Christmas comes early at Glasgow’s newest distillery

Christmas arrived early at The Clydeside Distillery this week as the first casks were filled with new-made spirit ready to be matured.

The distillery chairman, Tim Morrison, supervised the process which will see the first batch of spirit rest for at least three years in American Bourbon oak casks until it can officially be called Scotch whisky.

Tim Morrison, chairman of The Clydeside Distillery, fills the first whisky cask with new-make spirit

The distillery and visitor centre, which opened to public the last month on the banks of the Clyde, is home to Glasgow’s first operational copper stills for more than a century.

The distillery is located in the pump house was built on the historic Glasgow Queen’s Dock overlooking the Clyde in 1877.

Distillery manager Alistair McDonald hammers the bung into the first whisky cask

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, and the visitor centre opened to the public earlier this month.