Littlemill
SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > L
LITTLEMILL
8 years old
40 %
Littlemill Distillery Co, Bowling,
Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire
Nestling at the base of the Kilpatrick Hills and taking the pure water therefrom, it will never be known exactly when whisky was first distilled at Littlemill; perhaps as early as the fourteenth Century as an off-shoot of the traditional brewing of beer when Colqu-houns built Dunglass Castle. However, what is certain is that by 1772 houses had already been built at the distillery for the Excise Officers.
Littlemill has thus a long and cherished history of making fine Malt Scotch Whisky, a classic Single Lowland Malt, pale in colour with a malty sweet marshmallow taste.
LITTLEMILL
Aged 36 years
41,2 %
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Rare Reserve
Distilled on 28/2/1967
Bottled on 11/6/2003
Matured in oak Hogsheads
Cask Numbers 669-672
Bottle Number 86 of 325
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
500 ml Bottle
Set Number 86 of 325 with
a Dunglass 37 year old 500 ml Bottle
LITTLEMILL
12 years old
43 %
VINTAGE 1984
Distilled 28.6.84
Bottled 10.96
Cask Nos. 2440 & 2441
564 Genummerde flessen
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
VINTAGE 1984
Distilled 28.6.84
Bottled 10.96
Cask Nos. 2440 & 2441
564 Genummerde flessen
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
31 years old
45,6 %
SILENT STILLS
Distilled 25.10.65
Bottled 15.5.97
Cask No. 5273
180 Genummerde flessen
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling
LITTLEMILL
SILENT STILLS
Distilled 25.10.65
Bottled 15.5.97
Cask No. 5273
180 Genummerde flessen
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling
LITTLEMILL
30 years old
53,5%
SPECIAL RESERVE
Distilled 2nd May 1950
Bottled June 1981
216 Genummerde flessen
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling,
Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
SPECIAL RESERVE
Distilled 2nd May 1950
Bottled June 1981
216 Genummerde flessen
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling,
Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
32 years old
40 %
Distilled 1964
Bottled December 1996
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling,
Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
Distilled 1964
Bottled December 1996
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling,
Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
10 years old
43 %
VINTAGE 1989
Distilled 28.3.89
Bottled 26.4.99
Cask Nos. 885 & 886
910 Genummerde flessen
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
VINTAGE 1989
Distilled 28.3.89
Bottled 26.4.99
Cask Nos. 885 & 886
910 Genummerde flessen
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
9 years old
43 %
VINTAGE 1990
Distilled 4.5.90
Bottled 3.3.00
Cask Nos. 1510 & 11
670 Genummerde flessen
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
VINTAGE 1990
Distilled 4.5.90
Bottled 3.3.00
Cask Nos. 1510 & 11
670 Genummerde flessen
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
Littlemill is recognised as one of three distilleries having a legimate claim to being the oldest in Scotland. Believed to date from 1772, there is also a suggestion of distil¬ling as early as 1750.
The licensee after the 1823 Excise Act was Jane MacGregor, who may well have been one of the earliest female distillers in Scotland.
The distillery was rebuilt in 1875 and up to the 1930s the spirit was triple distilled.
During the 1930s a modified Saladin box system of malting was introduced and double ven¬tilation towers over a single drying kiln were unique in Scotland.
Two pot stills with rectifying columns were also introduced. These allowed the distiller to flex the refining levels and produce a variety of spirits considered to age faster.
Sadly the distillery was closed in 1992. As the spirit was primarily used for blending, bottlings of very old Littlemill single malt are rare.
24 years old
40 %
THE ORIGINAL
WHISKY COLLECTION
Distilled 1975
Bottled August 1999
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling,
Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
THE ORIGINAL
WHISKY COLLECTION
Distilled 1975
Bottled August 1999
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd, Bowling,
Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
aged 36 years
41,2 %
SIGNATORY VINTAGE
RARE RESERVE
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled on 28/2/1967
Matured in Oak Hogsheads
Cask Numbers 669-672
Numbered Bottles
500 ml Bottles
325 Bottles
Natural Colour
In Box with Dunglass 37 years old
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
RARE RESERVE
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled on 28/2/1967
Matured in Oak Hogsheads
Cask Numbers 669-672
Numbered Bottles
500 ml Bottles
325 Bottles
Natural Colour
In Box with Dunglass 37 years old
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh
Littlemill is recognised as one of three distilleries having a legimate claim to being the oldest in Scotland. Believed to date from 1772, there is also a suggestion of distil¬ling as early as 1750.
LITTLEMILL
The licensee after the 1823 Excise Act was Jane MacGregor, who may well have been one of the earliest female distillers in Scotland.
The distillery was rebuilt in 1875 and up to the 1930s the spirit was triple distilled.
During the 1930s a modified Saladin box system of malting was introduced and double ven¬tilation towers over a single drying kiln were unique in Scotland.
Two pot stills with rectifying columns were also introduced. These allowed the distiller to flex the refining levels and produce a variety of spirits considered to age faster.
Sadly the distillery was closed in 1992. As the spirit was primarily used for blending, bottlings of very old Littlemill single malt are rare.
15 years old
57.1 %
SINGLE CASK
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY
Date Distilled: Mar ´90
Date Bottled: Nov ´05
Outturn 271 Bottles
Society Cask Code 97.5
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
'Dappled sunlight'
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY
Date Distilled: Mar ´90
Date Bottled: Nov ´05
Outturn 271 Bottles
Society Cask Code 97.5
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
'Dappled sunlight'
There were plans to re-open this historical Dumbartonshire distillery (established in 1772) but it burned down in 2003.
LITTLEMILL
This sample of the make is egg-yolk gold from a first-fill barrel. The fresh, complex nose unfolds its charms gradually-nail polish, peaches, green apple, toffee apples, fresh grass, herbs, sweet tobacco, bubble gum... with water, sherbet Refreshers, pears and scented grass.
The taste is sharply sweet with good lenght and a slightly bitter finish (citric peel).
It is tooth-cleaning and numbs the mouth the way tobacco or mint does ! Like chewing straws dipped in honey and lemon while sunlight dapples through the avenue of life.
