Whisky distillery earns Scottish tourism accolade

A whisky distillery steeped in the heart of Glasgow’s distillery industry is celebrating after achieving a prestigious Quality Assurance award from VisitScotland.

The Clydeside Distillery, situated in the pumphouse building which once controlled entry into the Glasgow Queen’s Dock, has secured a five-star rating from the national tourism organisation.

The grading highlights businesses within the VisitScotland Quality Assurance Scheme who continue to exceed customers’ expectations on an on-going basis whilst taking an innovative approach to customer care.

Opened in 2017, owner Tim Morrison helped to fulfil the ambitions of reviving distilling in Glasgow in honour of his great-grandfather restoring the dock that he had built in the 19th century.

The distillery offers a range of bespoke tours and tastings, allowing people to dive deep into the fascinating story of the attraction before sampling some of Scotland’s finest drams with the help of an expert guide to recommend the perfect whisky to match food choices or preferences.

They were highly praised for the excellent high-quality produce used in the making of the dishes featured on the café’s menu with much of the produce used being Scottish or locally sourced. The attraction offers guests to try the Taste of Scotland Platter which is carefully chosen to showcase Scotland’s regional specialties.

Jim Clarkson, VisitScotland regional leadership director said: ‘Congratulations to everyone at The Clydeside Distillery for this fantastic achievement. It is a great attraction for Glasgow and it is excellent to see their hard work and commitment to providing a quality customer experience being recognised with this prestigious award.

‘The Clydeside Distillery is a truly spectacular building that celebrates the building’s history and offers a fantastic insight into how whisky is produced.

‘This is an exciting time for Scottish distilleries with the growing global demand for single malts, any investment in transforming these distillery visitor centres should be welcomed.

Inside the Clydeside Distillery

‘It is important we continue to promote our world famous whisky heritage because it is not only the distilleries themselves that benefit from visitors’ interest in the water of life but the surrounding towns and villages.’

Tim Morrison, chairman of the Clydeside Distillery, said: ‘To be awarded a five-star rating from VisitScotland is a truly outstanding achievement and we are incredibly proud of the team’s hard work and dedication which has helped us reach this point.

‘Glasgow’s links with the Scotch Whisky industry stretch back hundreds of years and The Clydeside Distillery is helping to keep the city’s whisky heritage alive. We’re privileged to be able to share our story and our passion with our guests.

‘Providing visitors with the very best experience is our top priority and this underpins everything we do. We look forward to welcoming many more guests through our doors.’

For more information, visit http://www.theclydeside.com/

To learn more about VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme visit https://www.visitscotland.org/about-us/what-we-do/quality-assurance