional floor maltings at the distillery is being considered. Only two distilleries of the 140+ making single malt in Scotland grow all of their own barley. Daftmill in Fife is the other.

The mash tun takes two tonnes of milled malt per batch. Warm water is added in three stages – at 64.5°C, then 85°C then again at 85°C – to extract the soluble sugars from the grains. Rakes stir the mash each time with the aim to create a semi-clear wort – the sugary solution that is taken to the next stage of the process. A semi-clear wort gives biscuity, cereal and green fruity notes.

The mash tun.

Six washbacks are used for fermentation. These are constructed of Douglas Fir and have a capacity of 15,000 litres. However, each is only filled to 10,000 litres per batch. Dried Mauri yeast is added to kickstart fermentation. Lochlea operates two short and three long fermentations per week, at 66 and 116 hours respectively. Once distilled, each batch is then married in the filling store for consistency.

The wooden washbacks with spirit safe and stills.

Lochlea has one pair of copper pot stills – the larger wash still has a 10,000 litre capacity and the smaller spirit still 6,700 litres. They are hand operated, as most of the distillery processes are, and steam controlled. Slow distillation is practiced to maintain high ester levels for a fruity final spirit. The wash is distilled to around 25% ABV then re-distilled to be taken off the spirit still at 67% ABV.

Around 30 casks are filled per week. This takes place each Wednesday. Luckily, the visit was on a Wednesday so there was opportunity to see this in action. Even better, to actually fill a cask. Each cask is filled using a gauge similar to a petrol pump and by measuring its weight – a full hogshead is 250kg with a butt 500kg. Filling on that particular Wednesday was to ex-sherry hogheads, plus ex-Port and ex-white Port butts.

Matt filling an ex-sherry hogshead with new make spirit.

Lochlea currently has two warehouses with 7,000 casks spread between them. There is capacity for up to 10,000. The majority of casks are matured in racks and on pallets, with a small percentage being in traditional dunnage – most of these are very early casks from 2017 and 2018, plus some very special projects. Each cask is numbered and with a barcode. 

Most are ex-bourbon (sourced from Maker’s Mark in Kentucky) or ex-sherry (sourced from Miguel Martin in Spain), but several other cask types were spotted – ex-rum, ex-Sauternes, ex-red wine, French oak, ex-Islay whisky and numerous different sweet and fortified wines. There are currently a staggering 26 different origins of cask in use.

Inside one of the warehouses at Lochlea.

Then for a tutored tasting with John Campbell, Scotch whisky industry legend and Director of Production at Lochlea. It is always a pleasure to spend time and chat with John, who has 20+ years as Distillery Manager at the iconic Islay distillery of Laphroaig on his CV. However, the opportunity to help drive Lochlea forwards came at the right time and was too good to miss.

The tasting was super informal and covered several limited edition releases to date including the Fallow Edition (2nd Crop) and Our Barley, which remains the only core range product as this post is written. Also sampled was liquid from several upcoming potential bottlings, which seemed a particularly special treat and indulgence. Click on the video link below to watch Matt’s chat with John in full.

Our tasting featured expressions of Lochlea released to date.

Lochlea is not open to public and they have no immediate plans to do so. Therefore, it felt a real privilege to be invited and shown what they are doing there. It is an impressive set up and one that has clearly been considered and calculated since its inception. The evidence of that is everywhere and most importantly in the spirit. We will be keeping a keen eye on how things evolve at Lochlea and hope to be back there one day soon.

 

A huge thanks to John Campbell, Neil McGeoch and Sarah Snedden from Lochlea for their time and making us feel so welcome, and to Emily Harris from MayFox PR who organised everything.

For further information on Lochlea and their single malt whiskies, please visit www.lochleadistillery.com.



The rolling hills of rural Ayrshire are home to one of Scotland’s most up-and-coming new single malt distilleries – Lochlea. The distillery is one of very few in Scotland to operate a true ‘field to bottle’ policy and they are beginning to make waves in the Scotch whisky world and beyond with a series of impressive early releases. Last Autumn, Matt was invited to pay a visit. 

________

The journey to Lochlea was met with very poor weather, often described in Scotland as ‘driech’. A bumpy flight from London and the following drive to the distillery through torrential rain were fairly brutal. Hats off to Sarah from Lochlea’s marketing team who came to pick us up from Glasgow and got us to the distillery safely. She really pulled the short straw that day. 

The Lochlea Distilling Co. was founded in 2015 by Neil McGeoch. Located to the south of Kilmarnock, he converted the 300 year old Lochlea Farm from beef production to growing barley for whisky making. He had taken over the farm several years earlier in 2006 but was intrigued by how to diversify and make the farm more profitable. The distillery is in the old piggery with two cattle sheds repurposed as maturation warehouses. 

The independent family-owned distillery has an annual production capacity of 200,000 litres. Production began in late-2017 with the Lochlea First Release launching in early 2022. One of keys to their initial success - they have been taken to the hearts of many whisky fans and won several impressive awards - is that all barley used for whisky production is grown on the farm. This equates to 600 tonnes per annum.

The barley for production in 2024 had been harvested just a couple of weeks prior to the visit. This year's crop was of Laureate, a high yielding variety of spring barley. It is difficult to imagine what 600 tonnes of barley looks like until faced with it, spread across three bays in a large storage shed. And it is an impressive and slightly imposing sight. Each grain is stored at the distillery until required, with the temperate climate keeping the barley dormant.