13 years old
43 %
SIGNATORY VINTAGE 1990
Single Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 15.10.90
Bottled 28.11.03
Cask No. 2972
35 cl Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd,
Edinburgh
SIGNATORY VINTAGE 1990
Single Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 15.10.90
Bottled 28.11.03
Cask No. 2972
35 cl Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd,
Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
12 years old
40 %
Lowland Single Malt
Littlemill Distillery, Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
Lowland Single Malt
Littlemill Distillery, Dunbartonshire
LITTLEMILL
16 years old
60,9 %
1990
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 15.10.90
Bottled November 2006
Matured in Hogshead
Cask No. 2991
222 Bottles
BOTTLED FOR MANUFACTUM
by Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd,
Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
1990
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 15.10.90
Bottled November 2006
Matured in Hogshead
Cask No. 2991
222 Bottles
BOTTLED FOR MANUFACTUM
by Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd,
Edinburgh
LITTLEMILL
over 17 years old
57,4 %
GORDON & MACPHAIL
RESERVE
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled: 25/01/1991
Cask No: 92
Cask Type: Refill Bourbon barrel
Bottled: May 2008
Limited Edition
201 Bottles
Proprietors: Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd,
Specially selected, produced and bottled by
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin
LITTLEMILL
GORDON & MACPHAIL
RESERVE
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled: 25/01/1991
Cask No: 92
Cask Type: Refill Bourbon barrel
Bottled: May 2008
Limited Edition
201 Bottles
Proprietors: Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd,
Specially selected, produced and bottled by
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin
LITTLEMILL
19 years old
58,7 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH
WHISKY FROM A SINGLE CASK
Distilled: Febr. 1990
Cask type: First Fill Barrel \ Ex Bourbon
1 of only 211 bottles
Society Single Cask: 97.17
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults,
Leith, Edinburgh
Sweet as an angel' s kiss
WHISKY FROM A SINGLE CASK
Distilled: Febr. 1990
Cask type: First Fill Barrel \ Ex Bourbon
1 of only 211 bottles
Society Single Cask: 97.17
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults,
Leith, Edinburgh
Sweet as an angel' s kiss
We, the Tasting Panel, verifu the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been passed under
some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for release as a Society bottling
Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members are selected, true to our motto: “To leave no nose upturned”
Sweet as an angel’s kiss, the nose has puff candy, toffee popcorn, marzipan and honey, loads
of vanilla and strawberry hints. The palate is sweet, with liquorice allsorts, creamy coconut,
Turkish delight and spice, some tart flavours emerge with water
The nose, sweet as an angel’s kiss, had puff candy, burnt sugar, toffee popcorn, marzipan and
honey on digistives. The angel’s wings, wafted powerful vanilla, some perfume (strawberry –
scented soap?) and liquorice allsorts.
The unreduced taste was also sweet, with liquorice and coconut, some woody spices, decent heat and creamy after – taste.
The reduced nose was vanilla heaven – crème patissiere, Victoria sponge, and strawberry Mivi lolly – sticks. It also had floral perfume, incense, foamy bananas and later , pina colada.
The reduced palate, a well – integrated mix of sweet (Turkish delight, York fruits) and tart,
(fizzy refreshers, lemon zest).
This Glasgow distillery closed in 1994
LITTLEMILL
Age 21 years
54,7 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
FROM A SINGLE CASK
Date distilled: 7th March 1990
Cask type: First Fill Barrel / ex Bourbon
1 of only 217 bottles
Society Single Cask: 97.21
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh Laurel,
meadowsweet and honeysuckle
We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been
passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for release
as a Society bottling.
Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members
are selected true to our motto: “ To leave no nose upturned “.
The nose has hay, honey, flowers; light polish, minty toffee, waxed lemons, Crunchie
bars and much later, vanilla, leather and oak. The palate has exotic fruits in syrup
(lychee, peach) orange zest, perfumed bitterness and peppery ginger biscuits to finish.
The nose kicked off with hay, honey, floral notes and light polish. Then came minty toffee,
waxed lemons, custard creams and Crunchie bars before a late explosion of vanilla, leather
and warehouse oak.
The palate delivered a great mouthfeel, flavours of exotic fruits ( custard apple, lychee, per-
fumed peach ) in syrup, some flowers and after a while, ginger biscuits,
The reduced nose had orange curd and almonds, while the floral element developed into
laurel, meadowsweet and elderflower.
The reduced palate was mainly sweet, with some citric zest and perfumed bitterness, then
a pepper spice finish.
This Bowling distillery closed in 1993.
Aged 21 years
46 %
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Est. 1772
The Oldest Scotch Whisky Distillery
Still releasing whisky
This rare bottling is a celebration of
Littlemill's revered history using the limited
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Est. 1772
The Oldest Scotch Whisky Distillery
Still releasing whisky
This rare bottling is a celebration of
Littlemill's revered history using the limited
number of casks left from this
closed, demolished distillery
Numbered
Limited Edition Release of 3000 Bottles
Non Chill Filtered
Natural Colour
Unpeated
Distilled at Littlemill Distillery, Dunbartonshire
(Glen Catrine, Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland
LITTLEMILL
Aged 21 years
closed, demolished distillery
Numbered
Limited Edition Release of 3000 Bottles
Non Chill Filtered
Natural Colour
Unpeated
Distilled at Littlemill Distillery, Dunbartonshire
(Glen Catrine, Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland
LITTLEMILL
Aged 21 years
47 %
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Est. 1772
The Oldest Scotch Whisky Distillery
Still releasing whisky
SECOND RELEASE
LIMITED EDITION
Numbered
4550 Bottles
This rare bottling is a celebration of
Littlemill's revered history using the
limited number of casks left from this
closed, demolished distillery
Non Chill Filtered
Narural Colour
Unpeated
Distilled at Littlemill Distillery, Dunbartonshire
(Glen Catrine, Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland
LITTLEMILL
Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Est. 1772
The Oldest Scotch Whisky Distillery
Still releasing whisky
SECOND RELEASE
LIMITED EDITION
Numbered
4550 Bottles
This rare bottling is a celebration of
Littlemill's revered history using the
limited number of casks left from this
closed, demolished distillery
Non Chill Filtered
Narural Colour
Unpeated
Distilled at Littlemill Distillery, Dunbartonshire
(Glen Catrine, Catrine, Ayrshire, Scotland
LITTLEMILL
24 year
45.5 %
RARE OLD
A Special Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 1991
Lote No. RO / 15 / 04
Bottled 2015
Natural Colour
Non Chill Filtered
Selected, Matured & Bottled
By Gordon & Macphail, Elgin
RARE OLD
A Special Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 1991
Lote No. RO / 15 / 04
Bottled 2015
Natural Colour
Non Chill Filtered
Selected, Matured & Bottled
By Gordon & Macphail, Elgin
Tasting Notes
Colour: Pale Gold
Without Water:
Nose: Vanilla with juicy apricot, peach, and blanched almond aromas.
