Distillery Visit - Clydeside

Visiting a distillery for the first time and adding it to our list is always exciting. But when that distillery is new and has just started production, then it is even more exciting. This was the case when Matt paid a visit to the Clydeside distillery in Glasgow and was given a tour of their state-of-the-art facilities that are pulling whisky fans down to the banks of the River Clyde.

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From the moment you approach the Clydeside, you cannot help but be impressed. Walking along the River Clyde from the centre of Glasgow takes you passed the modern architecture of the SSE Hydro complex and the disused Finnieston Crane, a true ghost of Glasgow's maritime past. Soon afterwards the distillery appears around a curve in the river.

The sympathetic conversion of the old pump house, which opened the now dismantled swing bridge in the Queen's Dock for over 90 years, combines the historic with the contemporary. Built in 1877 and closed in 1969 as Glasgow's ship building finally ground to a sad halt, the building has been renovated and expanded to revive the city's whisky making tradition.

The impressive still house.

The sight of the imposing copper pot stills encased in floor-to-ceiling glass is the first inkling that this is going to be good even before entering. They are proudly displayed for all to see and overlook the river that was once such an industrial waterway. Walking in to the building and this feeling continues. A modern interior sits comfortably alongside the Victorian architecture.

My tour guide is to be a gentleman called Ronnie, who is of Caribbean origin and had a wonderful lilt to his voice. He began by showing us a short film. Having been on many distillery tours and been forced to watch many distillery/brand films, I will be honest and say I was dreading being shown more running water or swaying barley heads or the whisky making process with some bagpipes or other traditional Scottish music in the background.

Ronnie - what a legend.

However, I left pleasantly surprised after watching a brief history of Glasgow docks and the integral part that whisky played in its growth during Victorian times. Another surprise was in store as we were led upstairs to a self-guided part that continued the history lesson in an interactive and clever way. Within 15 minutes we had seen how Glasgow, the port, whisky and the Morrison family histories were all intertwined. Ronnie met us at the end.

The Morrison family have a long history in the whisky industry dating back to John Morrison in 1925. He founded a successful whisky brokering business and this evolved in to a distilling empire that later became Morrison Bowmore Distillers. The Clydeside distillery was founded by Tim Morrison, John's great grandson, who joined the business in 1961.

The exhibition part of the tour is excellent.

The conversion of old pump house began in August 2016 and took a year. The first distillate flowed off the stills on November 3, 2017 and with it Morrison has fulfilled his dream of reviving Glasgow's long lost whisky making tradition.

As Ronnie takes up the reins again we learn that water for production is taken from Loch Katrine, which is around 35 miles north of Glasgow in the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, and unpeated malt is produced for the distillery by Simpsons, a fifth generation malting company. This is then milled on arrival in 1.5 tonne batches.

The mash tun.

We head in to a compact room that houses the mash tun and eight stainless steel washbacks. All equipment throughout the distillery was manufactured by renowned coppersmiths Forsyths. Three waters are used in the mashing to extract the natural enzymes and soluble sugars. The temperature is raised each time, starting at 63.5°C and finishing with the third at 88°C.

The liquid from the first two waters is what moves forward to the fermentation process and this totals 7,000 litres. This is cooled to 18°C and then dry yeast is added. If it was not cooled then the yeast would be killed. Each washback holds a 7,000 litre batch and after 72 hours all of the soluble sugar has been broken down in to alcohol and carbon dioxide. This wash has a strength of 8% ABV.

The washbacks.

The jewel in the distillery's crown comes next - the still house. This is where the place really comes alive and you get its sense of place. As you walk through the door to enter the still house a view hits you that is rivalled by very few across Scotland. Standing between the two copper pot stills, you have a 180° view of the River Clyde and the old docks of Glasgow laid out before you. The majority of my tour group simply exclaimed 'Wow'.

Inside the stunning still house.

The pair of stills are steam controlled and the spirit is made using the traditional whisky making skills. There are no computers, which goes against what is happening at most modernised or new distilleries. The first distillation produces low wines of 24% ABV and these are then put through the spirit still. The spirit comes off at 71% ABV and this is then reduced to 63.5% ABV for filling to cask. The stills were built to maximise the copper contact of the spirit, so as to increase its purity.

A short tasting then follows. As the Clydeside has only been producing for just over two years they do not have any of their own product to sample. Instead we were presented with three single malts - one each from the Lowlands, Highlands and Islay - and taken through the differences between the three by Ronnie. This was good but felt slightly separated from the rest of the experience. A sample of the new make spirit, which they sell downstairs in the shop, would have been good here - this would have given a clue to the distillery character of the spirit and created a link with the place.

A very cute tasting glass.

The aforementioned shop is the final port of call. This is well stocked with a multitude of brands, both well known and more obscure. Very impressive. You can also fill your own bottle of your favourite whisky from the tasting session, which is a cool touch. There is also a cafe, which serves excellent fare including a particularly good doughnut that is especially made for them by a local baker.

The shop.

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There are now so many new distilleries that it could be difficult to stand out from the ever increasing crowd. The Clydeside has put down their mark and created a distillery and visitor experience that is engaging, informative and inspirational. It is also helping to regenerate a part of Glasgow that has been neglected for many years. The set up is highly impressive, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly and it is well worth a visit. Superb.


Visitor Information

• The distillery is open daily 10am-5pm.
• The first tour is at 10am and the last at 4pm (4.30pm in July & August).
• There are three tours on offer - The Clydeside Tour (the one we did) @ £15 each, The Chocolate & Whisky Tour @ £28 each and The Distillery Manager's Tour (by special appointment and led by Alistair McDonald) @ £120 each. 
• For full details of each tour, visit - www.theclydeside.com/tours.