The grain store.

Three times a year the barley is sent to Bairds for malting. This happens in 200 tonne batches, which are returned to the distillery and used as needed. It was interesting to hear that a longer term plan to open traditional floor maltings at the distillery is being considered. Only two distilleries of the 140+ making single malt in Scotland grow all of their own barley. Daftmill in Fife is the other.

The mash tun takes two tonnes of milled malt per batch. Warm water is added in three stages - at 64.5°C, then 85°C then again at 85°C - to extract the soluble sugars from the grains. Rakes stir the mash each time with the aim to create a semi-clear wort - the sugary solution that is taken to the next stage of the process. A semi-clear wort gives biscuity, cereal and green fruity notes.

The mash tun.

Six washbacks are used for fermentation. These are constructed of Douglas Fir and have a capacity of 15,000 litres. However, each is only filled to 10,000 litres per batch. Dried Mauri yeast is added to kickstart fermentation. Lochlea operates two short and three long fermentations per week, at 66 and 116 hours respectively. Once distilled, each batch is then married in the filling store for consistency.

The wooden washbacks with spirit safe and stills.

Lochlea has one pair of copper pot stills - the larger wash still has a 10,000 litre capacity and the smaller spirit still 6,700 litres. They are hand operated, as most of the distillery processes are, and steam controlled. Slow distillation is practiced to maintain high ester levels for a fruity final spirit. The wash is distilled to around 25% ABV then re-distilled to be taken off the spirit still at 67% ABV.

Around 30 casks are filled per week. This takes place each Wednesday. Luckily, the visit was on a Wednesday so there was opportunity to see this in action. Even better, to actually fill a cask. Each cask is filled using a gauge similar to a petrol pump and by measuring its weight - a full hogshead is 250kg with a butt 500kg. Filling on that particular Wednesday was to ex-sherry hogheads, plus ex-Port and ex-white Port butts.

Matt filling an ex-sherry hogshead with new make spirit.

Lochlea currently has two warehouses with 7,000 casks spread between them. There is capacity for up to 10,000. The majority of casks are matured in racks and on pallets, with a small percentage being in traditional dunnage - most of these are very early casks from 2017 and 2018, plus some very special projects. Each cask is numbered and with a barcode. 

Most are ex-bourbon (sourced from Maker's Mark in Kentucky) or ex-sherry (sourced from Miguel Martin in Spain), but several other cask types were spotted - ex-rum, ex-Sauternes, ex-red wine, French oak, ex-Islay whisky and numerous different sweet and fortified wines. There are currently a staggering 26 different origins of cask in use.

Inside one of the warehouses at Lochlea.

Then for a tutored tasting with John Campbell, Scotch whisky industry legend and Director of Production at Lochlea. It is always a pleasure to spend time and chat with John, who has 20+ years as Distillery Manager at the iconic Islay distillery of Laphroaig on his CV. However, the opportunity to help drive Lochlea forwards came at the right time and was too good to miss.

The tasting was super informal and covered several limited edition releases to date including the Fallow Edition (2nd Crop) and Our Barley, which remains the only core range product as this post is written. Also sampled was liquid from several upcoming potential bottlings, which seemed a particularly special treat and indulgence. Click on the video link below to watch Matt's chat with John in full.

Our tasting featured expressions of Lochlea released to date.

Lochlea is not open to public and they have no immediate plans to do so. Therefore, it felt a real privilege to be invited and shown what they are doing there. It is an impressive set up and one that has clearly been considered and calculated since its inception. The evidence of that is everywhere and most importantly in the spirit. We will be keeping a keen eye on how things evolve at Lochlea and hope to be back there one day soon.

 

A huge thanks to John Campbell, Neil McGeoch and Sarah Snedden from Lochlea for their time and making us feel so welcome, and to Emily Harris from MayFox PR who organised everything.

For further information on Lochlea and their single malt whiskies, please visit www.lochleadistillery.com.


“Bourbon Capital of the World” Hits the Brakes on New Whiskey-Related Projects (Episode 1003: May 7, 2023)

Bourbon’s construction boom in Central Kentucky is raising concerns in Nelson County, home to Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” County officials have reached a compromise with whiskey makers for a 90-day moratorium on planning approval for new warehouses in agricultural zones. Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchins wants a review of current ordinances allowing virtually unfettered development of warehouses without public input, while allowing projects in areas zoned for industrial use to move forward. We’ll talk with Judge Hutchins on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth about the moratorium and the impact of losing millions of dollars in barrel tax Read More »

Bourbon’s construction boom in Central Kentucky is raising concerns in Nelson County, home to Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” County officials have reached a compromise with whiskey makers for a 90-day moratorium on planning approval for new warehouses in agricultural zones. Nelson County Judge Executive Tim Hutchins wants a review of current ordinances allowing virtually unfettered development of warehouses without public input, while allowing projects in areas zoned for industrial use to move forward. We’ll talk with Judge Hutchins on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth about the moratorium and the impact of losing millions of dollars in barrel tax revenue in the coming years. In the news, Sazerac CEO Mark Brown is stepping aside in a long-planned succession, while Scotland’s Parliament has approved new rules to make it easier for whisky makers to borrow against their stockpiles of maturing whisky. We’ll also have details on a host of commemorative whiskies celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, along with the rest of the week’s whisky releases.