Subtle cinnamon and nutmeg spices mingle with cocoa powder and
summer berry notes.
Palate: A buttery mouth feel, initially sweet with hints of white pepper.
Pressed apple, orange, and kiwi flavours are complemented by heather honey.
With Water:
Nose: Sweet vanilla with demerara sugar, ripe banana, and green apple
aromas, complemented by hints of lemon meringue pie.
Palate: Peppery initially with hints of charred oak, zesty lime, and chocolate
flavours.
A subtle menthol note is present in the background.
Body: Light
Finish: Medium in lenght with lingering tropical fruit flavours.
Cask Types: Refill Bourbon and Sherry casks
Whisky Style: A rare Lowland dram.
LITTLEMILL also see
DUNGLASS and
DUMBUCK
Bowling, Dumbartonshire. Licentiehouder:
Bowling, Dumbartonshire. Licentiehouder:
Littlemill Distillery Co, Ltd.
Eigendom van Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Limited.
Littlemill kan aanspraak maken op het feit dat het één
van de drie oudste distilleerderijen in Schotland is.
In 1772
werden hier huizen gebouwd voor de
mensen van de accijnzen, maar al veel
eerder werd hier bier gebrouwen en
waarschijnlijk ook gedistilleerd.
In 1750
In 1750
was een mouter uit Glasgow,
George Buchanan, eigenaar van het
landgoed Auchterlonie,
waar Littlemill deel van uitmaakt.
In 1817
In 1817
is Matthew Clark & Co de licentiehouder.
In 1823
In 1823
is Jane MacGregor licentienemer,
en omstreeks 1840 is Hector Henderson
in het bezit van Littlemill.
Hij was eerder in 1837 deelgenoot in
Hij was eerder in 1837 deelgenoot in
de Campbeltown distilleerderij en was
ook de stichter van Caol Ila in 1846.
In 1875
In 1875
wordt Littlemill uitgebreid door een
zekere Hay.
In 1929
In 1929
werd Littlemill gesloten.
In 1931
In 1931
koopt een Amerikaan van Schotse afkomst
Littlemill.
Hij veranderde het Saladin Box moutsysteem zodanig dat boven de Kiln een dubbele ventilator toren werd gebouwd.
De ketels waren van koper, maar werden door hem bekleed met aluminium en het meest opmerkelijke,
inplaats van de zwanenhals op de ketels installeerde hij retificeerkolommen boven de ketels.
Deze variatie op een thema wordt ook wel gebruikt door Japanse distilleerderijen om meer variatie te verkrijgen van
Deze variatie op een thema wordt ook wel gebruikt door Japanse distilleerderijen om meer variatie te verkrijgen van
gedistilleerd afkomstig uit één ketel.
In 1931
werd ook het systeem verlaten
om drie maal te distilleren.
In 1959
In 1959
werd Barton Brands te Chicago
aandeelhouder om in 1971 alleen
eigenaar te worden.
In 1965
In 1965
toen Littlemill het maximum bereikte
van zijn produktie mogelijkheden
werd een tweede distilleerderij gebouwd
te Alexandria: Loch Lomond.
Barton Brands werd in 1982 overgenomen
Barton Brands werd in 1982 overgenomen
door Amalgamated Distilled Products die
op zijn beurt in 1984 samenging met de
Argyll Group.
Littlemill wordt gesloten in 1984.
In 1985
wordt Gibson International de eigenaar,
ook de eigenaar van Glen Scotia en
Cellars Direct.
Er is een management buy-out onder
Er is een management buy-out onder
leiding van twee directeuren van
Gibson International,
Ian Lockwood en Bob Murdoch en in
1994
is de firma bankroet.
In 1995
In 1995
is Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd
de eigenaar en Littlemill is weer gesloten.
Littlemill heeft twee ketels. Eén wash still van 25000 liter en een spirit still van 18000 liter.
De met stoom gestookte ketels hebben een capaciteit van 750.000 liter per jaar.
Er staat één mash tun met een inhoud van 5 ton, en een washback van 25000 liter.
Het water komt van de Kilpatrick Hills.
Het water komt van de Kilpatrick Hills.
Rond 1974 werden er nog twee verschillende whiskies geproduceerd;
Dumbuck, een zwaar geturfrookte whisky,
en Dunglass, een niet geturfrookte, olieachtige whisky.
1772
The distillery is founded
1823
1823
Jane MacGregor is licensee and
thereby one of the first female licensees
1843
1843
Hector Henderson sells Littlemill and
commences building Caol IIa
1931
1931
The American Duncan G. Thomas buys
the distillery and founds
Littlemill Distillery Company Ltd
with the Argyll Group.
Saladin boxes are installed for maltings
1959
1959
Barton Brands Inc, from Chicago
become part-owners
1971
1971
Duncan G. Thomas and the Argyll Group
are bought out and the company is
restructured as Barton Distilling (Scotland)
Ltd
1972
1972
Production of the experimental whiskies
Dunglas and Dumbuck stops
1984
1984
Littlemill closes
1988
1988
Barton International becomes
Gibson International
1989
1989
Production resumes
1992
1992
Production stops
1994
1994
Gibson International files for bankrupty and
Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd,
sister company to
Loch Lomond Distillery Company Ltd,
buys Littlemill
1996
1996
The equipment is dismantled and part of the
buildings are demoslished
2003
2003
Loch Lomond Distillery Co, shelves plans
to convert Littlemill into a working distillery museum
2004
2004
Newstead Properties buys the facility to build
61 apartments A fire, started by youngsters,
destroys more of the distillery
2005
2005
The owners obtain permission from the Procurator
Fiscal to demolish the remaining buildings except
the two towers.
Ideally situated, nestling at the base of the Kilpatrick Hills and taking the pure water therefrom, it will never be known exactly when whisky was first distilled at Littlemill.
Perhaps as early as the Fourteenth Century as an off-shoot of the traditional brewing of beer when the Colquhouns built Dunglass Castle; but what is certain is that in about 1750. George Buchanan, a wealthy Glasgow maltster purchased Littlemill as part of the Auchentorlie Estate and by 1772, houses had already been built for the Excise Officers.
When the first Government survey of the whisky industrie was conducted in 1821, Littlemill was already making 0 proof gallons a year.
