Glenesk Whisky Distillery

About the distillery (briefly)

Glenesk was a vanished Highland distillery near Montrose, established at the mouth of the South Esk River. The site began as a flax mill and was converted to whisky production in 1897. Over the years, it changed names several times and alternated between malt and grain whisky, before only the malting facilities remained.

History

The story of Glenesk begins in 1897, when a former flax mill was converted into a distillery under the name Highland Esk. The takeover was linked to James Isles, a wine merchant from Dundee, and Septimus Parsonage & Co. Already in 1899, J.F. Caille Heddle arrived and gave the site the name North Esk Distillery. After a fire in 1910, large parts had to be rebuilt, and during the First World War production was halted; the buildings were used for soldiers, while part of the facility burned down and was never rebuilt. In 1938, Associated Scottish Distilleries took over and converted production to grain whisky under the name Montrose. In 1954, the site came under Distillers Company Ltd., and in 1964, Scottish Malt Distillers changed it back to malt whisky with four pot stills and the name Hillside. A large drum malting was opened in 1968, the distillery was expanded in 1973, and in 1980 the name Glenesk returned. Production closed in 1985, the license was annulled in 1992, and in 1996 the stills and most of the buildings were removed.

Raw materials and production

During its lifetime, Glenesk was used for both malt and grain production, and it is precisely this shifting operating form that characterizes the site. The distillery opened with water rights from the now-closed Kinnaber Mill, and the facility had several different technical setups over the years. At one time work was carried out with a continuous still; later with two wash stills and two spirit stills; and after the conversion to malt whisky, four pot stills were installed. The building began as a flax mill, so the distillery grew out of an existing industrial structure rather than being a clean new build. Later, the malting facilities were expanded with a large drum malting, making malting a central part of the site’s identity, even after the distillery itself disappeared.

Whiskies

The current range is no longer available in actual operation, but Glenesk continues through historical bottlings and its role in blends. The distillery was especially known as an important component in Vat 69, and there were also a few single malt bottlings under the name Glenesk. However, most single malts were released under the name Hillside, and the distillery also appeared in the Rare Malt Series and with SMWS. Taken together, it paints a picture of a rare, sought-after name today—more of a collector’s item than a modern core range.

General tasting profile

Visit the distillery

Glenesk cannot be visited today as an active distillery. The site has been closed; the stills have been removed; and there are no public tours, tastings, or visitor facilities connected to the site. The only thing that remains is the malting section, which is a reminder of the site’s industrial continuation after the closure.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

What stands out most about Glenesk is the pragmatic way the site was used. The facility was converted several times following ownership changes and market needs—first from a flax mill to a malt distillery, later to grain whisky and back to malt whisky. The history shows a place where existing buildings, water rights, and later malting capacity were utilized flexibly rather than following a single fixed, unchanging production tradition.