Download

Links: Sazerac | Balmoral Castle & Estate | Bimber Distillery | Bladnoch | Duncan Taylor & Co. | Hunter Laing & Co. | Blackened American Whiskey | Whiskey JYPSI | Brother’s Bond | Old Potrero | Santa Fe Spirits | Dram Hunters | American Mash & Grain | Oban | InchDairnie Distillery

Distillery Visit / Ad Gefrin

With Ad Gefrin, England has its newest single malt whisky distillery. It also has the country’s most northernly, sitting just a few miles from the Scottish border in the small town of Wooler in the far north of Northumberland. With its opening last mo…



With Ad Gefrin, England has its newest single malt whisky distillery. It also has the country’s most northernly, sitting just a few miles from the Scottish border in the small town of Wooler in the far north of Northumberland. With its opening last month, Ad Gefrin brings the total number of distilleries making whisky in England to 40. Matt was invited for a visit.

________

Ad Gefrin is impressive. From the road it cuts an imposing figure with its glass-fronted still house showing passers-by that whisky is now being made there. The £16 million project was conceived and funded by the Ferguson family and is unlike any distillery that you will see. The family’s love of history and whisky has been combined in a unique way. But more on that later … 

Our guide was Ben Murphy, a graduate of Herriot Watt’s legendary Brewing & Distilling degree that has produced so many distillers for the whisky industry. The layout of the distillery is simple with all the equipment in one spacious room. This allows visitors to easily see and understand the whisky production process and follow it from mashing to distillation. 

All barley used at Ad Gefrin is grown in Northumberland, much of it coming from within a 15-mile radius of the distillery. This is malted locally also – at Simpsons Maltings in nearby Berwick-upon-Tweed – keeping the carbon footprint and airmiles to an absolute minimum. It is milled to grist - the mix of husks, flour, and sugary core of the barley – in one tonne batches.

The mash tun.
 

Each grist batch is added to the mash tun with 4,500 litres of warm water, which pulls the soluble sugars from the barley and is taken from a bore hole on site. This happens three times, with the water temperature increasing on each occasion to maximise sugar extraction. The initial water is 64°C, then 75°C and finally 85°C. The result is a sweet non-alcoholic solution called wort.

The washbacks.
 

The wort then moves to one of four wooden washbacks where fermentation takes place. Yeast is added and feeds on the sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Ad Gefrin practise a long fermentation - this occurs naturally in 48 hours, but here they run for 90 hours. This aids the production of extra fruity characteristics in the final spirit, which are created as the yeast cells die and fall to the base of the washback. The resulting wash sits at 8% ABV.

First distillation takes place in the wash still with each 4,500-litre batch of wash heated to separate ethanol from other compounds. This raises the alcohol strength to 25% ABV. The spirit still is smaller at 3,500 litres – this purifies the spirit further and raises the strength to 65% ABV. 

The wash still (in foreground) and spirit still.
 

The stills and entire system were built by Forsyth’s, the world-renowned coppersmiths from Rothes in the Speyside region of Scotland. The aim is to make 120,000 litres of whisky in the first year. There is potential to add four further washbacks and this will increase annual capacity to 360,000 litres.

The distillery has been in production since November 2022 with the new make spirit being mostly filled to traditional American oak and European oak casks to date. Other barrel types include ex-Madeira wine and ex-rum, plus a couple of quirky non-oak barrels including chestnut and acacia. Unlike over the border in Scotland, where producers must follow strict rules and laws, the regulations are looser. This makes experimentation rife within the English whisky scene.

The palletised warehouse was under construction.
 

Our tour continued to the warehouse, which was remained under construction. Casks are coming from two sources – the famous Kelvin cooperage in America and the White Rose cooperage in Yorkshire. The palletised warehouse will house 1,100 casks when complete and is expected to be filled within 18 months. Filled casks are currently being stored elsewhere.

The final stop was tasting room with a difference. The room was sparsely populated with a central island the only feature. However, the main feature was a spectacular 360° animation that played across the walls for the entire time we were sampling. This immersive experience took us on a journey through the local landscape and across the four seasons. The mood and feel of the room changed with each season. 

With years to wait until Ad Gefrin whisky is ready to be bottled, we were given a taste of Tácnbora Batch 1 – a blend created by the distillery constructed of Irish single grain matured in ex-Oloroso sherry barrels and Scotch single malt and single grain, both matured in ex-bourbon casks. This is planned to be an ongoing release and act as a good introductory whisky for visitors.

Tácnbora Batch 1.
 

Tácnbora translates as ‘standard bearer’ from old English and is bottled at 42.7% ABV – the nose is confected and sweet with vanilla, white chocolate, and marshmallow aromas. The palate continues the sweetness and vibrancy with notes of toffee, butterscotch, and vanilla, plus some lovely cereal and dried grassy notes in the background.

However, the distillery is only one part of Ad Gefrin. The aspect that makes it truly unique amongst its contemporaries is the Anglo-Saxon museum that forms a significant part of the complex. The concept is the brainchild of founders Alan and Eileen Ferguson, who are fans of local history and whisky. Their dream was to combine the two in this state-of-the-art facility. 

The interactive museum centres around the ancient village of Yeavering (Ad Gefrin in old English), which is located a stone's throw from the distillery. The village rose to particular prominence as the regional residence for King Edwin and his Queen, Aethelburga, between 617 and 633 AD. 

