Glenturret ‘baffled’ by rock engraving in China
A large rock bearing the name Glenturret has been unearthed in China, baffling whisky makers at the famous Scotch distillery.
The rock was unearthed during an excavation at Moganshan, ChinaThe discovery was made during a recent excavation for a new resort in Moganshan, a hilly holiday destination two hours from Shanghai.
Some of the property based on the resort is known to have once belonged to Dr Duncan Main, a Scottish missionary doctor who worked in China for 45 years in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
However, mystery surrounds his connection to the Glenturret Distillery.
“We know Dr Duncan Main, one of the most famous missionaries in China at the time, had a castle on the property and that it was used as a summer retreat by him and his hospital staff,” said Grant Horsfield, founder of Naked, which operates a luxury eco-resort in the area
“It was built in 1910 as a sanitorium and known simply as #1 Moganshan. We also know it passed into the hands of the government of Zhejiang for a short time during China’s nationalisation and then was handed back to Dr Main’s son, S. Duncan Main.
“It was then sold to the Jiangnan Auto Company and opened as the Green Shade Inn. However, it was not well maintained and was torn down in the 1960s.”
Glenturret Distillery is now asking that anyone with information on Dr Main, particularly regarding his time in China, get in touch at marketing@theglenturret.com.
“At first it might seem not seem like a surprise that a Scottish missionary doctor would be linked to a Scottish whisky distillery,” said Stuart Cassells, general manager of Glenturret Distillery
“But the fact is that Dr. Duncan Main was born and brought up in Ayrshire and was educated in Glasgow and Edinburgh. We have yet to find a link between Dr. Main and our own region of Crieff, which is some distance away at the foot of the Scottish Highlands.”
Cassells speculates that Dr Main may have been one of the first importers of Glenturret whisky to whisky, but also acknowledges the rock may refer to a British steamship of the same name.