Littlemill has thus a long and cherished history of making fine malt scotch whisky.
1929 - 1931
Littlemill closes
Until the 1930's
the traditional triple distillation technique
of the Lowlands was
used.
used.
Littlemill switched to double distillation
when Duncan G. Thomson, an
American citizen took over in
1931
American citizen took over in
1931
forming the Littlemill Distillery Co.Ltd
Duncan G. Thomson lived in the Exise
Duncan G. Thomson lived in the Exise
Officers House
He also clad the copper pot stills in
He also clad the copper pot stills in
aluminium and fitted rectifying columns in-
stead of the customary swan - necks
stead of the customary swan - necks
hat are on pot - stills. This combined pot-
and column - still elements.
and column - still elements.
Duncan G. Thomas was trying to produce a hybrid
spirit that would age faster
The Argyll Group is a share holder
Saladin boxes are installed for maltings
1959
spirit that would age faster
The Argyll Group is a share holder
Saladin boxes are installed for maltings
1959
Barton Brands inc of Chicago became part owners
1971
1971
Barton Brands inc of Chicago buys out
Duncan G. Thomas and the Argyll Group
and reorganized as Barton Distilling (Scotland) Ltd
1972
and reorganized as Barton Distilling (Scotland) Ltd
1972
Two whiskies are produced from experimental
set ups using the rectifying heads
on the stills to produce variable malt spirit:
on the stills to produce variable malt spirit:
Dumbuck, heavily peated and Dunglass
unpeated
1984
unpeated
1984
Littlemill closes
1988
1988
Management buy out forming
Gibson International
1989
1989
Littlemill is modernised and reopened
1994
1994
Littlemill closes
Gibson International went into
receivership
Glen catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd,
Glen catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd,
sister company to Loch lomond Distillers Ltd
buys the distillery
The distillery remained silent, however,
buys the distillery
The distillery remained silent, however,
there were plans to rebuild Littlemill
onto a tourist
attraction with new housesand luxery flats
attraction with new housesand luxery flats
as well as projects to turn the distillery into
a museum.
These ideas were finally abandoned and in
1995
1995
the equipment was dismantled
1996
1996
4 September the buildings are
destroyed by fire
Littlemill's hous style is soft, sweet, like
marshmallows and wet grass
1750
1750
George Buchanan a wealthy
maltmaster from Glasgow purchased the
Auchterlonie Estate with Littlemill
1772
Auchterlonie Estate with Littlemill
1772
George Buchanan built houses to
accommodate Exise officers, this was
first official record of the existence of Littlemill
1813
first official record of the existence of Littlemill
1813
Littlemill is closed
Littlemill has seen many un -
documented owners in its long 200 -
year history.
1817 - 1818
1817 - 1818
Matthew Clark & Co
1821
1821
Peter McGregor
1825 - 1839
1825 - 1839
Jane McGregor
1846
1846
Hector Henderson
1846
1846
Duncan McCulloch
1847
1847
McCulloch & McAlpine bankrupt
1851
1851
Working
1852
1852
John McAlpin, Harvey & Co
1853
1853
William Hunter & John F. Sharpe,
the two partners agree to an the
the agreement
1854 - 1857
the agreement
1854 - 1857
William Hunter
1857 - 1867
1857 - 1867
William Hay & Co
1869
1869
William Hay Junior
1874
1874
William Hay, Fairman & Co,
bankrupt
1875
1875
Littlemill is rebuilt
1913
1913
Yoker Distillery Co, Ltd buys
Littlemill
1918
1918
Littlemill Distillery Co
1923 - 1927
1923 - 1927
Charles Mackinlay & Co and
J.G. Thomson & Co Ltd
1930
1930
Triple distillation is finished
1931
1931
Duncan G. Thomas ,
an American,who lived in the
Excise House
buys Littlemill with the Argyll Group
buys Littlemill with the Argyll Group
and operated as Littlemill
Distillery Co, Ltd
1959
Distillery Co, Ltd
1959
Barton Brands Inc of Chicago
become part - owners
1971
1971
The Argyll Group and
Duncan G. Thomas
are bought out by Barton
Brands and the company is
Brands and the company is
restructured as Barton Distilling
(ScotLand) Ltd
1972
1972
Production of the experimental
whiskies Dunglas and Dumbuck stops
1984
1984
Littlemill closes
1989
1989
Gibson International opens the distillery
again
1992
1992
Production stops again
1994
1994
Gibson International files for bankrupty,
and Glen citrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd
a sister company of
Loch Lomond Distillery Co. Ltd buys
Littlemill
1996
Littlemill
1996
Equipment is dismantled
Water: Kilpatrick Hills
Mash tun: 1 x 5 tonnes
Wasback: 1 x 25000 litres
1 wash still x 25000 litres
1 spirit still x 25000 litres
Output: 750.000 litres
Although sadly now demolished, it is thought Littlemill Distillery, founded in 1772
Water: Kilpatrick Hills
Mash tun: 1 x 5 tonnes
Wasback: 1 x 25000 litres
1 wash still x 25000 litres
1 spirit still x 25000 litres
Output: 750.000 litres
Although sadly now demolished, it is thought Littlemill Distillery, founded in 1772
by George Buchanan of Glasgow would have been the oldest distillery in Scotland.
This honour now rests with Glenturret Distillery in perthshire, established in 1775.
Littlemill Distillery originally located in the small village of Bowling in the west of the Scottish
county of Dunbartonshire lies on the border delineating the Lowland and Highland regions.
Interestingly, the distillery drew its water from the Auchentorlie Burn in the Kilpatrick Hills -
the North side of the Lowland / Highland Divide. However, be it because if its physical home
was South of the same divide, and or because the whisky was triple distilled ( a technique
traditional to the Lowlands) Littlemill spirit most commonly known as a Lowland malt.
Littlemill was a unique single malt distillery in that its stills were retrofitted with rectifying
columns in the thirties.
These columns (similar to those of a Coffey still) allow for a continuous distillation providing
a more consistent spirit. These coloms are used primarily in the distillation of grain whiskies.
In the late sixties, the distillery briefly experimented with different whisky styles - made
possible in part to the rectifying columns.
Littlemill was always the name of the light traditional style Lowland, however the new heavily
Littlemill Distillery originally located in the small village of Bowling in the west of the Scottish
county of Dunbartonshire lies on the border delineating the Lowland and Highland regions.