At the site of Yeavering.
 

Entry to the museum is through a replica of The Great Hall at Yeavering, which has been recreated to the same height and width as that which stood on the Anglo-Saxon site. The length is shown by a large projection that has actors telling the story of Yeavering and going about daily routines. It is quite awe inspiring. The room also features pottery, tapestries and the King and Queen's thrones, which have all been made by local artists.

Yeavering was believed to have only been occupied as a settlement between 550 and 650 AD, and was only first excavated in the 1960s. This history is shown in the next area. This is split into different areas of interest - A Place of Nature, A Place of Faith, A Place of Creativity, A Place of Power and A Place Lost & Found. 

Artifacts include some from The British Mueum.
 

Each has artifacts relating to the Anglo-Saxon period, with some recovered from Yeavering itself. These include jewellery, pots, bowls and coins which have been loaned from the local Gefrin Trust. Some are from further afield such as The British Museum and Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust. Another nice touch is that all signage is in English and Old English.

A visit to Ad Gefrin is really like no other distillery visit. The juxtaposition of local history and a fully operational distillery is bold, intriguing and unique. It will be very interesting as to what visitors make of it and what the whisky is like in time. We wish them every success. It is an impressive set-up and highly recommend a visit if you are in that part of the world.

The still house lit up at night.
 

Visitor Information

  • The Visitor Centre / Shop / Bistro is open daily 10am to 6pm, except Tuesday when all are closed.
  • Tickets for The Great Hall & Museum - £10 (children aged 8-17 years - £5 / under 8 years - free)
  • Tickets for The Great Hall / Museum / Distillery Tour & Tasting - £25
  • Available to purchase in advance at the Ad Gefrin website - click here.


Distillery Visit / White Peak

Nestled next to the bustling River Derwent in the heart of the English county of Derbyshire there is a quiet whisky revolution going on. This is where the White Peak distillery is located, close to the small town of Ambergate near Matlock. They h…



Nestled next to the bustling River Derwent in the heart of the English county of Derbyshire there is a quiet whisky revolution going on. This is where the White Peak distillery is located, close to the small town of Ambergate near Matlock. 

They have wasted no time in joining the English whisky elite and have already won several awards despite only releasing their first whisky just over a year ago. Matt took a trip to the Peak District to take a look for ourselves.

________

Several years ago, Max and Claire Vaughan had a dream. That dream was to open an English whisky distillery in their home county of Derbyshire. This became a reality in 2015 and White Peak was born. In doing so, it would become Derbyshire's first ever single malt and join the ever-expanding English whisky scene. 

The husband and wife team sought inspiration and advice from around the whisky world to point them in the right direction. Both had no experience in the spirits industry other than enjoying a glass of whisky or two from time to time. Chip Tate, former co-founder of the Balcones distillery in Texas, is pinpointed as a major influence and proved particularly helpful with a mantra of 'plan for success'. That proactive approach appears to be serving Max and Claire well.

 
Max Vaughan (left) talks to Matt.

A site for the distillery was found - a former wire and cable factory with over a century of active manufacturing, previously owned by Johnson & Nephew. The Victorian factory, which itself was built on the site of an old forge, operated from 1876 before finally closing down in 1996 after years of financial trouble. The buildings had laid derelict for 20 years.

White Peak is housed within part of the former factory buildings and sits on the bank of the River Derwent. The wider site is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are also one of the founding members of the English Whisky Guild - an organisation founded in 2022 and currently consisting of 15 distilleries. The aim is to represent the interests of English whisky makers in a wider whisky world.

________

Our tour was given by Dave Symes, the Distillery Manager, who has been with White Peak since day one. First stop was the barley store where Dave explained that the majority of their malt was supplied by Crisp Malt, a family company who have been supplying the brewing and distilling industries since 1870. This is lightly peated, which is unusual for English single malt production, and to a level of 10ppm (Phenol Parts per Million) in the barley.

Distillery Manager Dave next to the spirit safe.

 
However, for much of February and March they are in production with unpeated malt. This was grown in Derbyshire and then malted at the renowned Warminster floor maltings. The spirit distilled from this is earmarked for a heritage collection celebrating local produce and will be released somewhere down the track.

Once the malted barley has been milled then it is loaded to the stainless steel mash tun. This is completed in 670kg batches. Warm water is added at increasing temperature to extract the maximum amount of soluble sugar from the barley. This is drained and recirculated to create a cloudy wort, which gives more cereal notes in the final spirit.

The mashtun and grist hopper.

There are eight stainless steel washbacks, each with a capacity of 3,000 litres. White Peak practices a long 144 hour fermentation. With the fermentation process completed after just 48 hours, the additional time allows deeper flavour compounds to form within the wash. Orchard and tropical fruit notes develop as the yeast cells die and fall to the bottom of the washback. When completed the wash is 8% ABV.
 
The washbacks.
 
The first distillation through the wash still takes the wash to 24% ABV. Both stills were manufactured by McMillan in Scotland and are currently producing 60,000 litres of new make spirit each year. The plan, following the installation of additional washbacks recently, is to double this to 120,000 litres in the near future. The wash still is run as slowly as possible so as to increase the copper contact of the alcohol vapours. This purifies and creates esters, adding to the fruity flavour profile of the spirit.
 
The stills.
 
