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A raft of Scotch malt distilleries have spent decades quietly making spirits for blending, but these storied producers have transitioned to bottling under their own names.
One of the strengths of malt Scotch is its depth and diversity. Across Scotland, there are roughly 150 distilleries, but many remain known only to hardened whisky enthusiasts. For curious consumers looking for something new, however, there are many riches available to explore.
Beyond the famous names, Scotch’s long history has a raft of malts that have spent decades – even centuries – quietly making a spirit to feed the demands of blenders. But, as the category has mushroomed, these historic names are increasingly being bottled under their own steam.
Among them are three 19th Century distilleries: Glenglassaugh and Fettercairn in the Highlands, and Speyburn on Speyside. Their owners – Brown-Forman, Whyte & Mackay and International Beverage, respectively – are making major investments to build awareness and sales.
Speyburn swings its doors open
Speyburn in Rothes was established in 1897 but has remained off the beaten track, ceding the limelight to illustrious neighbours including Glen Grant and Glenrothes. Not anymore. Following a major expansion in 2015, the site has opened a visitor centre – and is showcasing its range of single malts in markets around the world.
“We’ll be keeping the tours very authentic,” says Speyburn manager Euan Henderson. “A chance for whisky fans to see behind the scenes of a traditional working Speyside distillery, to meet the makers and soak up the history and atmosphere.”
There are challenges in elevating the profile of a ‘new’ single malt in such a competitive marketplace, but Henderson doesn’t believe in overthinking things. “Consumer tastes are always changing,” he says. “However, many of the attributes people look for in a single malt are universal and remain fairly unchanged. Great quality, a genuine history, a strong connection to the place where the whisky is made, plus a few different ages and finishes to choose from.”
Fettercairn’s salute to Scottish oak
Drive south-east for a couple of hours from Rothes and you’ll eventually come across Fettercairn, an even older distillery set to celebrate its bicentenary next year. This Whyte & Mackay-owned brand has emerged blinking into the limelight in the past few years, its USP a combination of an unusual distillation regime and the division’s preference for Scottish oak.
Fettercairn’s new-make spirit is high-toned and full of tropical fruits, the result of bizarre-looking cooling rings around the tops of its stills that bring a lighter, more estery flavour profile. Last year, the brand introduced an 18-year-old extension, finished in Scottish oak casks and reflecting a company-wide oak programme under master whisky maker Gregg Glass that has now incorporated all of Whyte & Mackay’s distilleries.
For the company’s global single malt whisky specialist, Andrew Lennie, a focus on community and origin – not just for Fettercairn, but for other brands such as Jura – is crucial. “We’re seeing a growing emphasis on origin, provenance and craft, all of which are becoming key purchase motivators for discerning whisky drinkers,” he says.
Big and bold pays off for The GlenAllachie
When it comes to raising the profile of unheralded malts, master distiller Billy Walker has some track record – having done the trick with BenRiach and GlenDronach prior to their 2016 sale to Brown-Forman.
Over the past five years, he’s repeated the trick at The GlenAllachie, having led the consortium that bought the Speyside distillery from Pernod Ricard six years ago. The strategy is a bold one, combining aged releases and esoteric cask types [mizunara, Scottish oak, wine barriques] with a radical revamp of the distillation regime. Fermentation times have been extended to 160 hours, and production has plummeted from 4m litres of pure alcohol per year to 0.8m.
Walker knew GlenAllachie from his time as a blender, and had always been impressed. “GlenAllachie presented a blank canvas with the freedom to steer it in our chosen direction, without the shackles that come with managing a legacy brand where consistency and dependability are paramount,” says brand & communications manager Mairi Robertson.
Another benefit was GlenAllachie’s inventory: the distillery has been operating constantly since 1968. This, however, was not the case with Glenglassaugh, the Highland distillery that was also part of the BenRiach sale to Brown-Forman.
Glenglassaugh makes its mark after a 20-year hiatus
Glenglassaugh was founded in 1874 but, because it was silent from 1986 to 2008, a core 12-year-old expression has only been released this year, alongside two no-age statement iterations, Portsoy and Sandend. There’s new packaging, a global creative campaign and, later this year, a new ‘luxury’ range.
For Glenglassaugh’s global brand ambassador, Stewart Buchanan, the keys to success are – again – provenance and origin. Sandend, for example, takes its name from a beach near the distillery; Portsoy from the nearby harbour town.
“The fact that this isn’t another new distillery coming to the market, but rather a reawakening, separates Glenglassaugh from the crowd,” says Buchanan. “Today, the production comes from the same traditional processes that were installed over six decades ago and produced not only the new expressions we’re releasing, but also our old and rare casks from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.”
Mossburn gives character a voice
For a business model that combines old and new, Mossburn brings together independent bottlings of third-party whiskies with its own distillery, Torabhaig on the Isle of Skye. Mossburn’s ‘Vintage Cask Collection’ specialises in distinctively flavoured but relatively obscure distilleries – the latest tranche includes Strathmill, Benrinnes, Blair Athol and Teaninich – all selected by whiskymaker Neil Mathieson.
“We’re choosing barrels with character and we’re not afraid of letting that character speak for itself,” says Mathieson – applying a similar ethos to Torabhaig. “If you look at Torabhaig, it would have been easy for us to do something outrageously phenolic in terms of aroma, like Laphroaig, instead of managing it into something that is less piercingly obvious. There’s a lot to be seen in these new distilleries, and Torabhaig is different and there’s room for it.”
Whether it looks back into its long history, or forward to the future of its many young distilleries, single malt Scotch whisky’s rich diversity gives it almost endless opportunities for growth, and new areas for consumers to explore.
That depth is the envy of many other spirits categories.
This article has been available to Global Drinks Intel subscribers since August. For details on how to join them, please click here.