Interestingly, the distillery drew its water from the Auchentorlie Burn in the Kilpatrick Hills -
the North side of the Lowland / Highland Divide. However, be it because if its physical home
was South of the same divide, and or because the whisky was triple distilled ( a technique
traditional to the Lowlands) Littlemill spirit most commonly known as a Lowland malt.
Littlemill was a unique single malt distillery in that its stills were retrofitted with rectifying
columns in the thirties.
These columns (similar to those of a Coffey still) allow for a continuous distillation providing
a more consistent spirit. These coloms are used primarily in the distillation of grain whiskies.
In the late sixties, the distillery briefly experimented with different whisky styles - made
possible in part to the rectifying columns.
Littlemill was always the name of the light traditional style Lowland, however the new heavily
peated spirit was distilled under the name "Dumbuck'; the "Dunglass"label was a full - bodied
completely unpeated whisky originally intended to be used as a blending component.
Production of both the "Dumbuck" and "Dunglass" varities ceased in 1972.
Like many distilleries throughout Scotland. Littlemill changed ownership regularly throughout
its long history. The first recorded change in title was by Matthew Clark & Co in 1817 who
sold it four years later to Peter McGregor. The Excise Act of 1823 saw Littlemill Distillery's
first licensee listed as Jane MacGregor, one of the earliest female distillers. Jane retained the
distillery until 1839, and over the next thirty - five years, at least ten different owners have
been recorde, including Caol Ila founder Hector Henderson.
In 1875, then owner, William Hay completely rebuilt the distillery. After changing hands on a
number of occaisions Littlemill Distillery fell silent from 1929 - 1931, until it was purchased
by the American Duncan Thomas. It was Thomas's experiments with the distillery that developed
Littlemill into the unique spirit we know today. He made the switch from triple distillation
to double distillation. In addition, it was at this time that the traditional swan neck of the pot
stills were replaced by rectifying columns and the stills themselves were clad in aluminium.
These changes were made in order to have greater control over the distillation process and
create a spirit that would mature faster.
Thomas sold shares in the distillery to Barton Distilling Ltd who, by 1971 had sole ownership.
Barton was bought by Amalgamated Distilled Products which, in 1984, merged into the Argyll
Group who closed the distillery doors.
The distillery was mothballed in 1994 when the owners fell on hard times. The final sale
of Littlemill was made in 1995 to Loch Lomond Distillery who demolished the warehouses,
any ideas of reviving the distillery were quelled in 2004 when fire destroyed much of the
remaining buildings.
Gordon & Macphail has bottled Littlemill for a number of years under the "Connoisseurs
Choice" label and, more recently, under the "Rare Old"range.
We are proud to present our most recent bottling - Gordon & Macphail Rare Old Littlemill
1991.
‘OLDEST’ LITTLEMILL 40-YEAR-OLD RELEASED
completely unpeated whisky originally intended to be used as a blending component.
Production of both the "Dumbuck" and "Dunglass" varities ceased in 1972.
Like many distilleries throughout Scotland. Littlemill changed ownership regularly throughout
its long history. The first recorded change in title was by Matthew Clark & Co in 1817 who
sold it four years later to Peter McGregor. The Excise Act of 1823 saw Littlemill Distillery's
first licensee listed as Jane MacGregor, one of the earliest female distillers. Jane retained the
distillery until 1839, and over the next thirty - five years, at least ten different owners have
been recorde, including Caol Ila founder Hector Henderson.
In 1875, then owner, William Hay completely rebuilt the distillery. After changing hands on a
number of occaisions Littlemill Distillery fell silent from 1929 - 1931, until it was purchased
by the American Duncan Thomas. It was Thomas's experiments with the distillery that developed
Littlemill into the unique spirit we know today. He made the switch from triple distillation
to double distillation. In addition, it was at this time that the traditional swan neck of the pot
stills were replaced by rectifying columns and the stills themselves were clad in aluminium.
These changes were made in order to have greater control over the distillation process and
create a spirit that would mature faster.
Thomas sold shares in the distillery to Barton Distilling Ltd who, by 1971 had sole ownership.
Barton was bought by Amalgamated Distilled Products which, in 1984, merged into the Argyll
Group who closed the distillery doors.
The distillery was mothballed in 1994 when the owners fell on hard times. The final sale
of Littlemill was made in 1995 to Loch Lomond Distillery who demolished the warehouses,
any ideas of reviving the distillery were quelled in 2004 when fire destroyed much of the
remaining buildings.
Gordon & Macphail has bottled Littlemill for a number of years under the "Connoisseurs
Choice" label and, more recently, under the "Rare Old"range.
We are proud to present our most recent bottling - Gordon & Macphail Rare Old Littlemill
1991.
‘OLDEST’ LITTLEMILL 40-YEAR-OLD RELEASED
February 2019
Littlemill has launched a 40 Year Old Celestial Edition single malt, the ‘oldest’ expression from the lost Lowland distillery released to date, to celebrate the work of its former distillery manager.
The whisky’s packaging depicts the stars on the evening the casks were first laid down
The whisky was distilled on 10 October 1977 and has been matured in a variety of different cask types: refill American oak casks, first-fill ex-Bourbon casks and first-fill ex-oloroso Sherry casks.
The Celestial Edition was produced to honour Littlemill distillery manager Duncan Thomas, who pioneered several distilling techniques, including the installation of hybrid stills with rectifying heads, which allowed a number of different spirit characters to be created.
Michael Henry, master blender at Littlemill owner Loch Lomond Group, said: ‘The Celestial Edition is a fitting way to celebrate the legacy left by Duncan Thomas and the truly exceptional liquid is worthy of his name.’
Bottled at 46.8% abv, the whisky is said to carry ‘floral bursts of honeysuckle and elderflower’ on the nose, and ‘lime citrus, then richer dried fruits of sultana and raisins before vanilla toffee’ on the palate.
Only 250 crystal decanters of the Celestial Edition have been produced, packaged in a presentation box depicting the position of the stars on the evening the whisky was first filled into casks.
The presentation box also includes an additional 5cl vial of the 40-year-old, for buyers who wish to try the liquid while keeping the bottle sealed.
The 40-year-old single malt is priced at £6,000 and is available to buy from specialist retailers.
One of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, Littlemill fell silent in 1992 before its stills were removed and transferred to Loch Lomond distillery.
August 2017
Littlemill 27-year-old released for £2,250
A rare 27-year-old expression from the extinct Lowland distillery is limited to 500 bottles.