The spirit still is again run slowly and takes seven and a half hours. Each batch distills 350 litres of new make spirit at 72% ABV. The spirit style is light and fruity with the lyne arm having a slight 3° incline, which means the vapours have to work harder to make it to the condenser. The condensers are cooled with water from the River Derwent which flows just a few metres away. This harks back to the days when Johnson & Nephew used water from the river to power the cable factory.

The new make spirit is cut with water to bring the alcohol strength down prior to filling to cask. The filling ABV changes depending on the cask type - standard strength is 63.5% with ex-bourbon casks filled at 60% and STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred) barrels at 70%. These were established after trials with differing ABVs.
 
Inside the main warehouse.
 
All casks are matured on site, but in three different areas of the old cable factory buildings. Core cask types include ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and virgin American oak. However, there are several more unorthodox cask types that were spotted such as ex-Port, ex-Calvados, ex-rum and a variety of ex-wine barrels. These included ex-Amarone, ex-Madeira and ex-Moscatel. It is going to make for some very interesting bottlings down the track.
 
The final part of the tour was a tasting in the lovely tasting room with Max. This included sampling some of the range of whiskies released to date, plus the new Caduro expression which was not released at the time of the visit. At the time of writing, this had just been announced as winning a Gold Medal at the recent IWSC (International Wine & Spirits Challenge) Awards - the only English single malt to achieve it in this year's judging.
 
 
All the Wire Works releases, including member's specials, to date.

In summary, the White Peak distillery and their Wire Works whiskies are highly impressive. The attention to detail coupled with controlled experimentation has created a great set up. That early advice from Chip Tate and others to aim high is paying dividends. More awards and plaudits will surely follow and we wish everyone there well. We will watch the progress with much interest.
 
Matt and Max sampling some Wire Works whiskies.
 
We would like to thank Max, Claire, Dave and everyone at White Peak for their hospitality and Emily Harris of MayFox PR for arranging the visit.
 

Visitor Information
  • Distillery Tour & Tasting run on Thursdays (11am & 2pm), Fridays (11am) and Saturdays (11am & 12.30pm). Price / £15 per head.
  • Whisky Warehouse Tours are available Friday & Saturday (2pm).
  • Tours on other dates are available by pre-arranged appointment only - contact www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk for information and booking. 
  • Distillery Shop opening hours / Monday - Thursday 10am - 5pm, Friday 10am - 4pm and Saturday 10am - 5pm. Sunday - closed  


Distillery Visit / Dalmore

The Dalmore distillery and its range of single malts are held in high regard by whisky drinkers and collectors alike. Sitting in a gorgeous location on the shores of the Cromarty Firth and looking across to the Black Isle, this north Highland distiller…


The Dalmore distillery and its range of single malts are held in high regard by whisky drinkers and collectors alike. Sitting in a gorgeous location on the shores of the Cromarty Firth and looking across to the Black Isle, this north Highland distillery is currently closed to the public. 

The reason - a combination of the recent Covid pandemic and forthcoming planned extension work that will see the production capacity doubled. We were delighted to receive an invite to visit last November.

________

 
Dalmore was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson and is located in the small Highland town of Alness, which is around 35 minutes drive north of Inverness. The name translates from the local Gaelic as 'big meadow' and the water used in production is taken from the nearby Loch Morie. This flows the 10 miles from the loch to the distillery via the River Averon.

However, maybe the most significant date in Dalmore's history came in 1867. This saw Andrew and Charles Mackenzie begin work at the distillery. The brothers would eventually become sole owners in 1891. With them they brought their family emblem - the 12-point stag. This has become synonymous with Dalmore and stems from a story dating back to 1263. Then the Chief of the Clan Mackenzie, Colin of Kintail, saved King Alexander III from a marauding stag. The King was indebted to the Chief and awarded the Mackenzie family the symbol of the beast.

A copy of a painting showing Colin of Kintail saving King Alexander III is on display in the visitor centre.

Other historical interest centres around the First World War when the Royal Navy commissioned Dalmore for the manufacture of explosives. Its remote location and close proximity to the Cromarty Firth, the deepest sea loch in the UK, made it a perfect spot. Dalmore is currently owned by Whyte & Mackay, part of the larger Phillipines-based Emperador Inc. They own the Whyte & Mackay blended whisky brand, plus the single malt distilleries of Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin.

The day of our mid-November visit to Dalmore was what the locals describe as driech - think of a mix of dreary and bleak. As we set off on the distillery tour under a heavy grey sky, the wind and rain were being channeled straight down the Cromarty Firth at us. We were definitely glad of our warm clothing, that was for sure.

A driech day on the Firth.

Dalmore's building look very traditional from the outside with many dating back from the late-Victorian era. Most will thankfully remain after the site has been renovated and expanded over the next couple of years. First stop is the old red Porteus mill, which has been in situ for 75 years but will shortly be retired. These mills are so sturdy and rarely break down - this was to the detriment of Porteus, who actually went bust due to the longevity and reliability of their products.
 
Porteus mills - they never break down.

Up a short flight of metal stairs is the mash tun. This is large and made of stainless steel, and sits in a room that looks like it was built to house two of them. Each mash, of which there are currently 23 per week, uses 10.4 tonnes of milled malted barley. This is all sourced within a 50-mile radius of the distillery, especially from the nearby Black Isle, and is malted at Bairds Maltings in Arbroath. Three temperatures of water are added for maximum sugar extraction, with the first being at 63.5°C - the golden number for enzyme activation. The final water goes in at 85°C and each mash takes five hours.

