The Glasgow Distillery Company

About the distillery

The Glasgow Distillery is located in Hillington on the outskirts of Glasgow, and is a modern, independent distillery created to bring single malt back to the city. Here, Glasgow 1770 is produced as a family of expressions ranging from fresh and fruity to peated and small-batch experiments. The distillery combines the city’s industrial environment with a clear ambition to show how broadly modern Glasgow whisky can taste.

History

The Glasgow Distillery Company was founded in December 2012 by Liam Hughes and Mike Hayward. They took their name from the original Glasgow Distillery Company, which was established in 1770, grew to become one of the largest in the world, and closed in 1902. After a site in Hillington was found in 2013, work began to establish the city’s first new independent single malt distillery in more than 100 years. The first still, Annie, arrived in 2014, and the following year, the two whisky stills Tara and Mhairi were installed. On 5 March 2015, the first whisky cask was filled. In June 2018, the first Glasgow 1770 release arrived, and since then, Peated, Triple Distilled, Small Batch Series and Cask Strength have followed. In 2024, the distillery got its own on-site maturation warehouse building, and in 2025 the whisky adventure marked ten years since the first cask was filled.

Raw materials and production

Production is based on malted barley and on a small, flexible still-park, designed to create multiple different spirit styles. Tara and Mhairi are compact whisky stills, and the distillery highlights that the size and shape provide maximum copper contact, and thus a bright, fruity new-make spirit. Three core styles are produced each year: double distilled, unpeated whisky; triple distilled, unpeated whisky; and double distilled peated whisky. It is this combination that forms the Signature Range. Production takes place in a repurposed warehouse, where fermentors, a mash tun and stills are brought together, and where the team works on-site to maintain close ties between production and development.

Maturation and cask types

Maturation ranges from first-fill ex-bourbon casks with finishes in virgin American white oak to sherry-matured expressions and a wide selection of finish casks in the Small Batch Series. The series includes documented finishes in Beer Cask, Tokaji, Red Wine, Cognac, Tequila and Ruby Port. In 2024, the distillery expanded its physical capacity with its own on-site maturation warehouse, giving room for both the Signature Range, Cask Strength, market exclusives and Small Batch releases under the supervision of an on-site cooper.

Whiskies

At the core of the range is Glasgow 1770 Signature Range with The Original, Peated and Triple Distilled. In addition, there are batched Cask Strength releases of The Original and Peated, as well as the Small Batch Series, where the distillery works with more experimental finishes. The Original is the fresh and fruity core story, Peated represents the rich and smoky side, and Triple Distilled draws in a smoother, more vibrant bourbon direction. Taken together, the range shows a distillery working purposefully to demonstrate different new-make styles and different maturation paths within the same house.

Whisky styles and tasting profile

Glasgow 1770 moves between three distinct tracks: fresh and fruity, rich and smoky, and smooth and vibrant. The Original contributes the fresh, fruity line, Peated provides the rich, smoky profile, and Triple Distilled adds a smoother, more bourbon-forward character. In the Small Batch release White Port Cask Finish, orchard fruits and vanilla appear, and together, the products point to a range where fruit, smoke and vanilla are the most recurring directions.

Visiting the distillery

The distillery is located at 8 Deanside Road in Hillington, Glasgow, and the team works on-site. There is also a shop attached to the site, but in the provided material, no public tours, tastings, booking options or fixed opening hours are described. For visitors, this means that the contact with the distillery is direct and practical, while the experience offering in the submitted text primarily consists of the opportunity to buy and get in touch.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

The distillery is driven by the desire to bring Glasgow whisky back and build on the city’s historical heritage. At the same time, they work with a clear idea of transparency, among other things by letting the labels show the whisky’s journey step by step. They produce three whisky creation styles each year and also use Glasgow designers and suppliers for identity and packaging. The Small Batch Series shows a willingness to experiment with cask finishes, while the overall mission remains to make quality spirits with a clear Glasgow imprint.

Awards and recognition

• Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year (2020, Winner)

• Best Lowland Single Malt (2019, Winner, Glasgow 1770 Peated)

• Best Lowland Single Malt (2020, Winner, Glasgow 1770 Peated)

• Best Lowland Single Malt (2021, Winner, Glasgow 1770 Peated)