One of Scotland's oldest distilleries, Littlemill produced three different brands.
Littlemill was always a somewhat frustrating single malt. It was apparently relegated to the status of Third Class malt by DCL in the 1950s and bottlings, both official and independent, have swung wildly from the immature (sadly, mostly the own bottlings) to truly excellent (independent bottlings) where the distillery’s soft centred sweetness expresses itself fully. It was triple distilled until 1929.
Three different brands, Littlemill, Dunglass, and Dumbuck, were produced in the latter years.
One of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, there is a possibility that whisky was being made at the Littlemill site as early as 1772. What is certainly clear is that none of its owners had any success. There were nine of them between 1772 and the arrival of the Hay family in 1857 when some stability ensued.
Its somewhat chequered history was a little surprising given its location in the village of Bowling, where the Forth & Clyde Canal meets the river Clyde. These good transport links would, you might imagine, have given Littlemill a commercial advantage.
The Hays remained in charge, expanding and improving the distillery before selling to near neighbour, grain producer Yoker Distillery Co. A further period of instability followed, with blenders Charles Mackinlay and J&G Thompson owning it briefly before, in 1931, it became the possession of the first of a succession of American owners.
The first of these was Duncan Thomas, one of the forgotten innovators of Scotch whisky. He stopped triple distillation and installed new hybrid stills with pot still bodies and rectifying heads, allowing a number of different characters to be produced.
In 1959, the Chicago-based Barton Brands took a stake in Thomas’ Littlemill Distillery Co. The injection of capital allowed the firm to build the Loch Lomond distillery – also a forgotten innovator within Scotch whisky – in 1965, thereby easing pressure on supply.
Barton Brands then bought out Thomas in 1971, but continued to try new things such as three different expressions: Littlemill itself, a lightly-peated variant, Dunglass, and a heavily-peated one, Dumbuck. After a brief time in mothballs between 1984 and 1989, the distillery ran until 1992 when what had been Barton’s Scottish arm, now Gibson International, went bankrupt.
Littlemill was bought by Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse Ltd, (which in one of those weird twists of fate had bought Loch Lomond in 1986) but never redistilled. The stills were taken to Loch Lomond.
Its new owner contemplated running Littlemill as a museum, but in 1996 it was closed down and soon after it had been sold to a developer in 2004, it caught on fire.
Loch Lomond Group
2014 - present (brand only)
The Littlemill Distillery Company
Glen Catrine Bonded Warehouse
1994 - 2014
Gibson International
1987 - 1994
Barton Brands
1971 - 1987
Duncan G Thomas
1931 - 1971
J&G Thompson
1923 - 1931
(joint with Charles Mackinlay)
Charles Mackinlay
1923 - 1931
(joint with J&G Thompson)
Littlemill Distillery Co
1918 - 1923
Yoker Distillery Co
1913 - 1918
William Hay & Co
1857 - 1913
William Hunter
1853 - 1857
John McAlpine, Harvey & Co
1852 - 1853
McCulloch & McAlpine
1846 - 1852
Duncan McCulloch
1839 - 1846
Jane McGregor
1825 - 1839
Peter McGregor
1821 - 1825
Matthew Clark & Co
1817 - 1821
DUMBUCK
Alongside the lightly peated Dunglass, Dumbuck was a short-lived, experimental, heavily peated single malt produced at the now defunct Littlemill distillery in the Lowlands in the late 1960s. Primarily, if not exclusively, reserved for blends, it was never officially bottled.
Dumbuck, like its lightly peated sibling Dunglass, owes its existence to the innovative streak of Duncan Thomas, who owned Lowlands distillery Littlemill with Chicago-based Barton Brands during the 1960s.
Littlemill’s history was long and chequered: it was converted from a brewery in 1772 and suffered a difficult early history under multiple owners.
American part-ownership brought a cash injection but, despite Thomas’ experimental spirit, he was bought out by Barton Brands shortly after producing Dumbuck and Dunglass.
Littlemill limped on until 1992, when production ceased. The distillery officially closed four years later, and the remaining buildings were mostly destroyed by fire in 2004.
DUNGLASS
As a short-lived, experimental malt produced at a ‘lost’ distillery, Dunglass’ rarity is assured. It was never officially bottled and the vast majority of what was distilled went into blends.
Dunglass was one of two peated variants trialled at the Littlemill distillery during the late 1960s, the other being the more heavily peated Dumbuck. Rarely released by independent bottlers, it is now highly prized by collectors.
Dunglass was produced briefly in the late 1960s at Littlemill, the Lowlands distillery converted from a brewery in 1772, which endured a difficult early history under multiple owners.
By the 1960s, Littlemill was owned by serial innovator Duncan Thomas and Chicago-based Barton Brands – the latter of whom provided a cash injection that allowed the construction of the Loch Lomond distillery to boost production.
Thomas’s innovations at Littlemill had already made it a versatile plant, and in the late 1960s this was taken further with the experimental production of peated spirit to supplement Littlemill’s trademark floral style.
Distillation of the two variants – lightly peated, ‘heavy and slow-maturing’ Dunglass, including spirit taken from spirit and wash stills, and heavily peated Dumbuck – was short-lived, and Thomas was bought out by Barton Brands shortly afterwards.
Littlemill eventually ceased production in 1992; a fire destroyed most of the remaining buildings in 2004.
LITTLEMILL RELEASES 29 YEAR OLD FOR £2,750
September 2019
Lost Lowland distillery Littlemill has released a 29-year-old single malt, comprised of whisky from ‘some of the last remaining casks’ filled before the distillery closed.
Littlemill 29 Year Old
Lost liquid: The Littlemill 29 Year Old was distilled in 1990, four years before the distillery shut
Littlemill 29 Year Old has been matured in refill ex-Bourbon casks laid down in 1990, four years before the distillery shut, and has undergone a secondary maturation in first-fill oloroso Sherry and Limousin oak casks.
Bottled at 47.3% abv, the whisky is said to have a ‘silk-like’ mouthfeel with notes of ‘crisp green apple, ripe pear and kiwi fruit’.
The whisky is the latest addition to the Littlemill Private Cellar collection, a series of releases created by the Loch Lomond Group after acquiring the distillery’s remaining stocks of whisky.
Loch Lomond Group master blender Michael Henry said: ‘The latest expression in the Private Cellar collection helps to tell another piece of the Littlemill story.