The mash tun and underback.

Each batch of wort from the mash tun is sent ot one of eight wooden washbacks. These are made of Oregon pine and have a capacity of 48,000 litres. Once the creamed yeast is added, Dalmore ferment the liquid for 50 hours. The result is a wash that sits at around 8% ABV and resembles (and tastes like) a strong weissbier. Unusually, there are no switch blades connected to the washbacks. This device spins around to cut through and knock down the foam created by the fermentation process and is found at most distilleries.

The wooden washbacks.

The short trip brings you into the still house in an unusual way - you walk in directly over four of the stills giving a unique bird's eye view. This is even more unique given the design of Dalmore's stills. They have copper water jackets surrounding the neck of the stills. These are filled with water and have coiled tubing immersed in it. This design increases reflux and copper contact within each still by around 20%. This system is incorporated on each of the four spirit stills.

Water jackets on the spirit stills (back left and front right).

The pair of original stills were installed when the distillery was founded in 1839. They were joined by two exact copies in the late Victorian era and by four further stills in the 1960s. These are twice the size of the originals and take longer to produce the final spirits run - 8-9 hours versus 4-5 hours for the small stills. Each still has an unusual horizontal tube condenser, which acts in a similar way to a traditional wormtub. We have not seen this before. The combination of the water jackets and horizontal condensers contribute to Dalmore's robust and fruity character.

One of the horizontal condensors

It is at this point that our tour takes a different direction to the regular distillery tour. Our group was taken to one of the warehouses - Warehouse No.4 to be exact - and were joined by Richard Paterson OBE, the legendary Master Blender and figurehead of Dalmore, and Gregg Glass, Master Whisky Maker for owners Whyte & Mackay. This was a real treat. The warehouse is located right next to the sea and the coastal environment and dampness works its way into the pores of the wooden casks.

Gregg Glass and Richard Paterson OBE.

Richard explained to us that November was a particularly good time to assess casks in the Dalmore warehouses. The climate and humidity is perfect for analysing the maturing liquid. After this time the warehouse becomes too cold in the wintery conditions and they cannot get the same sensory performance. 

The warehouse is filled with traditional styles and sizes of cask, as are all of Dalmore's warehouse. These are predominantly ex-bourbon or ex-sherry casks made of American oak and ranging from hogshead to butt in size. All Dalmore spirit starts life in ex-bourbon for an average of 5-6 years before being transferred to a different type of cask. All whisky destined to be bottled as Dalmore are matured at Dalmore or at Invergordon single grain distillery, which is located a short distance up the coast.

A sample straight from a Matusalem sherry cask.

We were also taken to Warehouses Nos. 2 and 3. These also sit right on the shores of the Cromarty Firth. Richard and Gregg treated the group to some samples from differing casks with highlights being sips of whisky matured in ex-Port, vintage sherry and Matusalem sherry. The latter is the result of a relationship with famous sherry bodega Gonzalez Byass in Jerez, Spain. This has spanned over a century and sees Gonzalez Byass send Dalmore some of their oldest, rarest and finest casks. The drams certainly warmed us up on a freezing cold day.

Our final treat was a tasting of the two new Vintage 2022 Editions in the original Mackenzie Brothers office within the distillery. These were released shortly after our visit. Both are limited editions and used casks hand selected from the warehouses by Richard and Gregg during November 2021. To read our full review with tasting notes of the Dalmore 2003 Vintage and Dalmore 2007 Vintage - click here. 
 
The Dalmore 2003 Vintage and 2007 Vintage.

 

Visitor Information

  • Dalmore is currently closed to visitors due to planned renovation and expansion work. It is not due to open for tours until 2025.


Distillery Visit / Fettercairn

Tucked away at the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains sits a hidden gem of a distillery. Turning off the A90, the main road between Aberdeen and Dundee, the country lanes begin to narrow to the point where you wonder where you are going. Then you see…


Tucked away at the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains sits a hidden gem of a distillery. Turning off the A90, the main road between Aberdeen and Dundee, the country lanes begin to narrow to the point where you wonder where you are going. Then you see the sign of Distillery Road and your destination sitting on the curve ahead - the distillery of Fettercairn.

The distillery has been there since 1824 and looks like many traditional distilleries of the age. However, something very contemporary is happening there as Fettercairn spearheads a programme to reintroduce Scottish oak to the Scotch whisky industry and its expressive flavours into people's glasses. We were invited to learn more about the distillery and innovative project.

________

When Fettercairn was established by Sir Alexander Ramsey it became just the second distillery in Scotland to take out a new license to distil following the introduction of the Excise Act in 1823. This legislation changed the way the industry was regulated and taxed. The name of Fettercairn is taken from the village in which it is located and translates as 'foot of the mountain' from local Gaelic. Part is housed in a former corn mill. The location was chosen due to the close proximity to the prosperous barley growing fields in Aberdeenshire.

The kiln and pagoda were last used when floor malting ceased in the 1960s.

Fettercairn is a relatively small distillery by Scottish standards with an annual capacity of 2.2 million litres. For context, the average sits around 3.5 to 4 million per year. For much of the distillery's life it has been somewhat of a workhorse with all production supplying numerous blending houses across Scotland. The fruity and tropical style of the spirit has historically been highly regarded within blending circles. Only recently has there been a real effort from owners Whyte & Mackay to establish it as a single malt brand in its own right.

