Whisky blog: Inside Scotland’s newest distillery in the heart of Glasgow

Our whisky blogger James Robertson discusses the opening of the Clydeside Distillery.

The new Clydeside Distillery

In 1877 the pump house was built on the historic Glasgow Queen’s Dock overlooking the Clyde.

John Morrison of Morrison and Mason built the building and was the great great grandfather of Tim Morrison, chairman of Morrison Glasgow Distillers.

Tim had always dreamed of building a distillery and this seemed to be the perfect location, so in 2011 the pump house was purchased.

Looking out from the large glass windows of the distillery to the Clyde, Tim spoke eloquently about what had driven him and his son Andrew to this moment: ‘Glasgow has an affinity with Scotch whisky unlike any other city in the world with the Queen’s Dock previously witnessing the exports of whisky with ships sailing past the Pump House destined for all continents of the world.’

The Clydeside Distillery is expected to produce its first whisky in 2020

Clydeside Distillery started distilling on the 6 November this year and on 23 November the distillery opened its doors to visitors.

Clydeside offers visitors a chance to walk through 140 years of history of the Clyde and its rich tapestry of shipbuilding and commerce. There are interactive whisky tours, a chance to purchase whisky in the shop and a cafe all on site.

The distillery was designed by the renowned whisky consultant the late Dr Jim Swan.

Inside the Clydeside Distillery

A total of 500,000 litres of spirit will be produced each year and the style will be light and fruity with a hint of spice. The first whisky will not be released until at least 2020.

• James Robertson has spent 22 years in the drinks industry including working with Taittinger, Louis Jadot, and latterly for the past eight years, was the face of Tullibardine around the world until 2016. He is now running his own business providing expertise to companies looking for assistance with international brand building, sales and marketing and distributor management. Prior to that, he was an officer with the Argylls and an Inspector with the Royal Hong Kong Police.