‘The oloroso Sherry adds further floral notes to the whisky, similar to the Sherry casks once used at the Littlemill distillery, while the Limousin oak provides the European oak influence.’
The liquid is housed in a Glencairn crystal decanter, decorated with an illustration depicting the distillery’s location near the River Clyde, alongside a 5cl miniature sample of the liquid, a piece of a Littlemill cask and a booklet containing the whisky’s tasting notes.
Priced at £2,750 per 70cl decanter, only 600 bottles of the whisky will be available worldwide.
Believed to have first opened its doors in 1772, Littlemill was at one time thought to be Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery.
After falling silent in 1994, Littlemill was destroyed by fire in 2004, although the remaining stills are now housed in fellow Lowland distillery Loch Lomond.
Littlemill’s single malt is Testament to Scotch whisky’s history
Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery Littlemill has unveiled Littlemill Testament, a single malt housed in bespoke, hand-blown decanters. The collection also includes four decanter sets, whose decorative stoppers incorporate reclaimed materials from the historic home of the first distillery manager.
Littlemill Testament 1976 is Littlemill’s (Loch Lomond Group) oldest expression to date. The Scotch whisky comes in a bespoke, hand-blown decanter (Glencairn Crystal Studio) adorned with silver-plated collars and stoppers. Engraved with silver infill, the decanters are facet cut at the base – echoing the style of glass cutting during the Georgian period with a design intended to evoke water’s shimmering surface. Each handcrafted coffret (Moran’s Wood Components) contains a dress stopper crafted from handcut crystal pegs and sandstone taken from the remains of the Littlemill distillery.
The collection also includes four sets comprising a decanter and a pair of Georgian glasses. The engraving on the glass bowl and facet cut on the stem are replicated on the decanter, which is this time engraved and infilled in gold. Each of the four special decanters have dress stoppers containing a different material reclaimed from the distillery manager’s house that dates back to 1772: slate from the roof, wood from the floor, glass from the windows and stone from the walls. A wooden disc cut from a stave from the Littlemill’s barrel has a code enabling the consumer to request two 5cl samples of the whisky.
Littlemill was een kleine distilleerderij in het plaatsje Bowing. De Lowlands distilleerderij lag op de oevers van de Clyde River, op enkele kilometers van de Loch Lomond distilleerderij.
Closed distillery
Duncan Thomas is een belangrijke man in de rijke geschiedenis van Littlemill. Hij nam de distilleerderij in 1931 over en voerde enkele belangrijke veranderingen door.
Hij introduceerde een nieuw ontwerp van de Saladin-box voor de mouterij (met twee ventilatietorens en een enkele oven). Ook stapte de distilleerderij over van traditionele drievoudige Lowlands distillatie naar dubbele distillatie.
Er werden hybride koperen pot stills geïnstalleerd met rectificerende kolommen in plaats van een zwanenhals. Zo had men meer controle over het distillatieproces en konden er whisky's met verschillende karakters worden geproduceerd.
Gedurende deze tijd liep Littlemill voor op het gebied van innovatie en was men in staat om 3 stijlen single malts te creëren.
Voorgoed gesloten
Tijdens de wereldwijde economische crisis in de jaren 80 werd de distilleerderij al eens een paar jaar gesloten voordat in 1994 het doek voor Littlemill voorgoed viel.
In 1997 werd de distilleerderij volledig ontmanteld (waarbij de stills werden verplaatst naar de Loch Lomond distilleerderij). Toen in 2004 de distilleerderij tot op de grond toe afbrandde kwam er definitief een einde aan de lange geschiedenis van Littlemill.
Resterende voorraad
Hoewel de distilleerderij niet meer bestaat zijn er nog wel enkele vaten van Littlemill overgebleven. Deze vaten liggen veilig opgeborgen bij Loch Lomond.
Master blender Michael Henry heeft zich ontfermd over de laatste druppels Littlemill. Met zijn kennis en expertise selecteert hij de beste vaten en wanneer de tijd rijp is wordt een vat gebotteld, waardoor er weer een selectief aantal flessen beschikbaar komt voor de whiskyliefhebbers wereldwijd.
Littlemill Dutch Trilogy
Het is De Monnik Dranken gelukt om één zeldzaam vat met Littlemill whisky te bemachtigen. Daar wordt de komende jaren – onder toeziend oog van Michael Henry – een drietal batches van gebotteld.
De eerste batch – 60 flessen Littlemill 32 YO – is inmiddels beschikbaar en geïntroduceerd tijdens het in oktober 2022 georganiseerde Lowland Whisky Diner in Utrecht.
LITTLEMILL TESTAMENT
A Testament to the past
Littlemill Testament captures the legacy of the distillery, with the liquid if thus exclusive Single Malt taken from a single distillation on th October 1976.
This limited edition has been expertly crafted to preserve the distillery in both style and character ensure the legacy of Littlemill Distillery lives on in each expression.
Re-casked in 1996 from their original casks and into American oak Hogsheads, our Master Blender, Michael Henry selected three from these, vatting them together into two first fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads for a further 4 month maturation before vatting together for a final two months prior to bottling.
Loch Lomond: Alexandrian alchemy at work
June 17, 2024Longer pieces
Michael Henry opens the door and we enter a stillhouse unlike any other. There’s swan-necked pots in the far corner, but before them are hybrid stills made up of a pot still base with a straight neck containing rectifying plates: one in the wash, and 17 in the spirit, which also has a cooling ring. Of course it has. It’s all about reflux. It’s also about producing as many variations on flavour as possible.
As we’re in the Loch Lomond distillery in Alexandria (where Michael is master blender), you might think that those straight neck stills are Lomond stills. They aren’t. These were modelled on a design installed by Duncan Thomas at the Littlemill distillery in the 1950s.
Around the same time, Hiram Walker’s engineer Alastair Cunningham had a similar idea His design had three moveable baffle plates in the neck which could be cooled individually, varying the amount of reflux.
He first ran at the Inverleven malt distillery housed within Dumbarton grain distillery and was called a ‘Lomond’ still, presumably because Dumbarton is fairly close to the loch …Lomond stills also operated at Miltonduff ((making Mosstowie) Glenburgie (Glencraig), and Scapa. All are discontinued.
One of Loch Lomond’s straight necked stills
‘The characteristics of a swan neck pot defines the profile of the spirit,’ Michael explains. ‘The straight-neck stills, however, have flexibility and were created to produce a triple-distilled style in double distillation’.