Our guides were Stewart Walker, the Distillery Manager who has worked at Fettercairn since 1990, Gregg Glass, Whisky Maker at Whyte & Mackay, and Andrew Lennie, Brand Ambassador and Single Malt Specialist for the brand. Entering the production area of the distillery gives you a sense that it has grown to fit the building, rather than the other way around. Everything feels crammed in and slightly on top of each other, but we like places like that. They always seem more characterful. 

Stewart Walker explains about mashing.

Never is this truer than with the mashtun, which is hemmed in on all sides. This five tonne beast is a true relic, having been rescued from Glenugie distillery when it closed in the 1980s. Three temperatures of water are added to extract the maximum amount of sugars and enzymes from the barley - 68°C, 76°C and finally 84°C. The whole process takes six hours with the draff - the spent grain residue and husks - going to a local dairy farm for cattle feed.

In contrast the fermentation room next door feels wide and open. An extension in 2015 increased the space with a huge window at the far end flooding the area with light. It also increased the capacity by adding three extra washbacks. There are now 11 and these are made of Oregon pine. The 56 hour long fermentation, which sees liquid yeast added to the sugary wort from the mashtun, kickstarts Fettercairn's signature fruity style. 

The Oregon pine washbacks hold 25,000 litres each.

We move to the stillhouse next, which has a unique feature not seen anywhere else in Scotland - an exterior water cooling ring on the two spirits stills. This pours water down the outside of the neck of the stil. This occure only during the middle cut of the spirit but increases reflux and copper contact within the still dramatically. The result is that heavier alcohols sit in the base of the neck while lighter ones rise to be recondensed before they reach the lyne arm and traditional condensers.

The spirit still and its external water ring with wash still in the foreground.

The cooling rings were installed in 1952 by Alistair Menzies, the Distillery Manager at the time. He wanted to create a spirit with a lighter and fruitier character than the distillery had produced before. Subsequent managers and owners have kept them in place and Fettercairn is now known for this style, both as a single malt and with blenders. These rings remain the only examples in the Scotch whisky industry.

A short walk takes us to Warehouse Two, the home of Fettercairn's most experimental projects and oldest casks. The moment you first walk into a whisky warehouse is one that you should always stop, savour and take in. The peaceful atmosphere, heady aroma and chilly dampness are a wonderful and evocative combination. Warehouse Two is one of the original dunnage warehouses from 1824 and there are 14 in total on the site. The oldest cask housed within is from the 1960s.

Warehouse No.2 - home to the Scottish oak project.

Warehouse Two is where the beginnings of Fettercairn's Scottish oak project are maturing. This includes a variety of cask sizes made from Scottish oak and recently filled with new make spirit, ranging from tiny 40 litre bloodtubs up to 200 litre barrels. The results are fascinating with a distinct woody and resinous savoury note in the samples that were pulled out of the casks for us. Even at six months of age the whisky is seriously big and bold.

The Scottish oak used by Fettercairn is taken from the Highlands and uses wind damaged trees to lessen the impact on the environment. The slow-growing trees are selected by hand and transported to the Fasque Sawmill, which is located a short distance from the distillery. Once sawn in to staves, the oak is dried for two years - nine months inside and the remainder outside. Nothing is wasted as the sawdust and bark are used by a local paper mill. On average five casks can be made from each tree and these are created at the famous Speyside Cooperage.

Scottish oak staves being prepared at Fasque Sawmill.

The final part of the Scottish oak jigsaw, and of our tour, is the Fettercairn Forest - a plantation of 13,000 Scottish oak saplings planted in 2020. This aim is that this will sustain the project for generations to come. With trees not being suitable for harvest until they are between 70 and 100 years old, this has taken real foresight. The saplings are currently knee height and the forest is planted behind the distillery. It is going to be a great spot in a few decades and felt like a privilege to see these tiny trees starting their journey.

One of the 13,000 saplings that make up the Fettercairn Forest.

The regular tours (details below) feature a tasting from the core range at the end. Ours was somewhat different and featured sampling as we walked around including in the fermentation room, still house and Warehouse Two. This also included a welcoming Breakfast Martini cocktail on arrival and a taste of the new make spirit, which comes off the still at 68% ABV.

Our Breakfast Martinis being prepared.

Fettercairn is a lovely traditional distillery set in a stunning and picturesque location. You can feel the near two centuries of history around the place and it is well worth a visit. The Scottish oak project is a magnificent scheme - the aim of the brand is for Scottish oak to be used more commonly but sustainably within the industry - and Fettercairn are spearheading it. What a legacy it will create if successful.
 

Visitor Information

  • Tours run daily between Wednesday and Saturday inclusive. 
  • The first tour is 10am with the last at 3pm. 
  • The visitor centre is open until 5pm on each day - it is also open on Tuesdays 10am to 5pm. 
  • Two tours are available - The Fettercairn Tour @ £15 per head and The Enlightenment Tour @ £50. 
  • Pre-booking is encouraged via www.fettercairn.com or 01561-340205.