By operating different cut points (high-strength at 85%, low at 68%) and levels of peating on the straight neck stills, he collects seven different flavour streams. Then there’s the new make from the swan neck stills to add in. Each release of Loch Lomond single malt is a blend of different distillates.
Engrossed in the stills, we’ve not even talked about fermenting. There’s no surprise that there’s different yeasts used, or that the minimum length is 92 hours to increase lactobacillus and esterification. Then, blithely, he says, ‘during silent season we just leave washbacks to get on with it. It’s a three week ferment.’
‘Funky?’ I ask.
“Oh yes… the wash is,’ he shakes his head and smiles, ‘but it distills beautifully’.
There’s more … of course there is. The malt side also has a Coffey still which distils a 100% malted barley wash (common practise in the 19th and early 20th century). The distillery asked the SWA if there could be a separate definition for this style, but the suggestion was turned down. So it’s ‘grain’, but not grain as we know it. That’s made at the site’s grain distillery. Confused?
With ‘grain’ now being used to label rye, oat and mixed mashbill whiskies from pot stills as well as Loch Lomond’s malt ‘grain’, maybe it’s time to re-examine the definition.
Everything here starts in the lab
What could be interpreted as wild, random experimentation is in fact based on research set up by Loch Lomond’s former production director John Peterson. It is a self-contained, virtually self-sufficient (all it misses is a maltings) entity, a treasury of whisky knowledge whose work has barely been acknowledged.
That’s when it dawns on me. Alexandria. Not this one, but Egyptian city of legend founded by Alexander the Great in 331. A seat of learning, the home of a great library which was what we’d call a research centre rather than just a repository for scrolls. It was called the Mouseion (‘seat of the Muses’) from which we get museum.
A Greek enclave, Alexandria was where ideas were hatched, experiments took place, religions mingled and fractured. By the 5th century it was the largest city in the (western) world, a nexus of learning and knowledge, the centre of literature, science, philosophy and medicine
‘Water of Life’ author C.Anne Wilson in her investigations into early distillation places it as a home to the Dionysian mystery cult which, she argues, used distilled wine in its ceremonies, and, later, a home for Gnostic fire baptism ceremonies where distilled wine was ignited on the foreheads of acolytes.
Maria Hebraea, alchemist, scientist, distiller
Alexandria was also home to Maria Hebraea (Maria the Jewess, Maria Prophetissima) whose role in the early days of distillation, particularly at this time of the growing (and belated) awareness of womens’ role in spirits, seems to have been forgotten (or maybe I’ve just been looking in the wrong places).
She perfects various types of distillation equipment, invents the three spouted still (tribikos), and gave her name to the balneum Mariae, (bain marie) which is still used today.
As an alchemist she was investigating the nature of the building blocks of existence – proto-chemistry, chemical metaphors, occult practise, the interaction of matter with spirit, the genders of metals. Alexandria comes before Salerno, or Cordoba, even predating the refining of distilling which took place in Persia.
An early Balneum Mariae
And now there’s a town in the Vale of Leven with the same name. Not named after Alexander the Great, but its 18th century landowner Alexander Smollett. It too has been a place of enquiry.
On the way to the distillery we passed a vast red sandstone Victorian palace which in the way of these things started life as the headquarters of a luxury car maker. Alexander (the name keeps popping up) Girvan’s Hozier Engineering started making Argyll cars in Glasgow in 1899.
He moved the business to Alexandria in 1905 building the palace with its marble interior, golden dome, and telephones. At its height it was making 3,000 cars a year – the biggest car factor in Europe at the time. It collapsed just at the start of WWI when the site was requisitioned by the war office and for the next half century it made munitions. It’s now a shopping centre.
A psychedelic Argyll Cars ad from 1906
Ideas seem to ferment here, thoughts and plan bubbling to the surface but never seem to stick. Instead there’s layering and repurposing. As one thing dies, another emerges. A place making. Before cars, torpedoes, or whisky it was cloth: cotton bleaching, printing, and dyeing.
In 1897 The Alexandria Works (formed by the Croftingea and Levenfield sites) and other enterprises merged to form the United Turkey Red Company (UTR), making dyes for the textile factories.
Turkey Red (is it me or is that crying out to be a whisky brand?) was a bright crimson dye prized for not fading or running. The colour came from the root of the madder plant and while the process was long known in India, China and the near east, as with spirits it was late to Europe only arriving in the 18th century. (‘Turkey’ refers to the country not the bird).
from valeofleven.org.uk
from valeofleven.org.uk
Six years later, Loch Lomond built its distillery on the site. Some of the old UTR buildings have been repurposed into warehouses. Others sit empty. That layering again. (As a side note, during WWII the old Levenbank dye works was used as a victualling store for the Admiralty storing Navy rum for the sailors’ daily tot).
Loch Lomond was established to produce whisky destined for value for money brands, a high volume, low margin business. If that was the model it made sene to have everything under one roof.
Blenders also need a wide variety of flavours and texture. Loch Lomond took that principle, plus its own ethos of self-sufficiency and created the most innovative distillery in Scotland. When Japanese single malt appeared on the export markets at the start of this century, everyone got excited about how innovative the country’s distillers were with their multiple streams and in-house blended single malts.
Meanwhile, Loch Lomond was already doing the same. The only thing was, they didn’t tell anybody about it. Even now at a time when Scotch distilleries are, rightly, talking about ‘new’ ways of approaching whisky, Loch Lomond can shrug and says, ‘aye, but we’ve been doing that for decades.’ Michael doesn’t seem to mind. It’s just what they’ve alway done.
Michael Henry: Master blender at work
What has happened however is greater visibility and, thanks to a more enlightened wood policy ever grater quality. Loch Lomond now plays at all levels of the market and with Glen Scotia is building a new cult Campbeltown malt. As this new approach develops so Michael and blender Ashley Smith have a platform to show the flavour possibilities which exist. It’s not just the price range which is covered, but the flavour spectrum as well.
Think back to Maria in that other Alexandria: the questions, the refining and multidisciplinary learning, the flames on foreheads, those scientific investigations which examined the properties of material, in which one stream led to distillation and another to dyeing.
Then see how all of that ancient understanding of transmutation spread out across the world and through time, continually evolving, reshaping itself; one day ending up in the west of Scotland where it spreads again. Dye for high fashion, drink for pleasure and a modern Dionysian cult.
It is a human story of trial, error, success, and also one of a relentless belief in building. Loch Lomond, the Mouseion of Scotch.