Distillery Visit / Glenkinchie

Despite having been to Edinburgh for work and pleasure on numerous occasions, we had somehow never got around to visiting Glenkinchie. For much of its recent history this unassuming distillery was the closest to Scotland’s capital and attracted many vi…



Despite having been to Edinburgh for work and pleasure on numerous occasions, we had somehow never got around to visiting Glenkinchie. For much of its recent history this unassuming distillery was the closest to Scotland's capital and attracted many visitors because of the fact. Now it has increasing competition with the Holyrood distillery built right in the centre of Edinburgh and a couple more new ones out in Leith. So what have owners Diageo done? Given it a major revamp and made it even more important than ever.

Glenkinchie is now the official Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky of which its single malt is an important component. The distillery is one of four dotted around Scotland that each play a similarly influential role within the famous blended range. The other three official regional homes of Johnnie Walker that form Diageo's Four Corners of Scotland are Caol Ila on Islay, Cardhu in Speyside and Clynelish in the Highlands. Each has been renovated to tell each distillery's individual story within the wider Johnnie Walker tale.

The initial impression of the redesigning at Glenkinchie is favourable. A winding path weaves through an impressive newly created garden with the original distillery burn running through it. Entry is through a revolving glass door that brings you into the ticketing area and a large open gift shop that is stacked with Glenkinchie and Johnnie Walker goodies, plus other treats from around Diageo's other single malt distilleries. The brick building was a former two-storey maturation warehouse.

Entry through the gift shop.

Our tour guide was Ramsey Borthwick, a man that we had last met nearly eight years previously when he was manager at the Port Ellen Maltings on Islay. He moved to Glenkinchie six years ago and has been Distillery Manager ever since. A sharp ring of the distillery's former 'dramming bell' got everyones attention and signalled the beginning of the tour. 

A bit of history kicked things off - Glenkinchie was founded in 1825 by George and John Rate as a farm distillery named Milton, gaining a full license to distil and changing to its current name in 1837. We also learned that Glenkinchie is known as 'the garden distillery' in reference to its location within the fertile East Lothian farmland. And that the first official link between Glenkinchie and Johnnie Walker was in 1894.

Next stop is The Sensory Room, the like of which we cannot remember seeing as part of a regular distillery tour. This extraordinary room has ambient music playing, is creatively lit and designed to show you the 'thumbprint of Glenkinchie'. This is done through a series of perfumed fragrances sprayed onto sticks that encourage you to think about key characteristics of Glenkinchie's single malt. Floral, grassy and cereals are the three we identified.

Inside The Sensory Room.

We continued through to an equally impressive but much older room. This housed the most incredible model of a distillery, which is at 1:6 scale. The stunning model was built for the British Empire Exhibition, which took place at Wembley between April and October 1924. Incredibly it is fully operational. Also within this room is an original pamphlet about Glenkinchie written by legendary whisky writer Alfred Barnard. This priceless artifact is one of the only known copies in existence and was given by an anonymous donor.

Not a real distillery.

Then we moved on to the distillery proper. No more marketing or experiential interactions, just good honest production. This began with the old mill made by the Porteus company, who famously went bankrupt because their mills never broke down and no one purchased a replacement. These red workhorses are still seen at distilleries all over Scotland. The mill feeds a 10 tonne stainless steel mash tun, which sits in a compact room. They currently operate 10 mashes per week. 

The mash tun.

Next is the fermentation room which is up some stairs away from the mash tun. This is a lovely room and always one of our favourite places within any distillery. The six wooden washbacks made of Oregon pine, the oldest of which is an amazing 65 years old. The youngest was installed in 2020. The fermentation times vary but averages at around 75 hours. One for the whisky geeks - Glenkinchie is a hard water site and therefore experiences a significant build up of iron oxilate in the washbacks.

The washbacks. Spot the really old one ...

The stills at Glenkinchie,which date back to the 1960s, are massive. The wash still has the largest charge by volume of any still in mainland Scotland (only Bunnahabhain on Islay beats it, if you want to know). This 30,000 litre monster carries out the first distillation and works alongside a smaller spirit still, which completes the second distillation. That said, it is still massive with a 21,000 litre capacity. Glenkinchie's output is around 2.5 million litres of spirit per year.

The largest stills by volume in mainland Scotland.

Glenkinchie is one of the few distilleries in Scotland to still use wormtubs for condensing. This traditional method of condensing the alcohol vapours back to a liquid sees a coiled copper pipe coming from the still and spiralling down through a tank of cold water. Sadly we were unable to see this, which was a shame as it always feels like a treat and looking back into the past.

The final part of the tour takes in a small warehouse experience and a tasting. It is here where the Johnnie Walker link is reconnected for the first time since The Sensory Room. Different casks are available the sniff and show how the single malts and single grain whiskies within Johnnie Walker's blends are influenced by them. The Tasting Room is a very nice space. Sleekly designed and with a huge flavour wheel on the wall, it feels like a good place for a tasting. The samples on offer were the classic Glenkinchie 12 years old, the limited Tattoo Edition and Johnnie Walker Gold Label.

The Tasting Room.

Then we were back in the shop and the tour was over. It was an impressive blend of the new and the traditional. The innovation and most of the Johnnie Walker Four Corners redesign seemed to bookend the experience. The production side remains largely untouched aside from the occaional wall graphic here and there. This was good to see as much of the tradition could easily have been lost. Glenkinchie is a working distillery after all and that came across very well. Ultimately, the integration of the Johnnie Walker message has been sympathetically done and makes the distillery well worth that short drive from Edinburgh.

Tours 
Prices start from £13 with some including a shuttle bus from the centre of Edinburgh. For full details of tickets available and timings - click here.